michael jackson oprah interview transcript michael jackson oprah interview transcript

Robson told Oprah of his decision to speak out: "If anything that I say is going to help any other survivors, then I should be able to speak the truth.". CRAIG MARKS, FORMER EDITOR, "BLENDER" MAGAZINE: Hysterical adulation does play tricks with your mind. There's a lot of mysterious phases of Michael Jackson's career, but the last three are particularly mysterious. 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. WINFREY: Would he -- did he ever beat you? Simply titled "Bad." He sat there on a daily basis, watching accusations hurled at him, suggesting that he was an insensitive monster. CASTRO: He just wanted to give the world the impression he was like this mysterious, kind of enigmatic figure. Michael Jackson's place it's fresh candy and there's a the fragrance in his home is like a, a cross between chocolate and vanilla. LEMON: In a BBC interview, Joe Jackson admitted whipping Michael with a switch or a belt, but denied ever beating him. TOURE, FORMER CNN POP CULTURE ANALYST: The sound was incredible. He felt betrayed. Music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson. Eight minutes into the show, Oprah posed the question that would allow her to get to the meatier questions. Six months and 14 days later, in the summer of 1993, the first accusations of sexual abuse were made public, and his image was tarnished forever. Also, two moving vans showed up today at the rented L.A. home where Jackson apparently collapsed. 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. "Leaving Neverland" debuts Sunday, March 3 at 8 PM EST on HBO. By the end of the documentary, I felt an unexpected emotion: numbness. On the weekends, I'm probably either having a margarita, adding new books I don't need to my TBR pile, or playing with my puppy, Leo. RODNEY JERKINS, MUSIC PRODUCER: Michael called me, and he says, "Why can't we create new sounds?" And then he would dance, you know. And that is something that is happening every single day in this country at the hands of far less powerful people. He wasn't touring. I'd like to take a shot at producing your record. And Michael was God to me.". (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need an ambulance as soon as possible. Michael: Thank you. At minute 24, Oprah posed the question that everyone was asking themselves in 1993: Did you bleach your skin because you dont like being Black?, Here, for the first time in public, Michael mentioned that he suffered from vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that destroys pigment-producing cells. LEMON: An audition seen in this video from a documentary produced by Michael Jackson. on July 25, 2021. This content is imported from poll. A decade later, Jackson was so dependent on prescription drugs that he had to interrupt a world tour to go into a drug treatment program. LEMON: It is Chopra's belief that prescription drug abuse was Jackson's downfall. LEMON: The shadow of drug abuse would follow him even into death. LEMON: But in 1993, disturbing allegations surfaced concerning Jackson's association with children. Are you a virgin? Michael sighed, laughed and replied, How could you ask me that question? Ultimately, he sidestepped a direct answer with an odd response. In 2005, Michael Jackson would go to trial and face perhaps the toughest six months of his life. Jackson, he said, once asked him for a prescription. At first that's a starling thing. "All I did was enhance the dance.". There wouldn't be BET. 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. I was previously the Digital Director of OprahMag.com, and before that, Senior Features Writer at Refinery29, where I also served as a video host and on-camera entertainment expert. xD As a result, its lead single "Black or White" shot to number one. And I remember going to the recording studio, and there was park across the street. LEMON: Bahrain and back again. Every time a shot opens, we see behind him a huge, lonely room filled with expensive works of art. On verdict day, he looked like death warmed over. So an auction of his most personal items seemed like the answer. Never had a celebrity provoked so much fascination or so many utterly bizarre headlines. Oprah's interview with Michael Jackson in February 1993 is the most-watched television interview in television history, with a staggering 90 million viewers. So off he went to the island nation of Bahrain. And it's happening right now. URI GELLER, AUTHOR: I was the only person who had the chutzpah to scream at him and tell him that this business of inviting children to his bedroom is wrong. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The buzz over Michael Jackson's interview with Oprah Winfrey continued on several fronts Friday and included a statement from the pop star's dermatologist about Jackson's much-discussed skin condition. Or at least that was how it went until February 10, 1993, when, sitting across from Oprah Winfrey in an ABC live special, he responded. Sign up for the oprah.com live your best life newsletter, Get more stories like this delivered to your inbox. It was the kind of attention and screams he was accustomed to. He's not breathing? Oprah : Michael Jackson is the seventh of nine brothers and sisters born in Gary, Indiana to steel mill worker Joseph and mother Katherine. The craze reached a fever pitch in 1984 when a Pepsi commercial gone awry sparked even more frenzy. Of course, we're following developments out of Iran tonight. But she's clearly like, whoa, what are you doing? And I know that it tore him to pieces. That's all tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN, live from Los Angeles. With all of the pieces and details put together chronologically across four hours, Leaving Neverland brings to life a man who groomed his victims psychologically into simultaneously loving him and fearing him so steadfastly that they never accepted that they were abused themselvesmuch less wanted to tell anyone about it. Stay up to date with the latest trends that matter to you most. NORRIS: From the iconic look to the moonwalk to the glove, the red jacket and the zippers and glasses and the white socks. Have you ever had suicidal tendencies? Whats a 36-year-old man doing sleeping with a 12-year-old boy? Have you ever had sexual intercourse with a child? The rest of the story is familiar: Bashirs 2003 interview, in which Jackson again claimed to share his bed with children, prompted an investigation and then a trial for the sexual abuse of a young boy who appeared with him on the show (Jackson was found not guilty). Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Jacksons 2005 trial lasted 18 months; the trial lasted 14 weeks. With Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Taylor. KENNY ORTEGA, CHOREOGRAPHER: He was so excited about this project, and so invested. A child's understanding of "abuse". They think Dr. Murray can answer lingering questions about Michael Jackson's death. It is strange to see Michael in the absence of screaming and crowds; he seemed removed from his own celebrity. There are also accusations that Reed created this film and Robson, and Safechuck participated because they're after money and fame. Then Oprah asked the question even she says was embarrassing: "Are you a virgin? By Callum Crumlish 12:25, Sun, Feb 19, 2023 | UPDATED: 09:47, Mon, Feb 20, 2023 And that's what happened. This is a guy 40 years old who has literally done everything that you can think of, but still hungry enough to say, I want to create an instrument. Who wants mortality? LEMON: Michael had another money-making trick up his sleeve. Is it true that you sleep in an oxygen chamber to stay eternally young? Did you buy the Elephant Mans remains? Is it true that you wanted a white actor to play Michael Jackson as a child in a Pepsi commercial? Winfrey went through a litany of crazy headlines, all of which Jackson denied. DE PASSE: I saw these kids, and they were unbelievable. None of those episodes, she goes on to say, illustrated that fact the way Reed's film did. Be in the know on current and upcoming trends. TOURE: Every few months you would see him, and you'd go, whoa, you're looking weird, dude. To no -- he's not responding to CPR or anything. Jackson had never responded to anything, except through his songs. LEMON: That album was 1982's "Thriller." JACKSON: I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. LEMON: As his life was controversial -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He raised the bar for image makeovers to a point where no one else wants to even come close to it. And there's kinda buttery smell and a fragrance. There's a flash behind him, and his hair catches on fire. LEMON: Although Jackson denied the abuse allegations, he was arrested and charged with seven counts of child molestation. He is later joined by his sister and guest star, LaToya Jackson (1983/1984): . BEN BROCKMAN, ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL JACKSON: I was trying my best to get him down. It's happening in familieswe know it's happening in churches, and in schools, and sports teams everywhere. It was not like watching a 50-year-old man returning to the stage. The King of Pop was now a king in debt; a lavish lifestyle, and legal woes led him into near financial ruin. I was never able to enjoy the simplest things that a child takes for granted in his life. In the show, 44-year-old Jackson admitted to letting children sleep with him in his bed at Neverland. There is no song, album, or memory that is worth discrediting what happened to a seven year old little boy who was so young when he was being touched sexually, he worried that his abuser would turn into the werewolf from "Thriller." Then two years later, I was like, I was wrong. I would see kids on the monkey bars and I would cry because I couldn't have a childhood. For him it was a world of betrayal. I don't know him the way I'd like to know him," he said. The interview [ edit] 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. "The moonwalk came from these beautiful black kids who live in the ghettos in the inner cities, who are brilliant. It was just sad. It was the last time the public viewed the artist not mired in disturbing allegations. The marriage lasted only two years, but when