Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 400 - Molly and Michael Jackson: Rolling on the King of Pop!

Episode Date: May 6, 2024

Michael Jackson is the most successful solo act in the history of recorded music. Only the Beatles have sold more albums. He has the top selling album of all time, Thriller. And the 5th best selling album of all time, Bad. He was arguably the most famous man in the history of the world at his career's peak. But also.... a very troubled, beyond eccentric person who was creepy with kids, at best, or... a pedophile. I try and explore his life today... while fighting against the effects of a double-dose of Molly... for Timesuck's 400th episode.  Hail Nimrod and thanks for sticking around!! Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fFiBZuI1prIMerch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch-related questions/problems: [e-mail] (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.Sign up through Patreon, and for $5 a month, you get access to the entire Secret Suck catalog (295 episodes) PLUS the entire catalog of Timesuck, AD FREE. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. And you get the download link for my secret standup album, Feel the Heat.

Michael Jackson was and still is for many the king of pop. He was a best-selling record smashing singer, songwriter, and dancer. As a young child Michael was lead singer of his family band the Jackson 5. He showed extraordinary natural talent and loved performing and he just got better and better and better as time went on. Michael once said being on stage is magic. There's nothing like it. You feel the energy of everybody who's out there. You feel it all over your body. The Jackson 5 became wildly successful following their first hit single, I Want You Back. Soon Michael will launch his solo career while still a teenager with the release of his album

Got To Be There. And this already famous young man will get much more famous with his fifth album, 1979's Off the Wall. Don't stop till you get enough, baby. Which was followed by 1982's Thriller, an album that quickly became the bestselling and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time. Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Beat It, the title track and more.

It sold over 50 million copies worldwide. More than 20 million more than the second best-selling studio album of all time. Tracks from Thriller collectively currently have billions of plays on YouTube and billions more on Spotify, two platforms that were decades away from even existing when those songs came out. In the 1980s, Thriller and the subsequent hit album 1987's Bad, the fifth best-selling album of all time, took his already sky-high fame to even greater heights. Michael Jackson, at his height, was as popular as the Beatles were

at their height, if not more popular. As popular or more popular than Elvis was at his height. He was one of the most famous people and critically acclaimed artist on Earth, if not the most famous person of all time. He won 13 Grammys, broke down countless racial barriers, toured to adoring fans and record-setting concert tours all around the world, had tens of millions of dedicated hardcore fans, hundreds of millions of additional casual fans, and he was also clearly very troubled. While Michael enjoyed his fame and fortune, it left him feeling incredibly lonely. Who didn't want to use him for his fame and fortune? Who really wanted just to be his friend?

He publicly lamented the loss of his childhood. He began working in the music industry when he was five years old. He never had a real childhood. By the time most kids would be sounding out syllables to Jack and Jill books, beginning to learn to read, he was on a stage performing at talent shows and following his father's vision to turn him and his brothers into huge stars. His father Joe Jackson helped him and his siblings establish their careers, but he also did that in allegedly emotionally and physically abusive ways, forcing his kids to work long,

exhausting hours in the studio to perfect their acts, acts which made his dad a lot of money, and punishing them severely when they didn't do what he wanted. Perhaps largely because he never had a normal childhood and due to a lifetime of people trying to use him for this or that due to his fame and influence, going back to before he even hit puberty, Michael Jackson became a very eccentric adult. Childlike in ways that were tragic and unsettling at best, disturbing and dangerous at worst.

He purchased a massive ranch, named it Neverland based on the movie Peter Pan and turned it into a children's paradise Even though he was a single man with no kids Not a good look. He also began to change his look drastically with plastic surgery as if he wanted to become someone else The press gave him the nickname wacko Jacko in the late 80s a nickname that upset him greatly mainstream America found him laughably strange and and then in 1993 when Michael was publicly accused of sexual abuse, many of those who mocked him for his appearance and spending

habits now suddenly worried he wasn't just some harmless weirdo. He was a dangerous predator. Authorities launched an investigation and identified other potential victims, but at the time there was not enough evidence to press charges. But then in 2003, a British journalist released a documentary about Michael that featured enough disturbing footage to lead to a new investigation involving a different victim. This time, the authorities filed 10 charges against Michael. He went to trial in 2005 and was ultimately acquitted, but his public image would never

fully recover. And many still believe that the allegations made in that case, and in many others, were true. Michael now became a recluse. He struggled with addiction to prescription medications and despite earning over a billion dollars in his lifetime, he got himself into 400 million dollars of debt with extravagant and reckless spending. Then in 2009 he announced a massive comeback special, This Is It. Michael was going to perform 50 sold out concerts at the O2 Arena in London to revive his career and start to pay off that debt.

