Who is Wade Robson's mum Joy, what happened to his dad Dennis and did they split because of Michael Jackson?

We explain who she is, what happened to her husband Dennis and if the King of Pop ruined their marriage.

Who is Joy Robson?

Joy is the mother of Wade Robson, one of the accusers in the Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland.

Joy was working as a hairdresser when she entered Robson into a dance contest sponsored by Jackson’s tour company – which he won and met the King of Pop.

She moved Wade and his sister Chantal from Brisbane, Australia to Los Angeles and was able to get a permanent resident visa.

After she moved two of her three kids to the US, she split up her family and left her third child and husband Dennis behind.

Dennis reportedly told Vanity Fair in 1993 that the worried about losing his son if he said anything bad about Jackson and admitted he was molested as a child himself.

He killed himself in 2002 and Robson said in Leaving Neverland he never full understood what caused his father’s pain.

What happened when she moved to the US?

Joy went to great lengths to keep her son part of Jackson’s inner circle.

She accepted material things from Jackson.

During her testimony at in 2005, she admitted she got a permanent residence visa by funnelling money she received through the Michael Jackson Corporation.

She also got a new car, $10,000 and a loan.

What has she said about the accusations?

At the time she stayed at Neverland she didn’t think it was odd for her son to sleep in the same bed as Jackson.

She recalled: “We didn’t seem to think anything of it; we just thought that’s fine.”

The mum also admitted that while insisting this was normal behaviour, that Jackson called her in the middle of the night once asking her to bring Wade to Neverland at 1.30am.

She did and he went straight to bed with Jackson.

Joy let him stay with Jackson alone for five days at one point as well.

In the documentary she reveals that she regrets that decision: “I remember being hysterical on the phone at one point, because I couldn’t get through and I couldn’t find him.”

She also added: “It was like there was a pattern. Every 12 months, there was a new boy in his life.”

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What has Jackson and his estate said?

Jackson always maintained he was innocent of sexually abusing young boys up until his death in 2009.

Representatives for Jackson’s estate issued a statement condemning the documentary.

Speaking to the website TMZ, representatives from the estate said the film was “another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson … just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations.

"It’s baffling why any credible film-maker would involve himself with this project.”

They are also suing HBO for airing the documentary claiming it violates a non-disparagement clause in a deal the network made in 1992 to broadcast a Jackson concert.

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