They spoke out against Michael Jackson in 'Leaving Neverland.' Now, they're facing the fallout

PARK CITY, Utah - They'd told their stories before, first in the quiet confines of therapists' offices, then explicitly in court documents.

But Wade Robson and James Safechuck never felt truly heard until they stood in front of a crowd applauding them at the Sundance Film Festival last month. After the premiere of "Leaving Neverland," the four-hour docu-series in which both men allege they suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of Michael Jackson when they were boys, hundreds of festivalgoers rose to their feet to applaud the film's subjects.

"It's strange to hear people clap," said Safechuck, 40.

"Yeah, you kind of don't know what to do with it at first," added Robson, 36. "There's a lot of release happening for me. There's been a lot of tears. There's tiredness. But this is a sea change moment for me in this healing journey and in trying to be heard. And it's happened, and that's incredible."

It had been one day since "Leaving Neverland" was first unveiled, and the men were sitting in the conference room of a hotel. Robson, who wore a string of beads