He rehearsed for months, but he would never perform. Michael died on June 25, 2009 at the age of only 50. His cause of death was a lethal overdose of propofol, a strong sedative used in surgeries. Michael's personal physician, Conrad Murray, was charged with his death and later convicted of involuntary manslaughter. And then after Michael's death, two alleged victims of sexual abuse at his hands filed suits against his estate. An estate that has made over three billion dollars since his death. Claiming that Michael sexually abused them for years. Those lawsuits are still ongoing. During his lifetime,

Michael's career reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. While he is still revered and respected for his talent and impact on the music industry, there will always be the lingering shadow of multiple sexual abuse allegations. Are they true? Was his interest in children cringy but ultimately innocent? Or was he far less childlike than he appeared and a true groomer and predator? Today we'll cover Michael's entire life from the beginning to the end. His early childhood, the rise and success of the Jackson 5, his solo career, the sexual abuse trial and other scandals, and the lawsuits against his estate. Oh, and I'm gonna be high as fuck for most of it. This is the 400th episode, and in the tradition of trying to podcast from a mind-altered state every 100 episodes, I just took somewhere between 200 and 250 milligrams of MDMA Molly and may take another 100 to 150 half way through the recording so forgive me if shit gets

real weird and my reactions to the content I prepared when I was sober don't seem normal on this week's musical biographical who really was the king of pop I apologize in advance if I try to sing too many of his songs too many times I only have 45 minutes tops before shit is gonna start to go sideways. 400th episode edition of Time Suck. This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to Time Suck. Happy, happy Monday. Welcome to The Cult of the Curious. I'm Dan Keltz, the master sucker. A coconut! A guy who has made another terrible decision 100 episodes after the previous terrible decision. And you are listening to Time Suckuck and there are no announcements for today's show.

Just gonna try and get into content while I can still focus and this is a very entertaining story and it's also full of so much good music. It's so sad that Michael is probably, was probably not the best of guys at all with kids because god he was a talented dude. Been listening to his music just non-stop for the last three four days and his catalog is just incredible. So let's hear it and learn so much about him and just get into all that right now. So the first order of business today for it I will lay out a brief overview of Michael Jackson's importance in the music industry. Next will be a timeline of his early life, his years with Jackson 5, his solo career, and later, the numerous scandals he became embroiled in during his lifetime, thanks to

his obsession with young boys. And whether or not he did the sexual abuse, at the very, very least, he was weirdly obsessed with young boys Michael Jackson is considered for damn good reason to be one of the most influential artists of any genre of the 20th century It's often said that Michael Jackson's short film music videos helped launch MTV as a network and as a tastemaker When it came to music and fashion influence He also reshaped the music industry in general with his dynamic live performances Full of incredible and innovative dancing and powerful vocals. Michael Jackson was extremely successful in terms of awards and overall record sales. Throughout his

career Michael was nominated for 38 Grammys. He won 13. He won seven Grammys for Thriller alone in 1984 at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards when over 51 million people tuned in. Most watched a Grammy's award show ever. For comparison at the most recent Grammys, the 66th annual award show, this past February 4th, just under 17 million people were watching. Michael won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his song, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, in 1980 at the 22nd annual show, which was his first Grammy. 1993, Michael will win the Grammy Legend Award given to individuals or groups for ongoing contributions and

influence in the recording field. 2001, Michael was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010, he was posthumously he would posthumously win the Record and Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award. A New York Times article from January 14th, 1984, when Mike was just 25 years old, described his impact on the industry. And most of the statements from this article are still true today. In the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else. Over the last year, Mr. Jackson's songs have defined dance music. The arrangements on the Thriller album mesh his piping voice with a muscular blend of real and electronic sounds in rhythms that can't be categorized as rock or funk

or disco. Thriller sold 20 million copies in just the first year. The Times described Michael during the Thriller era as a performer who had stirred the kind of worldwide enthusiasm that recalls the Beatlemania of the 1960s. The Times quoted Charlie Kendall, program director for the New York Rock Station, WNEW, FM, who said, Michael Jackson is mass culture, not pop culture. He appeals to everybody. No one can deny that he's got a tremendous voice and plenty of style and that he can dance like a demon. He appeals to all ages and appeals to every kind of pop listener. This kind of performer comes once in a generation.

