It's mysterious. He was very, very controlled. It cost him around 10 million dollars to keep that up at its peak. LEMON: Rabbi Schmuley Boteach was a friend and spiritual visor to Michael Jackson. The circus surrounding the trial seemed more than Jackson could bear. NORRIS: From the iconic look to the moonwalk to the glove, the red jacket and the zippers and glasses and the white socks. It was his greatest blessing, but, I think, also his biggest curse. Its a magnetic, phantasmagoric ending. 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.". LEMON (on camera): Were you worried that he might not make it? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LEMON (voice-over): January 16, 2004; it seemed like another classic Michael Jackson performance, surrounded by screaming fans. The author claims that Oprah promised not to ask him if he was gay. She kept her promise. Record producer Ronnie Jerkins worked with Jackson. Have you ever been in love? Oprah pressed on. JACKSON: Yes. Similarly, Safechuck recalls meeting Jackson while filming a Pepsi commercial; they developed a similar working relationship that morphed into sleepovers at the ranch. SUZANNE DE PASSE, CEO, DE PASSE ENTERTAINMENT: He had the charisma, the talent, the voice, the -- everything it takes. And his brothers were on stage with him. "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. JACKSON: This one, this one -- CASTRO: Almost pathological in his spending ways. Semipresencial en Aguascalientes, Maestra a distancia en Actividad Fsica y Salud, Maestra a distancia en Energas Renovables, Descubre un completo Directorio de Centros de Formacin, Mejore su italiano con solo 15 minutos al da. In February, he received the Living Legend Award at the Grammys, an honor bestowed intermittently on the likes of Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin, which Jackson received at the age of 34. I sat in my seat struggling with how to fit together the harrowing depiction of a sick man I had just witnessed with the icon who had shaped so much of my life. Watch full episodes and live stream OWN whenever and wherever you want. They were tremendous. This is the final curtain call. Rick: Thank you so much. She asked the unthinkable in an hour-long television special, which portrayed an eccentric but vulnerable star. In the second block of the interview, the tone changed completely. And that was my sentiment walking into Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverlanda conversation with Robson, Safechuck, and Leaving Neverland director Dan Reedwhich was taped in New York City before a live audience of sexual abuse survivors. 90 million people tuned in for the sit-down chat at the King of Pop's Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, California. BRAFMAN: He always appeared to either be in pain or walking with pain. 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: Although Jackson denied the abuse allegations, he was arrested and charged with seven counts of child molestation. Michael told Oprah that he was in a relationship with Brooke Shields. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty, OK. (Video: HBO) Comment on this story Watching the two interviews back to back reveals an undeniable and astonishing fact: the biggest pop star the world had ever seen had become a completely different person in the intervening 14 years. It was the last time the public viewed the artist not mired in disturbing allegations. LEMON: From the high school auditorium to the big-time. Disfrute de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas. When we continue, chimps, oxygen chambers, the elephant man's bones -- Michael Jackson's bizarre behavior. to Oprah" interview. "He kept getting whiter and whiter and whiter, and nobody understood why," Oprah says. His steelworker father, Joe, turned five of his boys into a band with five-year-old Michael out front. There were dozens of lawyers and bodyguards and assistants. Interviews. The Oprah Winfrey-Michael Jackson interview 30 years later In February 1993, the talk show host landed the first live, televised talk with the singer in 14 years. 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. The production was very skillful because the images told of all [Jacksons] eccentricities. Sometimes I do get angry. He wasn't making new records. This is really it. Michael Jackson, in 1993 in a hospital for sick children. One of the first venues, the auditorium of Roosevelt High. And Jackson showed up in court in his pajamas. According to Winfrey, the conversation was unscripted and uncensored. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. "It certainly was going to be the most watched interview I had ever done. He didn't exchange words with his lawyers very often. The interview had the intended effect (many considered it a promotional ploy by the two, rather than a real interview). 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. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (MUSIC PLAYING, "I'LL BE THERE") UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first saw him I was amazed at his talent that just continued on. TOURE: So he's doing the moonwalk. His mistake is that he took it way too far, so that he stopped being a curiosity, and he started being a freak. 21 das de prueba gratuita de nuestro curso de francs online, Mejore su ingls con EL PAS con 15 minutos al da, Disfrute de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas, Mejore su italiano con EL PAS con 15 minutos al da, Las mejores oportunidades hablan alemn. And Michael Jackson was ready to spread his wings. It is bigger than Michael Jackson's fans, bigger than me defending the soundtrack to my childhood. He also sang and danced. JOHN NORRIS, FORMER CORRESPONDENT, MTV NEWS: They are songs that still hold up today. There wouldn't be BET. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Every day, Michael Jackson showed up in one of his Captain Crunch outfits. Michael Jackson and Brooke Shields at the 1993 Grammy Awards, a few days after the interview with Oprah Winfrey. She explained: "Here's the reason why I'm here. Click on the flashing balls to access the interviews Interviews TV Guide Interview (1999) Prime Nobody says anything about that!, His physical appearance remained the focus of the conversation. In March, 1988, Jackson finalized the purchase of a 2,600 acre ranch. JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was certainly the most bizarre criminal trial I ever saw. Jackson fans have also been vicious, as Winfrey also received backlash before the interview. 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.". Since the mid-1980s, people had speculated that Jackson wanted to become white, that he wanted to become a woman, that he had bought the Elephant Mans remains, that he slept in an oxygen chamber, that he had married Elizabeth Taylor, that he suffered from anorexia, that his best friend was a monkey, that the monkey was telepathic, that Michael was a homosexual and that he was a virgin. Why? ), Still, even as a grown, college educated, opinionated adult, until just two days ago, I was one of those Michael Jackson defenders. GORDY: They were sensations. And Michael just stared at me. Not that the trial was going to end badly, but that something would happen to Michael. This man through his music actually like made a change in the world. And my worst fears are here. ", If there's one dance move for which Michael will forever be remembered, it's unquestionably the moonwalk. He's not going to be able to get any weirder than this. And a 14 week trial in 2005 found Jackson not guilty of charges that he had molested another 13-year-old boy, Gavin Arvizo. And with that historic piece of vinyl, a phenomenon was born. It's a very complicated cultural dynamic with roots in slavery and beyond that would take me an entire separate article to unpack. LEMON: It is Chopra's belief that prescription drug abuse was Jackson's downfall. LEMON: The case was eventually settled for nearly $20 million, and the suit was dropped in 1994. He's a 12-year-old superstar with thousands of people shrieking and screaming. None of those episodes, she goes on to say, illustrated that fact the way Reed's film did. 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. 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. It's happening in familieswe know it's happening in churches, and in schools, and sports teams everywhere. LEMON: Rowe gave birth to their son, Prince Michael Jackson, in 1997. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the greatest moment that disco has in its entire history. Download the Watch OWN app and access OWN anytime, anywhere. DE PASSE: I saw these kids, and they were unbelievable. In fact, you know, there were nights where you looked up there and it was like he was timeless, ageless. And the lead singer, Michael, was just so incredible. 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. Throughout the film, we hear from both men (in, yes, graphic, explicit detail) about exactly what they say transpired between each of them and Jacksonand across four hours, we hear why neither of them came forward about what purportedly happened to them until adulthood. 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. 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. JACKSON: Yes. But Reed cleared up one important thing: Neither Robson nor Safechuck were paid to be a part of Leaving Neverland. 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. 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. They come up with these dances," Michael said. It's about the fact that every 11 minutes in this country, child protective services substantiates or finds evidence for a claim of child sex abuseand that's just the ones we know about. I'm Don Lemon. We may earn commission from the links on this page. Addeddate 2021-07-25 18:28:55 Closed captioning no Color color Identifier okra-interviews-michael-jackson-1993 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 Jackson Talks . Later, he added: "Michael told me it was love, that God brought us together. LEMON: The shadow of drug abuse would follow him even into death. LEMON: Michael had another money-making trick up his sleeve. Jacksons album Dangerous, which had been falling down the charts in the two years after its release, became a top-10 bestseller again. TOURE: I don't think anybody, even like the Iowa housewives, were saying, you know they're not sleeping together. This was recorded on VHS in the 90's. Show more Show more 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. (SINGING) (END VIDEOTAPE). Taking a cue from "Bad's" title, he became a crotch-grabbing tough guy, a far cry from his gentle, offstage personae. There he continued to surround himself with children in a make-believe paradise where he could relive his childhood. Disfruta de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: By the early 1990s, Michael Jackson's new music, even fresh R&B hits like "Remember the Time," couldn't come close to the phenomenon he had created with "Thriller." They are mourning in Gary, Indiana, too, Michael's hometown. LEMON: Author and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller was a friend of Jackson's. The interview aired on February 10, 1993, and it coincided with a crucial moment in Jacksons life. It's sort of like the anti- King Midas, like everything he wants to do just gets screwed up. 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. I was never able to enjoy the simplest things that a child takes for granted in his life. LEMON: Jackson would become more reclusive, retreating into his Neverland Ranch. 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. LEMON: It would take a year before a jury was seated and the trial began. At the end, he talked about his mortality. "You can count them on two fingers," he said. LEMON: Millions in mourning. 