And he just didn't look like anyone else you'd ever met. They don't sound dated. Beating, Joe maintained, is something you do with a stick. Michael had turned down interviews for 14 years, until allowing Oprah access to Neverland. me with them and I will put them on here. And his brothers were on stage with him. All the questioning that we have reviewed to this point occurred in just 30 minutes. For him it was a world of betrayal. And part of my concern about Michael was the fact that he always seemed to be suffering from some form of ailment or infirmity. When he answered no, she commented that she wouldnt be either. He also sang and danced. A 13-year-old boy filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexually molesting him. GORDY: When she told me about another kids' group I said, wait a minute, I got all these other stars. A year later, the couple had a baby daughter, Paris Michael Katherine. And it's happening right now. And, as unconventional as it is, if you really look at it, it's sort of surrogate motherhood. Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey during the high-profile interview at Neverland Ranch on February 10, 1993; according to some estimates, the broadcast drew nearly 100 million viewers worldwide. He wasn't touring. Simply titled "Bad." It was in the same league as David Frosts interview with Richard Nixon in 1977, Barbara Walters interview with Monica Lewinsky in 1999 and, outside the United States, Martin Bashirs interview with Princess Diana in 1995. But perhaps its not all that candid, Borja Tern argues. TARABORELLI: Michael began to sort of surround himself with young boys, and much to, I remember, the chagrin of people who were working for him. Oprah's Controversial Interview With Michael Jackson Was His First In 14-Years And Broke Records The interview took place at the 'Neverland Valley Ranch' back in February of 1993. Im going to ask you something and its embarrassing for me, but Im going to ask it anyway. And then he would dance, you know. In fact, in the documentary, Safechuck reveals that he only finally came to terms with his own abuseand opened up to his wife about itafter seeing an interview Robson did about his experience with Jackson on The Today Show in 2013. SMOKEY ROBINSON, SINGER: Oh, in tribute to him -- how I feel about him, I would probably sing "Never Can Say Good-Bye." Just nine months after the show aired, the 13-year-old cancer patient featured in the documentary accused Jackson of sexual abuse. But Jackson's reputation was seriously damaged. People were talking about his plastic surgery. He looked horrible. MESEREAU: I just looked at him and hugged him and he just said, thank you, thank you. On February 10, 1993, Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson for what would be the most-watched interview in television history. The author claims that Oprah promised not to ask him if he was gay. She kept her promise. LEMON (voice-over): It was June 13, 2005. And another girl. The next question that followed was the most striking of the entire encounter, because it was asked of a 35-year-old man who had just claimed that he dated and had been in love. The unprecedented live event, which took place before any allegations were made about sexual abuse, drew a worldwide audience of 90 million people. JACKSON: Yes. SMITH: He backed out of the auction. He could hardly smile. He was horribly burned. Would you trade it in for a normal childhood with the celebrity? Of course, in all other meetings there were a whole entourage present. Don't treat me like a criminal, because I am innocent. Michael Jackson Talks . LEMON: Motown gave the group a record deal. Disfruta de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas. It was just very difficult to imagine this is a guy who's ready to come back and do an amazing series of 50 concerts, and then more across the world, which was the plan. Michael, a fiercely private entertainer, had refused to give an interview for 14 years. In 1993, Oprah Winfrey made history by conducting the most-watched interview in television history. Sign up for the oprah.com live your best life newsletter, Get more stories like this delivered to your inbox. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something which I feared, and it is something which I warned about. Oprah also mentioned the criticisms she had been receiving on social media, with commenters asking why she would do this interview when Jackson can't defend himselfand also accusing her of "trying to bring the Black man down.". He sat there on a daily basis, watching accusations hurled at him, suggesting that he was an insensitive monster. I'm ashamed to admit it in writing, but, here goes: I was one of those critics. In fact, you know, there were nights where you looked up there and it was like he was timeless, ageless. Michael went from reacting to Oprahs questions with some trepidation to carrying most of the conversation. LEMON: And his beloved Neverland was toxic asset number one. In 1993, Winfrey was personally invited to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for an interview with the notoriously private star. He didn't exchange words with his lawyers very often. There were dozens of lawyers and bodyguards and assistants. J. RANDY TARABORELLI, BIOGRAPHER: From the time that most kids were building tree houses, Michael Jackson was building an image. In the Michael Jackson interview, this is quite noticeable: she describes the artists disturbing environment with a naivet that makes Michael himself not feel attacked. The interview with Jackson took place at his huge Neverland Ranch, complete with its own amusement park and zoo. (In 1993, after 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and his father accused Jackson of child sexual abuse, a police investigation was inconclusive, and Jackson settled with the family out of court. But was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? "The moonwalk came from these beautiful black kids who live in the ghettos in the inner cities, who are brilliant. BROCKMAN: We were alone in a room. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man was the greatest recording artist of our time. Oprah Interviews Michael Jackson Accusers, Leaving Neverland Documentary Finally Convinced Me to Let Go of Michael Jackson, 30 Happy Songs to Play When You Want to Feel Good, Racial Bias in Healthcare Is a National Epidemic. He's not going to be able to get any weirder than this. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you, Mike! In 2002, he incited world-wide outrage when he dangled his newborn son, Prince Michael II, from the balcony of a Berlin hotel. LEMON: Michael Jackson was officially charged with seven counts of child molestation and several other felonies. The craze reached a fever pitch in 1984 when a Pepsi commercial gone awry sparked even more frenzy. JACKSON: This is it. Tickets sold out within hours. After the sex. "Anybody who knew Michael Jackson will tell you that when you are up close to himhe had absolutely no pigmentation in his skinyou are looking at his veins when you look at his hand. Success at such a cost left Jackson with conflicted feelings for his father. The Jackson 5 exploded on the charts. And let's not forget that this wasn't just any man who was playing psychological tricks on pre-pubescent mindsthis was a global superstar, perhaps the most well-known name on the entire planet. Here the Jackson 5 won the talent contest and wowed the crowd. BROCKMAN: I recognized that, you know, this is Michael Jackson. LEMON: The soundtrack of a generation. Fun fact: I got my start in journalism as an intern at _O, The Oprah Magazine, so my role overseeing Oprah Daily's website is a major full-circle moment! And I called Mr. Gordy and I said, I've just seen the most fantastic act. This is a case of abuse of medications. This man was a universal pop icon. He's not the person to do this. LEMON: In 1986, a photograph of Michael asleep in an anti-aging chamber rocked the tabloids. Robson and his mother moved from Australia to work with Jackson, and as a child, he starred in music videos like "Black or White" and "Jam," gigs that he says led to spending more and more time with Jackson, including sleepovers at Jackson's Neverland ranch. So when you're selling your furniture to make money, it's like -- yes, it's not exactly a yard sale, but he definitely felt a dire need for cash. And is aid to him, take that stupid thing off! We're going to sleep. Cinco sedes disponibles, Licenciatura Ejecutiva en Derecho. So, how do you write a song called "We are the World"? web pages The only way you become immortal is that your work lives on. In 2005, Michael Jackson would go to trial and face perhaps the toughest six months of his life. So when I heard about the new two-night HBO documentary Leaving Neverlandand the fact that Oprah was going to be interviewing Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men in the film who accuse Jackson of sexually abusing them as childrenI had a similar reaction to the rest of the world: Disbelief. Michael Jacksons next two major interviews (with Diane Sawyer in 1995 and with Martin Bashir in 2003) would have even more disturbing questions. Mere months later, his public image would be tarnished forever ), I shared the same mindset of many of the folks Oprah was talking about. And it was just kind of disgusting and silly. Nobody says anything about that!, His physical appearance remained the focus of the conversation. Simpson, and Bill Cosby) crimes. Then in 1996, Jackson sent shock waves around the world when it was announced he had married Debbie Rowe, his dermatologist nurse. He is later joined by his sister and guest star, LaToya Jackson (1983/1984): . After all, much of my aforementioned childhood also included walking by the TV and seeing