Michael Jackson's appeal went around to audiences worldwide. His music was played heavily. This was virtually unheard of for a black singer whose music was categorized primarily as R&B and funk on rock stations that mostly catered to white listeners and also on so-called dance music stations that appealed primarily to black listeners. Did young me maybe wear a Thriller t-shirt until it disintegrated from too many washings? Yes. Did I maybe watch the Thriller zombie video so many times it made me scared to go to sleep alone in my room? Mm-hmm. Did I maybe sometimes wear just one glove

and try to moonwalk? Of course I did. Did I ever pull off that moonwalk? Not even close. Does that upset me on some level to this very day? Yes it does. I loved Michael Jackson. I still love his music. I don't generally gravitate towards pop music, but his shit, I don't know how you could hear it and not at least like it, if not love it. The man behind the music though, you know, well, a lot harder to love as you'll as you'll see. Jackson's music was routinely featured on programs that had rarely featured black performers, knocked down a lot of doors for both contemporary and future artists. In a June 26 2009 article, longtime music journalist Tony Slafani wrote, white rock acts

had dominated in the early 1980s. So when Jackson became the biggest rock star of all, he opened doors for artists who otherwise might have been marginalized. On December 30, 2009, it was announced that Michael Jackson's 1983 thriller music video was among 25 motion pictures selected that year for preservation by the Library of Congress. Each year, the Library of Congress names 25 films that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant to preserve forever. The registry was established in 1989. And Thriller, the first music video to be honored in this way.

It was a big deal. A very big deal. Michael was a very big deal. He had so many firsts, set so many records. In 1984, Thriller became the first album to generate seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1988, his follow-up, Bad, became the first album to generate seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1988 his follow-up Bad became the first album to yield five number one hits. He's still the top-selling musical solo act of all time with confirmed sales of 286

million albums and claimed sales of 500 million plus. Only one group has more sales, the Beatles, with 294 official sales and claimed sales of 600 million. Because they didn't have the same criteria to record sales when a lot of those albums came out. And that could go on and on. Michael's music makes different genres, broke all kinds of boundaries, and his cultural impact is still relevant today. But then, after he experienced massive global success, both commercially and critically in the 70s and early 80s, the narrative around Michael started to shift. There was growing speculation that first entered around his numerous and extreme plastic surgeries. What was going on? Was he mentally ill? Was he

sick? What's happening? Why does he have a fucking chimp with him all the time? Why is this chimp dressed like him? What's going on with bubbles? Also, what was up with all the kids? Why was he constantly bringing children, young boys, not related to him, on tour with him? What is the deal with this weird real-life Willy Wonka? Was his relationship with Lisa Marie Presley real, or just a publicity stunt related to sexual abuse allegations? Felt super fake? What was he hiding?

Then in 1993, after years of rumors, some allegations of child abuse became truly public. It was a trial. Now Michael will spend the rest of his life under a cloud of suspicion. In his final years, the man who was once on the top of the musical, on the top of the world in general, a man who's arguably the most famous person in the history of the world,

perhaps the most confident stage performer of all time, fell into debt, addiction, self-doubt. Now let's get into the weeds of all this with the timeline covering the enigmatic, eccentric, and controversial life of the King of Pop. But first, today's first of two mid-show sponsor breaks. Thanks for sticking around. If you don't want to hear these ads, get the entire catalog ad free and more by signing up to be a space lizard on Patreon for $5 a month. And now, here's that timeline.

Michael Frederick Richard Penelope Rutherford Van Winkle Juniper Timothy Rodrigo Antoine Couture Albert Chang alabaster Ezekiel Choi Gonzalez Jackson Was born August 29 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His family was very big on a lot of middle names. No, no, he was born Michael Joseph Jackson. Michael's parents were Joe and Catherine Jackson. I wonder if anyone does have that many middle names though. In the US, you are technically allowed to have as many middle names as you want. You could have a hundred.

Michael was eight of his parents' 10 children. Most of his siblings also had their own successful music careers that I'll touch on as I list them out here. After this for the most part I will not mention them again in order to focus solely on Michael. The oldest Jackson sibling, Maureen Rolette, nicknamed Rebi, was born on May 29th 1950. Anyone else not remember Rebi Jackson? Sorry Rebi. She had two top 40 hits off her 924 album centipede imagery. Tiger in the video, no centipedes, strangely. So that's Rebi. That was something.

She released four solo studio albums altogether. Then Sigmund Esco, nicknamed Jackie, born on May 4th, 1951. Sigmund Esco did not expect that. No wonder he went by the nickname of Jackie. We got Tito, we got Michael, we got Jermaine, we got Sig, we got Sigmund. Jackie went on to be the oldest member of the Jackson Five inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He released two studio albums, solo ones, including 1989's Be the One with his top 40 single of Stay. So maybe it doesn't hold up, you know, as well as Michael's music, but dude had talent. Very very talented family.