Michael talked with Oprah a year before his nuptials, everyone was wondering ifand whohe dated. I didnt even want to look in the mirror, my father would tell me I was ugly and I would cry all the time, he said of his adolescence. And it would catch fire when Jackson unveiled an out of this world dance move on a television special for Motown's 25th anniversary. USHER, SINGER: Michael had an unseen magic to influence people, the music and the culture. My "CNN Presents: Man in The Mirror" continues. And in 1999, they divorced. Media mogul Suzanne de Passe was there at the beginning. Michael told Oprah that he was in a relationship with Brooke Shields. QUINCY JONES, MUSIC PRODUCER: Michael had it all. This is the first time I really had an opportunity to be completely alone with him. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a doctor there? LEMON: By 1975, the Jackson 5 had made a highly publicized split from Motown. CNN has unearthed a 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview with Michael Jackson in which he addresses Pepsi's then plan to cast a white actor to play him as a child in his ill-fated advertisement for the . to Oprah is an American television interview special that was broadcast by ABC on February 10, 1993. Like what are we doing? They talked about James Brown, Jackie Wilson, the Bee Gees and Motown. Michael Jackson talks to Oprah (1993) by Harpo Productions Publication date 1993 Topics Michael Jackson, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah Winfrey Show This is a UK airing of the famous interview of Michael Jackson by Oprah Winfrey in 1993. And is aid to him, take that stupid thing off! After more than two months of testimony, 135 witnesses, and seven days of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley: The 20-month marriage of the strangest couple in pop, Michael Jacksons nephew to star in King of Pop biopic, In Cuba with no sugar, spotty internet, and frustrated Kardashians, Christina Applegate attends probably last award show after multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Released audio suggests Greek train driver told to ignore red light, Ukraine outgunned 10 to 1 in massive artillery battle with Russia, Maestra en Big Data y Analytics 100% en lnea, MBA Administracin y Direccin de Empresas en lnea, Programa en lnea en 'Project Finance' Internacional, Maestra en lnea en Direccin de Recursos Humanos y Gestin del Talento, Maestra en Comercio Internacional presencial en Madrid, Espaa, Maestra en Marketing Digital & E-Commerce. The cost -- $19 million. Presley filed for divorce in 1996. That is when everything clicked for mewhen I had what Oprah likes to call an "aha moment." "I had no understanding of it being abuseI loved Michael," he told Oprah. Kim Kardashian Back in 2012, Kim did a tell-all interview with Oprah about her leaked sex tape with former partner Ray J. .css-ssumvd{display:block;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.0625rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.25;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-ssumvd:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-ssumvd{letter-spacing:0rem;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Gayle King Interviews Angela Bassett, Gayle Says March Is a Good Month for TV Lovers, Sheryl Lee Ralphs Definition of True Love, What We Know About The Little Mermaid Remake, Oprah Congratulates Kimmel on 20 Years of His Show, Nikole Hannah-Jones on "The 1619 Project", Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Wakanda Forever Podcast, Oprah Is Acting in Tyler Perrys Next Netflix Film. So, how do you write a song called "We are the World"? And he's not breathing. The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects On February 10, 1993, Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson for what would be the most-watched interview in television history. In 1993, Jackson spoke about both in this interview with Oprah Winfrey. "After the attention is no longer on this film, this is something I will be dealing with for the rest of my life," Safechuck told Oprah. This is really it. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you, Mike! Test yourself, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. She began by asking softball questions. From the "Oprah: After Neverland" filming in New York. LEMON: The soundtrack of a generation. GORDY: When she told me about another kids' group I said, wait a minute, I got all these other stars. For more stories from OprahMag.com, sign up for our newsletter. These are victims whose lives were forever ruined by a troubled, sick person who had the access and power to manipulate them for decades, even after his deathbecause he was larger than life. It was a tense atmosphere, given that MJ didn't take part in an interview for 14 years. When Oprah broached the subject, Michael wouldn't get into specifics but said he'd had less plastic surgery than people thought. Why? And Emmanuel Lewis was right there, underlying, like this is not sexual at all. LEMON: De Passe was just starting out at Motown, working with founder Berry Gordy. LEMON: Brian Monroe sat down with Michael Jackson in September 2007 for "Ebony Magazine." His steelworker father, Joe, turned five of his boys into a band with five-year-old Michael out front. 