headlines with accusations against my favorite pop star, first in 1993 and later, a much-publicized trial in 2004. Michael showed Oprah his Neverland Ranch, and once they settled in the theater, he talked about his social work and his interest in helping children. LIONEL RICHIE, MUSICIAN: Now, one great thing that happened that we both had to realize, I can't read or write music, and Michael cannot read or write music. The interview was one of those must-watch television events that stop everyone in their tracks; it presaged the massive viral video before the popularization of the internet: if one didnt see the interview, there was nothing to talk about the next day. WINFREY: Would he -- did he ever beat you? From the "Oprah: After Neverland" filming in New York. Stay up to date with the latest trends that matter to you most. I was always crying from loneliness. With that, live in front of 62 million viewers, Jackson established the first great myth that would surround him from that moment on (and which his most diehard fans would use to justify his most outlandish behaviors): the kid whose childhood was stolen from him. LEMON: Physician Deepak Chopra, a personal friend, said he knew Jackson was taking narcotic painkillers. She asked the unthinkable in an hour-long television special, which portrayed an eccentric but vulnerable star. With Michael Jackson, you never know what the truth is. An aerial view of Jackson's Neverland theme park taken in 2011. that interview Jackson did with Martin Bashir, a study by the Census Bureau and Stanford University, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Eight minutes into the show, Oprah posed the question that would allow her to get to the meatier questions. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have a personal doctor here with him, sir. And all you had to do was to look in his eyes and to know that was the truth. CHOPRA: It was the thing that caused his cardiac arrest. And yet the money kept rolling in. LEMON: Pain that dated back at least a quarter of a century. So we started listening to tracks, like De, de, de, de, de, de. He moved to Bahrain with his kids. LEMON: An audition seen in this video from a documentary produced by Michael Jackson. He also raised eyebrows with his red carpet companions Brooke Shields and Emmanuel Lewis. They performed as if they had been performing for years. And then there are all the gatherings, from weddings to birthdays, where the only songs that would get everyone in my mixed, multicultural family on the dance floor to attempt their best moonwalks were "Billie Jean" and "Thriller.". After more than two months of testimony, 135 witnesses, and seven days of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. Followed by news helicopters and a convoy of cars, Jackson rushed from Neverland Ranch to the courthouse. "You can count them on two fingers," he said. And that's what happened. TOURE: Every few months you would see him, and you'd go, whoa, you're looking weird, dude. This is a UK airing of the famous interview of Michael Jackson by Oprah Winfrey in 1993. LEMON: Ten million dollars a year he could no longer afford. 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No word on where they were taken. LEMON: Family members came to Jackson's defense. OPRAH IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF HARPO, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2023 HARPO PRODUCTIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This time, she wants to speak candidly about the intimate, personal details that made her relationship with Michael as complicated and misunderstood as it was. And Michael was happy to play along with that, because he understood at a very early age that image-making and public relations was very important. Winfrey . NORRIS: What a moment that was in pop culture history when he moon-walked across the stage there. It would make me sad that I would have to go and work instead. And he's not breathing. LEMON: Legendary music producer Quincy Jones would produce Jackson's first adult solo album. JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: You know, you have to say to yourself, who hasn't? That right there, that will never be replaced. No barrier stood before this man that he didn't challenge, that he didn't break down, that he didn't tear down. The production was very skillful because the images told of all [Jacksons] eccentricities. While never forgetting any of the sexual details that happened between us, but having no understanding that it was abusehaving no concept in my mind that anything about Michael could ever badeverything that Michael did was right to me for so many years." MICHAEL JACKSON: I would do my schooling for three hours with the tutor, and right after that I'd go to the. Jackson had never responded to anything, except through his songs. This is really it. HIATT: It's hard looking at the guy being pushed around in a wheelchair, looking so thin and fragile. These are not men who are fame hungry, or chasing money, or seeking to bring down a dead man. LEMON: That documentary triggered bombshell news that thrust the fated pop star back into the spotlight. And to be completely honest, I also had a little bit of that "let's not bring the Black man down" in my own mentality. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he spent a lot of internal time reflecting on who he was, where he'd been. LEMON: It would take a year before a jury was seated and the trial began. LEMON (on camera): Were you worried that he might not make it? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My brother, the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. LEMON: Saying "Beat It" to the competition, for 37 weeks the album sat at number one and is, to this day, the top-selling album in the world. Its a magnetic, phantasmagoric ending. LEMON: The transformation was complete. He was the seventh of nine children. Ellen: I can defnitely hang out. on the Internet. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson doesn't just come along once in a century or a lifetime. It's mysterious. It was the last time the public viewed the artist not mired in disturbing allegations. Time said, Part soap opera, part show, the Michael Jackson interview was vivid, reckless and emotionally naked. Life opined that Oprah delivered as promised and accomplished something nearly impossible: bringing Peter Pan down from the clouds.. Why? Thats why Im always surrounded by children now., After addressing how Michael felt going from an adorable child prodigy to a teenager, Winfrey laid the groundwork to address the singers controversial physical appearance; by then, the grown man had a pale complexion, a narrow, pointed nose, a Kirk Douglas-like dimple in his chin and he wore copious white makeup on his face. to Oprah" February 10, 1993: ABC: 2 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Oprah Winfrey 49 . 10 best Oprah celebrity interviews of all time 1. I tried and tried and tried to get the message across to people that sexual abuse is not just abuseit is also sexual seduction." Oprahs 1993 interview closed with one of the last candid images we would see of Michael Jackson: Oprah and he walking toward the Neverland amusement park, as the camera pans up and music plays. HIATT: At the same time he was announcing these shows, he also made sure to say these are the final shows. He made me rehearse too much. Michael entered the shot walking downstairs as Thriller played in the background, but no one was applauding. ORTEGA: It was awesome to watch him. To no -- he's not responding to CPR or anything. In March, 1988, Jackson finalized the purchase of a 2,600 acre ranch. The King of Pop was now a king in debt; a lavish lifestyle, and legal woes led him into near financial ruin. QUINCY JONES, MUSIC PRODUCER: Michael had it all. Do you go out and have fun, do you date? Yes, Michael replied. JACKSON: My friends and doctors advise me to seek professional guidance in order to eliminate what has become an addiction. BRAFMAN: He always appeared to either be in pain or walking with pain. Attorney Brian Oxman. Music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson. Presley filed for divorce in 1996. They just have that natural talent for dancing any of the new, hot dances. Kelly's recent indictment for 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. I guess what none of us could have anticipated was the album they would then produce after "Off the Wall." And so Michael and his managers fought them and said Quincy's doing the record. At the heart of this film are the stories of Robson and Safechuck, whowith appearances from their mothers, wives and siblingsdiscuss how they were discovered and mentored by Jackson from the ages of 6 and 9, respectively. He defended himself somewhat crazily, but it did make some sense: What about the millions of people who put themselves in the sun to make their skin darker, to become someone else? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The record flew out of stores. WINFREY: He did? It physically pains me to think about forever parting ways with "The Way You Make Me Feel," the one song that can cheer me up on even my worst days, or the fact that I will never again get to witness the way an MJ classic brings everyone together at a family party. The weight, the gravity, the way he would sing. And I said, Mr. Gordy, you just have to see these kids. LEMON: But behind the image of a happy family and their rags to riches story, there was something else -- incredibly hard work, and a father who pushed his children. JACKSON: Yes. According to television analyst Borja Tern, Oprah really knows how to create an atmosphere. CASTRO: If you believe the fact that he, you know -- that he has this congenital skin condition, that's why he's so white, then fine.