Next up on the sibling list, Toriano Adderall aka Tito, born August, excuse me, October 15th, 1953, go on to be another member of the Jackson 5. Tito waited decades after the dissolution of the Jackson 5 and then the subsequent, you know, group, the Jacksonsons to release his first album Tito Time. In 2016, Get It Baby was the single. number five vibes or something. He was 62 years old when he released that so you know gonna grade it on a curve definitely not bad. He was also along with Jackie and several other brothers in the band as I mentioned the Jacksons which formed in 1976 following the end of the Jackson 5 the previous year due to Jermaine's departure from the group due to some

record label drama I'll go over. Speaking of Jermaine, Jermaine LeJune Jackson born December 11th 1954. Jermaine would be the second vocalist after Michael in the Jackson 5 and he would release 14, he has released 14 studio solo albums and dude had a lot of solo hits. The most well-known today probably see probably do what you do off of 1984's Dynamite. One of Jermaine's top or two excuse, top 10 Billboard Hot 100 solo hits. And he did have a full 17 songs end up charting. I was crazy for you. Yeah, just do what you do. I don't know why I had it wrong.

How could something so right go so wrong? This song still gets a lot of radio play. My love, sweet love. Why don't you say what you say when you say what you said anymore. Yacht Rock vibes. I like it. Your eyes couldn't lie so long. Goodbye. Close the door. Jermaine was solid. Probably the most musically talented male in the Jackson family after Michael. He along with Michael would provide guest vocals on Rockwell's.

It's kind of a one-hit wonder. 1984 hit, Somebody's Watching Me. I fucking love this song. This song has held up very well in my opinion. me and I have no privacy oh I always feel like somebody's watching me who's playing tricks on me That's a great song. Jackson's all over the radio in the 80s. Latoya Yvonne Jackson, next sibling, born May 29th 1956. Latoya would do all sorts of stuff. She would pose nude for Playboy twice in 1989 and again in 1991. And yes, I may have found both of those Playboy magazines as a teen and memorized certain pages. Halo's of Fina. Also, she's appeared on numerous TV programs and released 10 studio albums. I didn't realize she was, to be totally honest, before this week, I didn't realize she'd ever

sing a song. I only knew that she had a present playboy. But she released 10 studio albums between 1980 and 1995. This is, well this is Heart Don't Lie. Got a fair amount of VH1 play. I'm sure got a lot of rotation on MTV. It's uh, you know, hasn't held up as well as Michael's. But she did have several singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Actually reggae star Jimmy Cliff would later cover this song Heart Don't Lie and be nominated for a Grammy. Also so random she got pretty big in Japan for a while in the late 80s. Way more famous in Japan than she was here.

Next up we got twins David and Brandon David born March 12th 1957. Brandon excuse me twins Marlon David yeah and Brandon David, born March 12th, 1957. Brandon, excuse me, twins Marlon David, yeah, and Brandon David. Brandon sadly died the day he was born. He and Marlon born several weeks premature. Marlon would go on to be another member of the Jackson five and would release just one solo album, Baby Tonight in 1987. It would peak at number 22 on the R&B albums chart. The biggest single on the album was Don't Go. All these siblings taking all this music. I'll be right by your side No baby, don't go nowhere

Darling, I'll love you every day and night Marlon was known more for dancing than singing. That video comes across to me like the way a lot of like 80s movies I love from my childhood do like I'll be like oh my god I love that movie so much and then I'll watch it more recently like okay it's a little dated it you. It's gotten a little bit dated. His dance moves, kind of the same deal there. Michael born next, as I mentioned already, 1958. Stephen Randall, aka Randy, born October 29th, 1961. Randy Jackson, not the American Idol judge, Randy Jackson, to be clear. This is a different Randy Jackson. That Randy Jackson's from Louisiana.

This Randy, not a member of the Jackson Five, but when his older brother chose to stay with Motown Records and the four other Jackson Five members went to Epic, began calling themselves the Jacksons, Randy would replace Jermaine in this new group. He would also co-write with Michael the Jackson's most successful single. I love this song. Shake Your Body Down to the Ground. I love this song. Shake your body down to the ground. Oh my God, this song's so good. Also, they're dressed up like fucking disco astronauts right now in this video. Oh, so much dancing. The Jacksons would release six studio albums between 1976 and 1989 and the Jackson 5 had

already released 10 studio albums between 1969 and 1975. And there will be all kinds of, you know, different reissues and compilations and from the vault type albums. Finally the 10th and final child of Joe and Catherine Jackson will be the second most successful musician in the family. Next to Michael, Janet Demita Jo Jackson. Born on May 16th 1966, the second true superstar in the family. Janet on her own, one of the most successful musicians ever. She's had seven studio albums top the overall Billboard charts and is the 11th best-selling US female recording artist

of all time. Worldwide she sold over a hundred million records, been nominated for 26 Grammys, won five. Her biggest album, 1979's Rhythm Nation, 1814, went on to sell more albums in the US than any other album in 1990. I remember MTV playing the shit out of these songs just all the time. Of course I do. I was 12 years old. Janet Jackson's fucking smoke show. One of the biggest celebrity crushes I've ever had. Later in college I had the Rolling Stone cover where someone's hands are all that's covering her breasts on my dorm room wall. Hail, Lusifina. And just yeah, incredible singer, incredible performer and dancer. We're using fire signs to break the color lines.