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. Around 62 million viewers in the United States and 90 million worldwide watched the interview live, although some estimates, such as the one offered by Winfreys biographer, Kitty Kelley, claim it was higher at 100 million. You heard things from him that you've never heard before. Premiered in Feburary 10th 1993. But was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? Here the Jackson 5 won the talent contest and wowed the crowd. 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. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CROSS TALK) LEMON: The very public trials of Michael Jackson eventually took their toll. LEMON: That album was 1982's "Thriller." Who do you date? Right now, Brooke Shields. Oprah nodded and murmured Hmm. She comes to my house, or I go to hers, Michael continued. LEMON: Pain that dated back at least a quarter of a century. Winfrey . Michael Jackson Talks to. My father made me into a performance machine. So we started listening to tracks, like De, de, de, de, de, de. And Michael was God to me.". The only way you become immortal is that your work lives on. And he's not breathing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have a personal doctor here with him, sir. And I know that it tore him to pieces. BRIAN OXMAN, ATTORNEY: I've talked to this family about it. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran's response to U.S. criticism of its presidential election will be crushing and remorseful. Then two years later, I was like, I was wrong. You're looking at a person who is almost translucent.". There is not a single thing or person in popular culture that is worth not protecting and believing our children. LEMON: It worked. Id like to, Michael replied, apparently forgetting that he just implied that he was in a romantic relationship with Brooke Shields. 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. MICHAEL JACKSON: I would do my schooling for three hours with the tutor, and right after that I'd go to the recording studio and record. There are no reviews yet. Because of that you became a great performer, and maybe even because you were not given enough love as a child, you wanted the world's love. He filled the property with an amusement park, a private zoo, and dubbed the oasis Neverland. Michael entered the shot walking downstairs as Thriller played in the background, but no one was applauding. A lot of people from the Mideast love Michael Jackson. Like what are we doing? According to Kitty Kelleys biography Oprah, the host lied when she claimed at the beginning of the interview that nothing had been prearranged. I'd like to take a shot at producing your record. That was the start of the plastic surgery, and probably the pain killers. 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. Tickets sold out within hours. LEMON: -- so is his death. Nuevo curso 'online', Maestra en Ciencias Ambientales presencial en Benito Jurez, Licenciatura en Administracin de Empresas presencial en Benito Jurez, Maestra a distancia en Lingstica Aplicada a la Enseanza del Espaol como Lengua Extranjera, Licenciatura Ejecutiva en Psicologa Semipresencial. Michael had turned down interviews for 14 years, until allowing Oprah access to Neverland. An Objective View of Michael Jackson Interview Transcripts Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley interview with Diane Sawyer Transcript 22nd January 1995 Diane Sawyer: And with me of course, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. LEMON: But Brockman says the superstar was terrified. "My mother's wonderful. web pages And, as unconventional as it is, if you really look at it, it's sort of surrogate motherhood. Music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson. These are not men who are fame hungry, or chasing money, or seeking to bring down a dead man. (END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Coming up, Michael Jackson, from riches to rags. The interview shattered records with an audience of 90 million. 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! Brooke. Then he added, Ive always been in love with Diana Ross. Oprah asked if he would propose to Elizabeth Taylor. MONROE: The trial hurt him to the core. USHER: Being the first black artist to ever have a video played on MTV was pivotal for all of us. And it also broke barriers. The unprecedented live event drew a worldwide audience of 90 million people. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something which I feared, and it is something which I warned about. To no -- he's not responding to CPR or anything. HIATT: It's hard looking at the guy being pushed around in a wheelchair, looking so thin and fragile. That right there, that will never be replaced. I tried and tried and tried to get the message across to people that sexual abuse is not just abuseit is also sexual seduction." I would see kids on the monkey bars and I would cry because I couldn't have a childhood. MESEREAU: I was on occasion. J. RANDY TARABORELLI, BIOGRAPHER: From the time that most kids were building tree houses, Michael Jackson was building an image. I just wish I could understand my father. Michael, a fiercely private entertainer, had refused to give an interview for 14 years. Coincidentally, fans were wondering about Michael's much lighter skin tone, from black to white. PETER CASTRO, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: He's on the set, and he's descending a staircase. And so Michael and his managers fought them and said Quincy's doing the record. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS TODAY AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS. He had the discipline at such a young age, originality, willing to try everything, a work ethic, all of it. LEMON: Despite his creativity, record sales dwindled as Jackson's appearance grew stranger with whiter skin and a severely altered nose and chin. Not to mention the timing; Leaving Neverland just so happens to be coming out months after an explosive Lifetime documentary that may have played a part in R&B singerR. At the age of 10 he was told to say that he was eight. So an auction of his most personal items seemed like the answer. That was the first time Jackson had given a televised interview since 1979. LEMON: Ben Brockman was one of Jackson's attorneys. Rank Interviewee Interviewer Avg. ", In 1993, controversy about Michael's skin color was at an all-time high. And is aid to him, take that stupid thing off! During the interview, Oprah got a private lesson in the signature move. Here were three of the main takeaways from the hour: 1. My father didn't love me enough. 