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. Disfruta con nuestros Crucigramas para expertos! LEMON: Coming up, scandal rocks the gates of Neverland. Every day, Michael Jackson showed up in one of his Captain Crunch outfits. You think about what the it factor is, that's what he had. Michael Jackson, left, will be played in the film by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, right. MONROE: The trial hurt him to the core. Leaving Neverland is about the childrenand adultswho are silenced by people like me who are quick to defend accusers simply because of their statusor the people who choose to live in silence because they are afraid of exactly that happening. LEMON: Despite his creativity, record sales dwindled as Jackson's appearance grew stranger with whiter skin and a severely altered nose and chin. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be charges filed against Mr. Jackson, multiple counts. Their first three single "I want you back," "ABC," and "The love you save" all hit number one. He's not going to be able to get any weirder than this. Have you ever been in love? Oprah pressed on. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson doesn't just come along once in a century or a lifetime. His next saying on the I won't grow up, I'm a lost boy, I'm Peter Pan. LEMON: In July, 1984, the Jackson 5 reunited in a flurry of publicity. Michael Jackson and Brooke Shields at the 1993 Grammy Awards, a few days after the interview with Oprah Winfrey. JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was certainly the most bizarre criminal trial I ever saw. But this time, Jackson's stage was the roof of an SUV, outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse. This is the final curtain call. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something which I feared, and it is something which I warned about. But some wondered whether he could pull off a strenuous 50- concert tour. he looks soo mad wen the alarm goes offits soo cute. LEMON: Millions in mourning. He said he urged the singer to keep children out of his bedroom. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. HIATT: That's not really a comeback when it's your farewell. 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. Without warning, he just broke down and began to sob. Of course, the idea that Michael Jackson may have been not just an abuser, but a pedophile, was not new to me or the rest of the world before news broke about the upcoming Leaving Neverland, which documentary filmmaker Reed began production on last year. The weight, the gravity, the way he would sing. Instead, it is about the millions of people in this world who never got to have a childhood because of the sexual abuse they experienced before their young brains were even developed enough to know what was occurring. Michael had turned down interviews for 14 years, until allowing Oprah access to Neverland. Oprah's interview with Michael is one of the most-watched TV events in history, with 90 million people tuning in to watch and more than 7.8million catching up on the interview on YouTube since . 90 million people tuned in for the sit-down chat at the King of Pop's Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, California. JACKSON: Because he -- he saw me -- he wanted me to -- I guess, maybe, I don't know if I was his golden child or whatever it was. Oprah, who referenced her own experiences with sexual abuse as a child during the interview, added that when you're as young as Robson and Safechuck were when they allege that Jackson abused them7 and 10you "don't have the language to explain what is happening to you." She explained: LEMON: But Brockman says the superstar was terrified. J. RANDY TARABORELLI, BIOGRAPHER: From the time that most kids were building tree houses, Michael Jackson was building an image. BRIAN HIATT, "ROLLING STONE": Michael Jackson all but disappeared. And we started -- this is where we started. LEMON: In 1986, a photograph of Michael asleep in an anti-aging chamber rocked the tabloids. 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. 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. LEMON (on camera): If someone asked you to sing a tribute to Michael Jackson at a service or whatever, what do you think he'd sing? "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. According to television analyst Borja Tern, Oprah really knows how to create an atmosphere. In 1993, Jackson spoke about both in this interview with Oprah Winfrey. They are mourning in Gary, Indiana, too, Michael's hometown. No word on where they were taken. In the Black community, many of us feel an inherent need to "protect our own." TOOBIN: The criminal charges were not a total surprise, because several years earlier, Jackson had settled a civil claim against him by a boy under very similar circumstances. LEMON: From his fans, an outpouring of love, grief, and fond remembrance. In fact, you know, there were nights where you looked up there and it was like he was timeless, ageless. Oprah is the queen of this format (her 2021 conversation with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is the most recent great example of the show-interview). He looked horrible. 