Let's work together to improve our way of life. Your voices have protested to social injustice. A generation full of courage to come forward. This is a great music video. Janna Jackson now 57 years old. Still incredibly talented, still beautiful. Been out of the limelight for the most part for the past seven years because she has been focused on raising her son, Issa Elmana. Janna to me has also just seemed, I don't know, cool. Not that I fucking know her. Yeah, like music royalty. I know it was a big detour

into Michael Jackson's siblings, but have we ever examined anyone with that many talented siblings? No. It's beyond rare. The music world has no equivalent to Michael Jackson and his siblings. It's never had one. Even if Taylor Swift and Beyonce were sisters, it still would not be an equivalent. They could be Michael and Janet in a family, but you'd still need several more siblings to also be successful musicians to be comparable. There have been some heavy hitters where there's been like two or three siblings, like the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, or Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson from the Beach Boys.

You know, impressive. But no family has had just so many siblings come together to form a band as popular as the Jackson 5. And also have so many siblings have big solo careers. Now let's look at who spawned this talented brood. Michael's parents. Joseph Walter Jackson, born July 26, 1928 in Fountain Hill, Arkansas. Oldest of five children. His dad Samuel was a high school teacher. His mom, Crystal Lee King, was a housewife.

Joe's parents divorced when he was 12. His dad moved to Oakland, California, and his mom moved to East Chicago, Indiana. Joe went to live with his dad, but then would move to Indiana to be close to his mom when he was 18. He initially pursued a career in boxing. He's a pretty formidable looking dude,

and he was actually already married to Isophen Atkinson when he met 17 year old Catherine Scrooge. Joe had his brief teenage marriage and old to be with Catherine who he married in 1949 when he was 21 and she was 19. Catherine said it in 2009 interview with ABC. I just had a feeling that he would be my husband. The first time I saw him I fell in love with him. Really he was so nice. He tries to be tough now. Catherine, aka Catty, Esther, Screws, born May 4th, 1930 in Barbara County, Alabama. At the age of four, the family moved to East Chicago, Indiana. Catherine became sick from polio as a child, would recover, but also would have a limp

for the rest of her life. A slight one. Six months after Joe and Catherine got married on November 5th, 1949, their daughter, Rebi, was born. Katherine, beautiful woman. And well, I think he got to looking a little, I don't even know, weird. Got older. Had some fucking weird, you know, penciled on mustache, penciled on eyebrows kind of

situation. A young Joe Jackson, very handsome dude. Talented, attractive couple. Fucking ambitious. Super smart. Definitely a power couple. They remained married all the way until Joe died in 2018. Catherine would publicly denounce Joe after he had a child with another woman. Would file for divorce twice but would drop both cases. In the mid-50s, Joe tried to make a name for himself as a musician.

He started an R&B band called the Falcons with his brother Luther. Now these Falcons, for you R&B historians, not to be confused with another R&B group of the same name from also from the 1950s who formed in Detroit. R&B and soul pioneers Joe Stubbs and Wilson Pickett would come out of those Falcons. Wilson Pickett would record over 50 songs that would hit the R&B charts. Joe Jackson's Falcons? No, not so much. They never moved past playing, you know, clubs, colleges, Northern Indiana, and Chicago. The band ultimately split up because they just never gained traction and then Joe will shift all his focus to his kids careers. Joe Jackson became the ultimate stage dad. What he

was unable to do, he would dedicate his life to making sure his kids would do. Maybe whether they wanted to or not. Michael and his siblings grew up in a two-bedroom house in Gary, about 25 miles from downtown Chicago. Coincidentally, they lived on the corner of Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue. When Joe's music dreams wouldn't be able to pay the bills, he learned how to work as a welder and crane operator with US Steel, a solid job that allowed him to support his growing family. Really good job actually. But not you know what he wanted. Joe wanted to be a touring musician. Music was an escape for Joe and his kids would grow up watching the Falcons practice in the living room, the Jackson's house and Gary.

