MALIBU Inside

« 20th Anniversary Video
« Join the fan club
« Remembering Ryan White
« Finding Neverland
« Signatures, Avatars, ...
« Questions & Prejudices
« Feedback Corner

MALIBU Message Board

Our Partners


J-Village / FttF

Fans in Action



Michael Jackson - Questions and Prejudices

The list of Michael Jackson rumours is endless. But why is that? Interestingly enough you will find out that these rumours started spreading immensely and intensified when Michael Jackson gained great success with his record-breaking albums "Thriller" and "BAD". Michael Jackson achieved a lot more than anybody had achieved before in music business.

Michael Jackson became a myth and is probably one of the most misunderstood persons in entertainment business. As Elizabeth Taylor mentioned one day: "Well, I think Michael is the most misunderstood person ever."

When you concentrate on the person Michael Jackson you will obviously realize that Michael is somewhat 'strange' in some cases. And frequently people declare him crazy just because they do not understand his motives. But is this the truth? Do we really live in such a perfect world where everything we consider as 'normal' automatically seems to be the best?

We will not reach the depths of Michael' psyche in this article, that's up to you to enter this world, but we would like to take the chance to smooth out the most popular questions and rumours about Michael Jackson. One thing we know for sure: Due to his uniqueness Michael arouses huge curiosity and we hope that you will get some of your questions answered.





Why did Michael Jackson's skin colour change? Did he bleach his skin to become white?


Michael Jackson suffers from a skin disorder called vitiligo where the melanocytes stop producing the typical skin colour. The consequences are white blotches that will spread all over your body which will obviously be easily recognized when born as an African-American.
Read more about vitiligo in our "Specials" section of our website.


Michael discusses vitiligo in 'MJ talks to Oprah':

Oprah: OK, then let's go to the thing that is most discussed about you, that is, the color of your skin...is most obviously different than when you were younger, and so I think it has caused a great deal of speculation and controversy as to what you have done or are doing, are you bleaching your skin, and is your skin getting lighter because you don't like being black?

Michael: Number one, as far as I know of there is no such thing as skin bleaching. I have never seen it, I don't know what it is.

Oprah: Well they used to have those products, I remember growing up always hearing "always use bleach and glow", but you have to have about 300,000 gallons.

Michael: OK, but number one, this is the situation. I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin, it's something that I cannot help, OK? But when people make up stories that I don't want to be what I am it hurts me.

Oprah: So it is...

Michael: It's a problem for me that I can't control...but what about all the millions of people who sit out in the sun, to become darker, to become other than what they are. No one says nothing about that.

Oprah: So when did this start? When did your...when did the color of your skin start to change?

Michael: Oh boy, I don't....sometime after Thriller, around Off The Wall, Thriller, sometime around then.

Oprah: But what did you think?

Michael: It's in my family, my father said it's on his side. I can't control it, I don't understand. I mean it makes me very sad. I don't want to go into my medical history because that is private, but that's the situation here.

Oprah: So OK, I just want to get this straight, you are not taking anything to change the color of your skin?

Michael: Oh God no, we tried to control it and using make-up evens it out because it makes blotches on my skin. I have to even out my skin. But you know what's funny, why is that so important? That's not important to me.

(Excerpt from 'MJ talks to Oprah', 1993)

Karen Faye, Michael's former make-up artist, comments:

“It started happening relatively early, he even was trying to hide it from me..he tried to hide it for quite a while. He’d always try to cover it with make-up and even out his skin tone until it got so extensive. It’s all over his body. We were always trying to hide it and cover it for the longest time until he just had to tell Oprah and tell the world, 'Listen I'm not trying to be white, I have a skin disease.' In the beginning I tried to cover the light spots to match the darker part of his skin, but then it became so extensive that we had to go with the lighter part of his skin because his whole body was reacting…he'd have to be in complete full body makeup, every inch of his body. So it was easier to make the transition to him being to the lighter shade that he is.”

(From 'Living With MJ', 2003)

more information >>

view list

Does Michael Jackson sleep in an oxygen chamber to appear younger than he is?

No. Michael suffered from serious burns during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. He used the compensation to buy an oxygen chamber which he donated to the Brotman Medical Center in California. On the picture below you can see Michael testing this chamber.



Here you can read a comment on that topic by Michael himself (Taken from the Interview "MJ Talks To Oprah", 1993):

Oprah: OK, but you are in something there, there's a picture of you, where did that come from? How did it get started?

MJ: That's... I did a commercial for Pepsi and I was burned very badly and we settled for 1 million dollars and I gave all the money...like, we built this place called the Michael Jackson Burn Centre and that's a piece of technology used for burn victims, right. So I'm looking at the piece of technology and decide to go inside it and just to hammer around, somebody takes the picture, when they process the pictures the person who processes the picture says. "Oh, Michael Jackson". He made a copy and these pictures went all over the world with this lie attached to it. It's a complete lie [...].

[...] It's crazy. Why would I want to sleep in a chamber?

Oprah: The rumour was that you were sleeping in the chamber because you didn't want to grow old.

MJ: That's stupid. It's completely made up. I'm embarassed. I'm willing to forgive the press, or forgive anybody, I was taught to love and forgive, which I do have in my heart, but please don't believe these crazy, horryfying things.

view list

Why does Michael Jackson believe to be Peter Pan?

Michael Jackson does not believe to be Peter Pan, he identifies with him.


This is an extract from the documentary 'Living With Michael Jackson':


Bashir: Why is Peter Pan a figure of such interest and inspiration to you?

