According to new reports, MTV's coveted Video Vanguard Award has been causing quite the stir behind closed doors.
Speaking to Page Six, a source reveals that the revival of allegations against Michael Jackson this year have caused executives o consider removing the King of Pop's namesake from the award.
"There’s a lot of heated discussion at the network about how to handle the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award this year, and it’s getting ugly," the source says. "There’s talk about if they should change the name, or get rid of it altogether. [There’s also talk] about who would present it and who would accept it. It’s a mess."
Scott Gries/ImageDirect
The award first appeared in 1984 as the VMA Video Vanguard Award, honoring the artists and directors who have particularly contributed to music with their visual creations. In 1991, the network renamed it the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for the entertainer's groundbreaking work int he realm of music videos and has presented it as such since then.
Following the airing of the controversial HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, however, public perception of the late Jackson has once again stained his legacy. In the documentary, it is Wade Robson and James Safechuck who resurface their allegations that Jackson began a sexual relationship with them when they were children.
Naturally, it has caused MTV to contemplate Jackson's attachment to the award.
"MTV [potentially] banning his name is the latest fallout," the source added. "They haven’t decided yet, but they’ve been going back and forth on it. There are a lot of issues."