Joe was the band's guitar player. Catherine was primarily a homemaker and also a devout Jehovah's Witness. At one point she worked at Sears according to Michael's autobiography, but she also in her teens had dreams of becoming a musician. Religion was deeply important to Catherine and she would try to instill these values into her children. In his memoir, You Are Not Alone, Michael Through a Brother's Eyes, Jermaine Jackson wrote that at Christmas time they would look at all the decorations and feel sad because you know like other people's decorations because their house had

nothing. They felt like they were the only ones who didn't celebrate Christmas. But Catherine would try to reassure them there were other Jehovah's Witnesses and Gary also were not celebrating Christmas, small consolation prize. Young Michael apparently walked around with his mom in disguise as he became more famous canvassing neighborhoods knocking on doors and trying to convert people. What a crazy day that would be to watch like the music video for Thriller and be like, hey, oh, hey, wait a minute. I think that dude swung by the house a few years ago, tried to get me to become a Jehovah's Witness.

Like her husband, Katherine was also a musician and singer and she'd jam at home with Joe and the kids. She'd sing. She'd play both the clarinet and the piano. Michael said about his early life, we were a family that sang all the time. We would take the furniture out of the living room and dance. We'd have a songwriting competition while we washed the dishes, while we were cleaning. Music was our destiny. That sure was. In his 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk, Michael wrote, music was what we did for entertainment

and those times helped keep us together and kind of encouraged my father to be a family oriented man. Michael also wrote that his mother had a beautiful singing voice. He believed he got his abilities from her. Michael's love for his mom clearly expressed in his book where he described how she treated all nine of the kids like they were each her only child, making sure to show every one of them plenty of love and affection. According to Michael, Joe set the kids up for success in business and he was grateful he didn't steal their money like other show business parents. Joe taught his children that it didn't matter how talented you were, you always had to

have a plan. Michael also really took it easy on his parents, especially his dad Joe, in that autobiography. During one of his trials written five years after the book was published, his siblings would testify that not only was Joe Jackson physically and psychologically abusive, he was the most abusive with Michael. More on that later. Papa Joe formed a musical group that ultimately became the Jackson Five in 1963. At first it was just the older boys, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie. The band was created from an incident of childhood curiosity and mischievousness. Joe always stored his guitar in a closet. Kids kids knew they weren't allowed to touch it, but Jackie, Cheeto, and Jermaine waited until Catherine was busy in the kitchen, and then they would sneak the guitar over into

their room. They would turn up the radio to block out the noise of them playing, and then they'd all take turns playing it. Catherine eventually caught them and then promised not to tell Joe as long as they were careful. But then one day, they broke a string on the guitar. Kids didn't have the time or the knowledge to repair it, not knowing what else to do. They just put it back in the closet. Joe was furious when he found it and ordered Tito to now play for him. He ordered him to play the solo from Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode. And before Tito started playing, he told him that for every wrong note he played, he'd break one of his fucking fingers. And then if he ran out of fingers to break, he started breaking toes.

Before poor Tito even made it halfway through the song, Joe had broken all of his fingers. And then over the next 10 or so seconds, he broke all of his toes because it wasn't very good to begin with. And you know, it's really hard to play guitar if you have 10 broken fingers. No, Joe was actually impressed and realized that Tito wasn't just treating the guitar like a toy, he'd actually been practicing. At that point, Katherine stepped in and told Joe that all the boys were good musicians. He should listen to them. Joe eventually took her advice and soon saw their potential. Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine would start rehearsing together. Not long after Michael turned five in August of 1963, Katherine told Joe he was a good singer

and he could play the bongos. And that was how Michael would join the group when he was five. Also, maybe this is how it all started. Maybe not. Maybe they were forced to play by their dead. A lot of this comes from Michael's autobiography, which many people seem to believe was heavily sugar-coated to the point of just not being true a lot of the time. At the very least, Joe will later get obsessive and controlling regarding how much his kids needed to practice and how they would be punished if they didn't practice or perform up to Joe's expectations. Michael, even at a very young age, clearly had exceptional natural talent, would become

the lead singer. The sibling-based group started calling themselves the Jackson Five in 1966 after Marlon, just a year and a half older than Michael, also joined the band. Michael later wrote about the formation of the Jackson Five, I was so little when we began to work on our music that I don't really remember much about it. Most people have the luxury of careers to start when they're old enough to know exactly what they're doing and why. But of course that wasn't true for me. They remember everything that happened

to them. But I was only five years old. When you're a show business child you really don't have the maturity to understand a great deal of what is going on around you. People make a lot of decisions concerning your life when you're out of the room. That really is crazy. By the time Michael was an adult, pretty much all he could remember was being a professional musician or, you know, of being on the path to become a professional musician. Like, do you have any clear memories from when you were younger than five? I don't.