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. It is bigger than Michael Jackson's fans, bigger than me defending the soundtrack to my childhood. BRIAN OXMAN, ATTORNEY: I've talked to this family about it. (Video: HBO) Comment on this story It's a very complicated cultural dynamic with roots in slavery and beyond that would take me an entire separate article to unpack. Tern notes that he believes that Michael thought the interview would clean up his image, but instead it showed the grandiloquence of his fame, of having no childhood, which knocks a person off kilter forever.. Resuelve los ltimos Crucigramas de Mambrino, Juega a nuestros Sudoku para Expertos y mejora da a da tu nivel, Juega a las nuevas Sopas de letras clsicas y temticas de EL PAS. This is a UK airing of the famous interview of Michael Jackson by Oprah Winfrey in 1993. TARABORELLI: The thing about Michael is that he does want what he wants, and he will find a way to get it. He's not breathing and we need -- we're trying to pump him but he's not -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, OK. How old is he? JOANN SAMS, SECRETARY, ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL: Oh, it was just unbelievable, because they were so young, but yet they were so talented. (And who could ever forget that interview Jackson did with Martin Bashir in 2003 where he whispered "I am Peter Pan"? He announced his farewell tour, This Is it, in a brief press conference on March 5, 2009, in London. Several items were taken away. web pages We're finally hearing from the Jackson family. This man was a universal pop icon. I'm ashamed to admit it in writing, but, here goes: I was one of those critics. Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, who's believed to have been with the singer when he died, has hired an attorney. 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. But was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? And the record company said, no, Quincy's too jazzy. LEMON: CNN's Jeffrey Toobin was in the courtroom. 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. LEMON: The transformation was complete. He hadn't shaved that morning. 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. LEMON: And with Neverland came the children. Of course, in all other meetings there were a whole entourage present. On February 10, 1993, Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson for what would be the most-watched interview in television history. Ellen: Oh, thank you. BRIAN MONROE, "EBONY MAGAZINE": I was really struck by the razor stubble, all along his face. LEMON: Just a year later, Jackson was catapulted back into the limelight when he was featured in the Martin Bashir documentary "Living with Michael Jackson." I tuck them in. And both men clarified that they decided to take part in the documentary because they want to help victims like themselves. No barrier stood before this man that he didn't challenge, that he didn't break down, that he didn't tear down. Video of Michael Jackson showcasing his beatboxing and singing talent in an impromptu performance from 1993 confirms what we've known all along: MJ was a natural born entertainer. The Winfrey-Jackson interview was the 101st highest-rated show in television history. His appearance had changed so much since he was a child star that there was much speculation about the work he'd had done. We may earn commission from the links on this page. The author claims that Oprah promised not to ask him if he was gay. She kept her promise. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My brother, the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. Michael Jackson was being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 1993 when he stunned the interviewer by showcasing his incredible beatboxing skills as he sang acapella. And he just didn't look like anyone else you'd ever met. Would you trade it in for a normal childhood with the celebrity? I mean, within six months, every 10-year-old in Dallas could do it. LEMON: Physician Deepak Chopra, a personal friend, said he knew Jackson was taking narcotic painkillers. So as a community, when we do see our people succeed, we want to cheer them on. LEMON: Author and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller was a friend of Jackson's. On February 10, 1993, Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson for what would be the most-watched interview in television history. THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. In 1994, Michael married Lisa Marie Presley. Premiered in Feburary 10th 1993. JACKSON: This is it. KING: Yes, but -- JERMAINE JACKSON: His whole thing is, if there's something that you feel that you want to change, and then you do that. LEMON: His long-time choreographer, Kenny Ortega, was at that last rehearsal, as he had been each night for three months. He made me rehearse too much. I was like, "What do you mean?" The superstar seemed to be fading in front of the world's eyes.