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. It was a tense atmosphere, given that MJ didn't take part in an interview for 14 years. 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. A 13-year-old boy filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexually molesting him. Leaving Neverland is, indeed, much, much bigger than Michael Jackson. Michael: Thank you. 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. Tickets sold out within hours. The show received a 39.3 rating, just below the Jan. 22, 1987, episode of "The Cosby Show," which received a 41.3. It's mysterious. Have you ever been in love? Oprah pressed on. Media mogul Suzanne de Passe was there at the beginning. BROCKMAN: I recognized that, you know, this is Michael Jackson. In the second block of the interview, the tone changed completely. Oprah Live: Directed by Roger Goodman. Concerned about hunger in Africa, Richie and Jackson wrote the song "We are the World" and assembled a super group of 200 artists to perform it. LEMON: Jackson and his brothers would become preteen idols, appearing in commercials and on magazine covers. And, generally, he expressed to me that he was made to feel that he was ugly, that he was not pretty. LEMON: Although Jackson denied the abuse allegations, he was arrested and charged with seven counts of child molestation. And both men clarified that they decided to take part in the documentary because they want to help victims like themselves. LEMON: Rabbi Schmuley Boteach was a friend and spiritual visor to Michael Jackson. We may earn commission from the links on this page. I tried to enhance the quality of. 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 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. In 1987, his interest in the elephant man's bones, Bubbles the chimp, Liz Taylor, and an array of strange disguises set tongues wagging. 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. I mean, within six months, every 10-year-old in Dallas could do it. 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. Michael Jackson, left, will be played in the film by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, right. And the record company said, no, Quincy's too jazzy. LEMON: Michael Jackson was officially charged with seven counts of child molestation and several other felonies. 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. He wasn't making new records. I'm going to miss him so much. It remains to be seen how the recently announced film about Michael Jacksons life (which will star his nephew Jaafar and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua) will reflect this transformation. DEEPAK CHOPRA, SPIRITUAL ADVISER: I said, Michael, you don't need these drugs for that. After nearly a decade of being suspected of child molestation, the King of Pop was about to face the music. .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. But was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? LEMON: It is Chopra's belief that prescription drug abuse was Jackson's downfall. Then moved back. Music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson. Addeddate 2021-07-25 18:28:55 Closed captioning no Color color Identifier okra-interviews-michael-jackson-1993 (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CROSS TALK) LEMON: The very public trials of Michael Jackson eventually took their toll. NORRIS: There's a reason it's called "Neverland Valley." It is strange to see Michael in the absence of screaming and crowds; he seemed removed from his own celebrity. ", Michael's relationship with his father, Joe Jackson, has made plenty of headlines throughout the years. She was referencing the naysayers on social media who were alreadybefore even watching the two-part documentarydiscrediting Robson and Safechuck, calling them liars because neither of them had spoken up when they were younger about what they say happened to them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The record flew out of stores. LEMON: Coming up, scandal rocks the gates of Neverland. When we continue, chimps, oxygen chambers, the elephant man's bones -- Michael Jackson's bizarre behavior. At the age of 10 he was told to say that he was eight. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS TODAY AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS. Michael Jackson, Oprah, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Rowe and many other people watching MJ talking to Oprah on TV in a bedroom: Link: The Mexico Deposition in 1993 and "Dangerous . You know? LEMON: It worked. And I would record for hours and hours until it was time to go to sleep. And a 14 week trial in 2005 found Jackson not guilty of charges that he had molested another 13-year-old boy, Gavin Arvizo. (SINGING) (END VIDEOTAPE). You look like you're insane. He hadn't shaved that morning. You look like a monkey. He didn't exchange words with his lawyers very often. Spawning iconic music videos and a sold-out world tour, "Bad" went on to sell 8 million copies, and Jackson went on to change his image once again. 