Not really. I have these little snapshots in my mind of a handful of moments before I was five. Just images with maybe some like emotions, some feelings attached. You know an image of my mom and dad laying on the bed together smiling, seeming happy. My dad walking across the lawn to get into his teatop Camaro. Looking under the table for my grandma's dog. He's growling at me. Probably, I was probably a terrible kid to it. Seeing my grandma Betty on the street when I was in the car with my mom, asking if I could go get into her car instead.

Somehow getting my lip cut on a nail poking out of some board while I was playing with my cousins in a parking lot in Anchorage, Alaska. A memory of my aunt Kim sitting on the floor of the first apartment in Alaska we lived in. Not much. That's it, that's almost it. Early in Michael's childhood, Joe began to really focus himself on building his children's music careers. He leaned on the experience he was gaining in the music industry with the Falcons. He started booking his kids at local charity events and shopping centers. Joe was able to make some extra cash with the Falcons on top of the money he made

working at the steel mill. The Spire Raising 10 Kids at home. Well, I mean, I keep saying 10, really nine, because sadly one died just the day was born. Despite, you know, 10 kids at home, Katherine also is working at Sears. And the Jacksons are now investing whatever extra money they're making to buy instruments and equipment. Michael wrote that he was like a sponge. He would watch everything his brothers did, everything his dad did. So he could learn from them.

By the age of nine, Michael was performing regularly with his brothers, mostly at home for family and friends, but also at talent shows. Joe Jackson was about to make his kids stars. No doubt that without him pushing his kids, dedicating his life to their career, they would not have gone on to do what they did. The way he did it though, very likely was pretty cool.

Various Jackson kids will make claims in adulthood that do not depict Joe as a benevolent nurturer, a man who wanted to make sure his kids just had the best chance in life of having their dreams come true. Instead, it seems like Joe was dedicated to make sure that his kids made his dreams come true, whether that's what they wanted or not. Joe Jackson was way better at making his family submit than I am. He was much more of a man, a true patriarch, who made his family an extension of his own ego. The kids were rarely, if ever, allowed to hang out with other children outside the family when they weren't in school. They had to come home, focus on their music.

Joe made the kids rehearse for up to five hours a day after school, on school days, all day on the weekends. There was no sports, no social life, just music. He directed them as far as what songs they were going to play, who would take what role in the band, etc. He watched them rehearse and if they messed up or if he felt like, you know, they just weren't giving it They're all he beat him with items like a belt buckle Electric kettle cord or even have them go outside pick out a small tree branch, you know to be whipped with when they displeased him Another punishment Joe utilized was forcing the kids to carry cinder blocks around the yard for hours at a time Allegedly until their fingers were bleeding. Come on Marlin, four-four time, motherfucker, keep a steady beat,

or you'll carry those cinder blocks until your useless fingers fall off. So maybe that wasn't so fun. Marlin allegedly would actually often take the brunt of the abuse during rehearsal, and Michael typically got in the most trouble outside of rehearsal. Sometimes Michael would try to fight back by throwing a shoe, swinging his dad, which only made things worse. In a 2003 interview, Michael said about the abuse, I just remember hearing my mother scream, Joe, you're going to kill him. You're going to kill him. Stop it. I was so fast. He couldn't catch me half the time, but he would catch me. Oh my God. It was bad. It was really bad. Jermaine would later recall that Joe was a distant parent. He said, none of us can remember him holding us or cuddling us or telling us I love you. And Joe would

often it seems just kind of be a dick. Just belittle his kids for his own amusement. Make him feel small to keep keep him under his thumb maybe. When Joe learned a teenage Micah was self-conscious about the size of his nose he started referring to him as big nose. An insult that really bothered him and would haunt him into adulthood. Lead him into a lot of plastic surgery perhaps. Michael would develop a nervous tick of constantly touching and covering his nose with his left hand to hide it. Looked like he was sniffing it which supposedly led to producer Quincy Jones giving him the nickname of smelly.

Jesus, ball busters. Eventually Michael began a series of surgical cosmetic procedures on his nose that were so extreme he allegedly ended up wearing a prosthesis to cover up the results at the end of his life. A Rolling Stone story quoted witnesses to his body in an LA morgue claiming the prosthesis was missing and it left only a hole in his face surrounded by bits of cartilage where a nose should be. Due to the taunting, physical abuse, the intimidating nature of Joe, he was a big dude, not sure of his exact height or weight, but he looked like if he had to fight Michael, he'd win a hundred out of a hundred times. Michael became so afraid of his dad that by his late teens,

he would sometimes feel nauseous when his dad would show up in his presence. Joe was allegedly also just weird, required his kids to call him Joseph. Janet Jackson once said that when she called him dad, he told her, I'm Joseph to you. That's a fucking odd choice. Not sure where that comes from. I can't imagine doing that to my kids. Dad? What?

