Earlier this year UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi went viral with her incredible routine, which has since amassed more than 36 million views on YouTube. Scoring a perfect 10, the internet instantly fell in love with her smiley demeanor and effortless approach to gymnastics. However, her routine also featured music by Michael Jackson, and in the wake of HBO's Leaving Neverland, she's now cut his music from her newest routine.
Like her previous viral moment, Ohashi scored another perfect 10 at the Pac-12 Championships in West Valley City, Utah. She announced her plans to remove MJ from her routine when she spoke with ESPN W earlier this month. "The goal of my routine is pure joy, and after the documentary, not everyone was feeling that way, and you can never discredit someone's feelings," she explained.
Her new soundtrack is comprised entirely of women, with Tina Turner, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé. “A lot of people asked if I was nervous to change it, but I know today I felt the calmest I have ever felt competing, strangely,” she told the Daily Bruinover the weekend. The choreography of the routine was changed to reflect the new soundtrack, and she said that her favorite part to perform is during the Beyoncé section.
Wade Robson, one of the men who have accused MJ of sexual assault, recently said that it was up to everyone to decide whether they wanted to mute the singer going forward. "I don't have any moral authority to make a judgment for everyone else on that," Robson said. "I don't listen to his music because I have a personal experience with it. But that's everyone's individual choice."
