Telephone Stories

Brandon and Omar set forth to find out: what really happened with Michael Jackson? Through an interview with Bert Fields, Jackson’s famed entertainment lawyer, comes a portrait of the singer at the height of his talents and fame. And following a televised interview with Oprah in 1993, Jackson befriends a boy named Jordan Chandler - a relationship that will change both of their lives forever.Originally published in 2019.

Join Ogborn and Crook as they explore the hall of mirrors that was Michael Jackson’s life and then as they painstakingly, sometimes painfully, reconstruct the complex narrative of an iconic and troubled performer haunted by allegations of criminal perversion. Listen back to this 2019 docseries now.

As Michael Jackson and Jordan Chandler’s relationship evolves into constant companionship, Jordan’s father, Evan Chandler, a Beverly Hills dentist, grows suspicious that something is amiss. He begins a custody dispute with Jordan’s mother over his concerns, which leads to allegations that Jackson had a romantic, sexual relationship with Jordan. Originally published in 2019.

Featuring author and critic Margo Jefferson, we explore Michael Jackson's childhood and rise to stardom -- growing up in the limelight of a family band and dealing with his complicated and dysfunctional relatives.Originally published in 2019.

Following interviews with the Chandler family by DCFS and the LAPD, Jackson's homes are raided and press scramble to find the origins of the boy's claims and the police investigations. As the Chandlers lawyer up, Jackson cancels tour dates over a drug problems and disappears in Europe.[Originally published in 2019]

Jordie Chandler’s lawyer files devastating motions in court, Jackson switches legal council, and Elizabeth Taylor takes a front row seat in his defense. Soon, Jackson returns to the US to undergo a humiliating body search, and within weeks a massive financial civil settlement is announced, shocking investigators engaged in a criminal investigation. 

Taking a break between the cases, Brandon and Omar speak with two lauded former FBI profilers - Ken Lanning and Jim Clemente, to better understand the complicated dynamics of child sex offenders and their victims. The "stranger danger" fear is rooted in truth, but exaggerated, they come to learn, and the real danger for children is the "nice guy" offender who becomes a pillar of his community only to gains access to children and manipulate them into silence once they are victimized. 

Following the Jordie Chandler scandal, Michael Jackson's career wanes, his drug use worsens, he surrounds himself with sycophants and his finances are in shambles. Jackson's charitable efforts and public appearances become crude punchlines. Attempting to reign in the narrative and gain sympathy, Jackson agrees to allow British journalist Martin Bashir to film his private life -- a terrible miscalculation which results in a new, criminal investigation into the singer.