Following the death of Michael Jackson and the allegations against him, many have wondered what has happened to his Neverland Ranch in recent years.
The property is located in Santa Barbara County, California. It served as the home and private amusement park of the late singer from 1988 until 2005.
In the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson and James Safechuck claimed they were groomed and abused by Jackson as children at the ranch. Part two of the documentary, which is airing on Channel 4 tonight (March 18), follows Wade and James “as they navigate an ongoing legal battle in their civil lawsuits against the estate of Michael Jackson”.
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in name change
When Neverland was first built, it was originally named the Zaca Laderas Ranch. However, after it was later purchased by property developer William Bone in 1981, the estate was renamed as the Sycamore Valley Ranch.
In 1988, Michael purchased the ranch for around $17 million (£13 million), according to The New York Times. The Thriller hitmaker settled on the name Neverland. It was based on the fantasy island in the fictional story Peter Pan.
Jackson first visited the ranch in 1983 during a meeting with Sir Paul McCartney. The Beatles singer was staying there for the filming of his Say Say Say music video.
Neverland sold for $22 million
Following the allegations of sexual abuse against children, Michael left Neverland in 2005 and never returned. Up until his sudden death in 2009 at age 50, he owned the ranch.
We filmed at Neverland, it was wild.
However, six years after his death in 2015, Forbes reported that Neverland had been put up for sale for $100 million. That said, the property struggled to sell. This resulted in the ranch being renamed back to Sycamore Valley Ranch to help attract more interest.
In the end, businessman and family friend of the Jacksons, Ronald Burkle, purchased the property in 2020 for $22 million — $88 million less than its original sale price, per The Wall Street Journal.
In 2024, the ranch was evacuated as the Lake Fire, a wildfire which burned 38,664 acres of land in Santa Barbara County, burned nearby.
Upcoming Michael Jackson biopic at Neverland
Despite allegations thrown at him, the legacy of Michael Jackson and his Neverland Ranch is very much alive, as are the famous faces still in his fan club.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live last month, actor Miles Teller revealed that director Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming movie about Jackson’s life had been filmed at Neverland.
“I play John Branca, his entertainment lawyer,” he said about his role. “We filmed at Neverland. It was wild.”
He informed viewers that “somebody else had bought it” after Jackson left the property in 2005. However, they “dressed it up” for the production.
The biopic, simply titled Michael, is set to drop on October 3, 2025.
Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson airs tonight (March 18) on Channel 4 at 9pm.
Read more: Peter Andre’s Michael Jackson tribute divides fans
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