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. He said he urged the singer to keep children out of his bedroom. NORRIS: What a moment that was in pop culture history when he moon-walked across the stage there. It was an exclusive talk with Michael Jackson who had refused to be interviewed for 14 years. Sometimes he would come to see me, and I would throw up. As an adult too? Yes., Then Oprah started to fire away. (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. ", In 1993, controversy about Michael's skin color was at an all-time high. He's not the person to do this. JACKSON: This one, this one -- CASTRO: Almost pathological in his spending ways. But this time, Jackson's stage was the roof of an SUV, outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse. This content is imported from poll. LEMON: Bahrain and back again. But in January of that year, Michael had just headlined the Super Bowl halftime show (the staging and format of which provided the template for todays artists performing at the years biggest football game) and won three American Music Awards. He's unconscious? MJ: You're welcome anytime. LEMON: Despite his creativity, record sales dwindled as Jackson's appearance grew stranger with whiter skin and a severely altered nose and chin. He's trying to not affect the legal proceedings in any way. A year later, the couple had a baby daughter, Paris Michael Katherine. The most incredible part of that whole thing was that on his being wheeled to the hospital, you know, he's waving to his fans with the glittered glove, you know, to the end a showman. Id like to, Michael replied, apparently forgetting that he just implied that he was in a romantic relationship with Brooke Shields. That was the first time Jackson had given a televised interview since 1979. to Oprah is an American television interview special that was broadcast by ABC on February 10, 1993. "All the times that I testified and the many, many times that I gushed over him publicly in interviewsthat was from a real place. 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. An extended version of the special will also be available on Oprahs SuperSoul Conversations podcast starting Sunday, March 10. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: In November 1982, 24-year-old Michael Jackson released "Thriller." 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. 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. As a result, its lead single "Black or White" shot to number one. And for us to all pay attention to this one being on this planet as much as we did, the light was truly shining bright. It just made me very, very, very sad. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Would you trade it in for a normal childhood with the celebrity? Of course, we're following developments out of Iran tonight. LEMON: By 1985, the pop star began looking different. RODNEY JERKINS, MUSIC PRODUCER: Michael called me, and he says, "Why can't we create new sounds?" UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man was the greatest recording artist of our time. There's a lot of mysterious phases of Michael Jackson's career, but the last three are particularly mysterious. On February 10, 1993, Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson for what would be the most-watched interview in television history. LEMON: From the high school auditorium to the big-time. I tried and tried and tried to get the message across to people that sexual abuse is not just abuseit is also sexual seduction." CRAIG HARVEY, CORONER'S SPOKESMAN: We know he was taking some prescription medications. JACKSON: I'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While we're on our way, did anybody see him? Attorney Brian Oxman. When I think about my childhood, some of my earliest memories are lying on my living room floor watching Michael Jackson's .css-9cezh6{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#E61957;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-9cezh6:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Moonwalker film over and over, and Sundays on the way to my grandparents' house, bellowing the lyrics to "Remember the Time" from the backseat of my Dad's cherry red Jeep. Just last year, a study by the Census Bureau and Stanford University found that no matter what their parents income level, Black men are less successful than white men on average. 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. In an exclusive interview, Murray's attorney tells CNN his client is upset over Jackson's death and that he plans to cooperate fully. Brooke. Then he added, Ive always been in love with Diana Ross. Oprah asked if he would propose to Elizabeth Taylor. Of all the questions Oprah asked, none had to do with his sexual preferences. 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 . I think he was responding to his fans by, at least showing them his face. Which when he first did it nationally, it was like, wait, is gravity being, like, messed with here? Oprah interviews Michael Jackson, broadcast live around the world from his home at the Neverland Ranch. BOTEACH: He repudiated the adult world. But she's clearly like, whoa, what are you doing? Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. He was very placid. LEMON: R&B superstar Usher. 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. (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." 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. 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. You could not on your own going bearing in mind book buildup or library or . this is SOOO funny. In a new interview, Oprah discussed and reiterated her support for HBO's documentary series Leaving Neverland, which explores two allegations of child sexual abuse against Michael Jackson.The series saw two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, accusing Jackson of sexually abusing them as children, and immediately sparked intense backlash online from fans of Jackson and from the Jackson estate. LEMON: The marriage collapsed less than two years after the wedding. LEMON: His long-time choreographer, Kenny Ortega, was at that last rehearsal, as he had been each night for three months. In this never-before-heard interview from 2012, Emmy and Tony-award-winning actress, Cicely Tyson explains the surprising story of how she found her calling, shares behind-the-scenes history of her most iconic roles and reveals the biggest life lessons she's learned. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. One of the last photographs that was taken of Michael Jackson while he was alive. JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was certainly the most bizarre criminal trial I ever saw. I have loved Michael Jackson the artist for several decades. ETHAN SMITH, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": After the trial, he had spent a lot of money on lawyers, and had very little coming in. Ellen: Oh, thank you. Were you as happy offstage as you were onstage?, Offstage I was very sad. LEMON: Michael Jackson, dead at the age of 50. 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. Then in 1996, Jackson sent shock waves around the world when it was announced he had married Debbie Rowe, his dermatologist nurse. And he just didn't look like anyone else you'd ever met. And it would catch fire when Jackson unveiled an out of this world dance move on a television special for Motown's 25th anniversary. Michael Jackson was adamant that he was a "gentleman" first and foremost while talking to Oprah Winfrey. Special effects? 90 million people tuned in for the sit-down chat at the King of Pop's Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, California. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My brother, the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. he looks soo mad wen the alarm goes offits soo cute. SUZANNE DE PASSE, CEO, DE PASSE ENTERTAINMENT: He had the charisma, the talent, the voice, the -- everything it takes. Sometimes he would call me at 3:00 in the morning crying, terrified about what would happen to his children. And it also broke barriers. There are also accusations that Reed created this film and Robson, and Safechuck participated because they're after money and fame. After more than two months of testimony, 135 witnesses, and seven days of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. JACKSON: Yes. I'm going to miss him. Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, who's believed to have been with the singer when he died, has hired an attorney. CHOPRA: It was the thing that caused his cardiac arrest. 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." But I think it was about '85, '86, and I was like, wow. The live interview, which took place before any abuse allegations were made against him, covered . And my worst fears are here. That's all tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN, live from Los Angeles. LEMON: The transformation was complete. It's happening in familieswe know it's happening in churches, and in schools, and sports teams everywhere. Michael told Oprah that he was in a relationship with Brooke Shields. BRAFMAN: He always appeared to either be in pain or walking with pain. 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. Information from IMDB:Oprah interviews Michael Jackson, broadcast live around the world from his home at the Neverland Ranch. 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. Almost all of the most watched TV interviews are from the United States, except one from BBC One. And Emmanuel Lewis was right there, underlying, like this is not sexual at all. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music. Jackson told Oprah he suffered from a rare skin disease. BROCKMAN: We were alone in a room. To no -- he's not responding to CPR or anything. 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." And in 1999, they divorced. It is much bigger than any one person. Success at such a cost left Jackson with conflicted feelings for his father. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gentleman here that needs help. The weight, the gravity, the way he would sing. In 1993, Jackson spoke about both in this interview with Oprah Winfrey. Presley filed for divorce in 1996. (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. He also raised eyebrows with his red carpet companions Brooke Shields and Emmanuel Lewis. LEMON: One month later, Jackson took home eight Grammys. JACKSON: Yes. Download the Watch OWN app and access OWN anytime, anywhere. Wonderful., Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAS USA Edition, Sign up to EL PAS In English Edition bulletin, If you want to follow all the latest news without any limits, subscribe to EL PAS for just 1 the first month. In the show, 44-year-old Jackson admitted to letting children sleep with him in his bed at Neverland. So off he went to the island nation of Bahrain. Jackson vehemently denied the accusation on national TV. The interview had the intended effect (many considered it a promotional ploy by the two, rather than a real interview). All the questioning that we have reviewed to this point occurred in just 30 minutes. LEMON: Michael Jackson had probably drawn his last breath by the time this 911 phone call was made from a rented home in the Los Angeles hills. And it's happening right now. It just didn't seem possible. In 1993, Oprah helmed what would become the most-watched TV interview of all time a title which the show still proudly holds. More "CNN Presents: The Man in The Mirror" in just a moment. 10 best Oprah celebrity interviews of all time 1. It was just incredible. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a doctor there? No word on where they were taken. This is the final curtain call. His mistake is that he took it way too far, so that he stopped being a curiosity, and he started being a freak. Oprahs assumed naivet achieves complicity with both Michael and the viewer, and on television complicity allows for everything. LEMON: On the last night of his life, Michael Jackson was rehearsing for his London show, due to open in just three weeks. I put little like music on into a little story time, I read a book. "All I did was enhance the dance.". Like what are we doing? 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.