Why Diana Ross Isn’t a Part of ‘Michael’
Kory Grow
Contact Kory Grow on X View all posts by Kory Grow April 23, 2026
Kat Graham, who portrayed Diana Ross in the new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, says she filmed several scenes that the world will never get to see. “Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast,” she wrote Thursday on social media. “Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible.”
Variety reports that producers and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua scrubbed several Michael scenes from the end of the picture because they related to a child sexual assault lawsuit Jackson faced in 1993. A clause in Jackson’s settlement with the plaintiff prevented any depiction or mention of the male child in film portrayals of Jackson’s life. The magazine speculates that the Ross scenes may have been cut in accordance with those scenes.
Reps for Lionsgate and Michael did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.