MJ: Because Peter Pan to me...umm...represents someting that's very special in my heart. You know it represents youth, childhood, never growing up, magic, flying. Everything I think that children...and wonderment...and magic...what it's all about. And to me I just have never ever grown out of loving that or thinking that it's very special.

Bashir: You identify with him?

MJ: Totally.

Bashir: You don't want to grow up?

MJ: No, I am Peter Pan.

Bashir: ...you know you're Michael Jackson?!?

MJ: I'm Peter Pan in my heart.

view list

Has Michael Jackson been abused as a child? Has he been beaten by his father?

Yes. Michael has been beaten by his father in his childhood. Michael mentions this topic in 'MJ talks to Oprah' (1993):


Michael: Oh, there's a lot of sadness about my past and adolescence, about my father and all of those things.

Oprah: So he would tease you, make fun of you.

Michael: Yes.

Oprah: Would he...did he ever beat you?

Michael: Yes.

Oprah: And why would he beat you?

Michael: He saw me, he wanted me, I guess...I don't know if I was his golden child or whatever, but he was very strict, very hard, very stern. Just a look would scare you.

Oprah: And were you scared of him?

Michael: Very. Like, there's been times when he'd come to see me, I'd get sick, I'd start to regurgitate.

Oprah: As a child or as an adult?

Michael: Both. He's never heard me say this. I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me.

Oprah: Well I mean, I suppose everybody has to take responsibility for what they've done in life. And your father is one of those people who also have to take responsibility.

Michael: But I do love him.

Oprah: Yes. I understand this.

Michael: And I am forgiving.

Oprah: But can you really forgive?

Michael: I do forgive.

(From 'MJ talks to Oprah', 1993)

view list

Is Michael Jackson broke?

Well, as nobody of us can proclaim him-/herself to be Michael's personal financial advisor this question can not be answered easily. Michael may be short of cash sometimes (speaking about his liquid funds only) but we all can agree on the fact that he owns valuable possessions like the ATV-Catalogue. But all statements on that topic are mere speculations and as we respect Michael's privacy they should not concern us any longer.

view list

Why doesn't Michael release any albums any more? Why does it take him so long to create a new album?

Michael is currently working on a new album. You will find all the news in our news-section.

Luckily Michael is not dependent on making money. That is why he can give free rein to his creativity. The melodies just occur to his mind which is a process that can not be controlled. Besides, Michael is a perfectionist. He writes more than 100 songs for one album, then he decides which songs make the album and puts the finishing touches on it. And even if this takes him a little longer than expected – he never let us down so far.

view list

Why does Michael always wear an armlet on his right upper arm?

Michael will wear this armlet as long as children on this earth have to suffer from poverty, child labour and abuse.

view list

Why does Michael spend so much time with children?

Children are Michael's inspiration. Michael performed on stage since the age of 5 and had no childhood at all. With his amusement park on his Neverland Ranch or other things he tries to recreate parts of his childhood. As Michael is an adult this behaviour seems somewhat 'strange' at first but if you study his biography you will soon realize that the child star Michael Jackson lived a very lonely and stressful life. There was no time for games and friends. Instead he had to rehearse and endure punishment all the time.

Children help Michael to be who he really is. They inspire him and help him to forget his stressful childhood for a while.


Children's health and well-being is Michael's top priority. He donates millions of dollars to charity and happily welcomes (especially sick) children on his Neverland Ranch.

For those who want to know more about Michael's desire for his own childhood we would like to recommend his song 'Childhood' on the HIStory album.

view list

How many times did Michael Jackson undergo plastic surgery?

The exact number is Michael's private matter and therefore unknown. Any statement regarding this topic would be based on pure speculation.

view list

Why does Michael Jackson wear a face mask?

As soon as Michael is in public he will be followed by paparazzi. To make their pictures worthless and to have at least some privacy he tries to hide as much of his face as he can. That is why Michael also often wears sunglasses and/or uses look-alikes. Michael had to wear a face mask after a dental treatment during the BAD-era. Possibly this was the time when he came up with the idea to wear it constantly in public.

view list

Why does Michael conceal his children's faces?

For the same reason that he wears a face mask. He does not want his children to become the media's victims with their faces appearing in every tabloid magazine. He wants to enable them an untroubled childhood – as long as possible.

"I love and adore my children. They mean everything to me. When they're in public, though, I conceal their faces 'cause I don't want...I want my children protected. At home they have a normal life. They play with other kids and they have a good time. They're laughing a lot, they run around and they even go to school. It's a normal life for them. But in public I must protect them."

(Private Home Movies, 2003)

view list

Michael Jackson – the 'self-proclaimed' King of Pop!?

This is a rumour that astonishingly perceives in press for a long time. The truth is that Elizabeth Taylor had announced him with these words in an award show:


Oprah : Liz Taylor said you were king of pop, rock and soul. Where did this
whole notion that you proclaimed yourself king of pop come from?

Michael : Well, I didn't proclaim myself to be anything. I'm happy to be
alive, I'm happy to be who I am, king of pop was first said by Elizabeth
Taylor on one of the award shows.

Oprah : And that's where this all started?

Michael : Yes, and the fans ... all the stadiums that we played at they'd
bring banners saying king of pop and jackets that say king of pop and
T-shirts that say king of pop and they chanted outside my hotel, so it just
became something that just happened all over the world.

(From 'MJ talks to Oprah', 1993)

view list