Michael Jackson pulled from New Zealand clothing chain?

A number of media outlets in New Zealand reported that the Cotton On chain has pulled Michael Jackson shirts from shelves in the wake of the Leaving Neverland documentary.

The New Zealand Herald said that Jackson items were being sold at half price on its website and in its stores around the country.

A search for Michael Jackson gear on its website resulted in the message, “Sorry! We couldn’t find a match for ‘Michael Jackson’.”

The shirts included images of the singer from the ‘Smooth Criminal’ video, his Bad album and a silhouette of him doing the moonwalk.

There has been no official comment from Cotton On but counter staff revealed to media outlets they had been pulled.

A fan who tried to buy a shirt told Stuff she had been told by a retail assistant that all his stock had been moved into the storeroom and not on sale any more.

NZ radio stations under NZME and MediaWorks stopped play-listing his songs.

When Leaving Neverland screened in New Zealand, the first episode was watched by nearly three-quarters of a million – but 60% (or 432,000) switched off before the end.