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. On verdict day, he looked like death warmed over. Plastic surgery was another much-talked about issue surrounding Michael Jackson in the early 1990s. Get more inspiration like this delivered to your inbox, How well do you know the King of Pop? His next saying on the I won't grow up, I'm a lost boy, I'm Peter Pan. You are seeing through to the blue veins, and they're very, very apparent. LEMON (voice-over): It was June 13, 2005. "Forgiveness is not a line that you crossit's a road that you take.". It could not be stopped. So off he went to the island nation of Bahrain. He's not breathing? He was sobbing. They just have that natural talent for dancing any of the new, hot dances. BOTEACH: The fact that he could even find himself in the situation after the '93 allegation shows he didn't take that sufficiently to heart, because if he did, he never would have been along with the child. He wasn't touring. And we started going, we started to get going. MICHAEL JACKSON: I would do my schooling for three hours with the tutor, and right after that I'd go to the. WINFREY: Would he -- did he ever beat you? The album was a smash with songs like "Don't Stop till You Get Enough" and "Rock with You," reaching number one. Leaving Neverland and Oprah's interview helped me come to terms with the fact that by continuing to defend Michael Jackson in the name of his talent, I was contributing to our society's habit of victim shaming. In the most awkward part of the interview, Oprah took up the topic of the singers love life and asked him a strange, nave question that seemed more suited for a child than a 34-year-old man. They performed as if they had been performing for years. GORDY: When she told me about another kids' group I said, wait a minute, I got all these other stars. He could hardly smile. 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. You know? JACKSON: My friends and doctors advise me to seek professional guidance in order to eliminate what has become an addiction. The Jackson 5 exploded on the charts. That's a lot of dates. LEMON: The marriage collapsed less than two years after the wedding. For him it was a world of betrayal. In 1993, Ms. Winfrey's prime-time interview of Michael Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, . BOTEACH: He puts on that black thing, that mask. For more stories from OprahMag.com, sign up for our newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest trends that matter to you most. he looks soo mad wen the alarm goes offits soo cute. MESEREAU: I think this trial and this entire case took a terrible toll on him emotionally and physically. "I had no understanding of it being abuseI loved Michael," he told Oprah. All the questioning that we have reviewed to this point occurred in just 30 minutes. The interview with Jackson took place at his huge Neverland Ranch, complete with its own amusement park and zoo. LEMON: The king of pop. This is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption that's like a scourge on humanity. From the "Oprah: After Neverland" filming in New York. 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. Someone created a piano. The superstar seemed to be fading in front of the world's eyes. Nobody ever talks about that, but it takes you aback at first. JACKSON: It's not sexual. WINFREY: And that was difficult to take, getting beaten and going on stage and performing? After the second half airs on Monday, March 4, Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland" will air simultaneously on HBO and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network on at 10:00 PM EST. You think about what the it factor is, that's what he had. DEEPAK CHOPRA, SPIRITUAL ADVISER: I said, Michael, you don't need these drugs for that. USHER, SINGER: Michael had an unseen magic to influence people, the music and the culture. And I said, Mr. Gordy, you just have to see these kids. THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. LEMON: By 1985, the pop star began looking different. It was just incredible. Information from IMDB:Oprah interviews Michael Jackson, broadcast live around the world from his home at the Neverland Ranch. ), I shared the same mindset of many of the folks Oprah was talking about. That's all tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN, live from Los Angeles. "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. NORRIS: What a moment that was in pop culture history when he moon-walked across the stage there. And I called Mr. Gordy and I said, I've just seen the most fantastic act. The show received a 39.3 rating, just below the Jan. 22, 1987, episode of "The Cosby Show," which received a 41.3. The cost -- $19 million. This content is imported from poll. She arranges the interviews in advance, and they are very prefabricated, but then she has the [gift] of naturalness, of making herself seem like one more member of the audience, even though she is not. Be in the know on current and upcoming trends. LEMON: In a BBC interview, Joe Jackson admitted whipping Michael with a switch or a belt, but denied ever beating him. Special effects? 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. "Leaving Neverland" debuts Sunday, March 3 at 8 PM EST on HBO. No word on where they were taken. He died three and a half months later. RODNEY JENKINS, MUSIC PRODUCER: Wow, 50 dates; 50 dates at 50 years old? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gentleman here that needs help. LEMON: Brian Monroe sat down with Michael Jackson in September 2007 for "Ebony Magazine."