He's called me dad? No, it's Daniel to you. You'll call me Daniel or Mr. Cummins. Latoya Jackson would accuse her father of sexual abuse in the early 90s, but then later recant her claims and then blame her husband, who did once co-manage LaToya with Joe before she fired her dad for coercing her to say that in some type of smear campaign. Before he passed away in the summer of 2018, Joe attempted to defend himself in some interviews. He said in a 2009 interview with ABC, Michael was never beat as they call it.

And everyone spanked their kids when they did wrong, but not beat. Catherine spanked Michael more than I did because I was working two jobs and she was at home with him the most. Catherine would defend herself and Joe stating that yes, the kids were spanked with stuff like belts, but that was just the way people in their neighborhood at that time discipline their kids. And I don't think she's wrong. It was truly a very different time. Hard to say if Joe was especially abusive or just the norm for that place and time.

2013, Joe told CNN he was glad he was tough on his children. Quote, because look at what I came out with. I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world and they treated everybody right. Maybe not that second part. I don't know. I don't know if Michael treated everybody right, but yeah He definitely raised a lot of talented kids Whether or not his methods were abusive hours and hours rehearsal did clearly pay off for the Jackson kids big time By 1968 the Jackson five were developing a loyal following in the Chicago area Joe was entering his boys into more and more talent contests putting on local concerts. When Michael was eight, the Jackson Five won a Gary talent show with their performance of My Girl by The Temptations. One of their many wins. The crowd was on their feet for the entire song. Michael truly did seem to love performing but he was also definitely sad

that his entire childhood was spent working. He never went on play dates, had sleepovers with some kid he met at school, he never played little league baseball or was in the Cub Scouts or some equivalent, never had any friends you know growing up that weren't his siblings and he and his siblings were all dominated by his father. He had an extremely atypical childhood or really not a childhood and the loss of a normal childhood deeply affected him, haunted him and for sure influenced some of his unusual regressive childlike behavior later in life. Once Jackson 5 started cutting records, there were times when the boys would come home from school and just go straight to the studio, and then sometimes wouldn't get home until

midnight. One of Michael's most impactful childhood memories was watching some other kids play at a park while he worked. He wrote, I just stare at them and wonder. I couldn't imagine such freedom, such a carefree life. And wish more than anything that I had that kind of freedom,

that I could walk away and be like them. When you're young and you're working, the world can seem awfully unfair. Before they hit big with their first full length studio album in 1969, they would work as a regular act at Mr. Lucky's, a night spot in Gary. According to Michael, we were playing between bad comedians, cocktail organists, and strippers. What a strange

life for a kid in like the third, fourth, and fifth grade. Also, I like that Michael doesn't just say comedians. He says bad comedians. I picture him having to follow Steph Coxkerby. And what the hell is a cocktail organist? From what I can tell it's a lounge act playing covers and not well. Mr. Lucky's had five sets a night some weeks. Six nights a week. Joe sometimes made them work seven nights a week. That's fucking insane.

30 sets in a week and sometimes more. Also spent weekends traveling to Chicago and the surrounding area to compete in more talent shows. Even when as far as New York City, 1967, where the Jackson 5 won the amateur talent competition at New York City's Apollo Theater. Key confidence booster in their early career. After winning it, young Michael grabbed the mic, thanked the crowd, then strangely added, one day when I'm growing up, I'm gonna be so famous that I'm gonna be able to get away with fucking kids, just like me. Early on, he warned us. Fucking warned us, but no one listened.

No, of course he never said that. One day around this time, not long after the New York City win, Joe brought home a tape produced by Gordon Keith, songwriter who owned a new studio in Gary called Steel Town. Keith gave the group a week to practice some songs, see if they could make a record. When they came back in, he liked their work, gave gave him more songs Soon they started to go to the studio on just about every Saturday to record and then Keith would give them copies to sell at Their shows and the Jackson 5's first single from this little phase of their first little phase of their career was big boy Check out where the king of pop started Not quite nine years old singing that song. It was nine when the song was released. By the way, the Jackson 5's still have over nine million followers on Spotify.

That's crazy for a group that long ago. Michael wrote, it was a nice song about a kid who wanted to fall in love with some girl. Of course, in order to get the full picture, you have to imagine a skinny nine-year-old singing this song. The word said, I don't want to hear fairy tales anymore, but in truth, I was far too young to grasp the real meanings of most of the words in these songs. I just sang what they gave me. Yeah, totally. Big Boy, the first Jackson song to get airtime on the local radio.

By this point, Joe is the boy's full-time manager. He's signing him up for the Royal Theater Amateur Night in Chicago and the Jackson Five will win that show three weeks in a row at one point. And at the time, if a performer or group won three times in a row, they'd be invited back to do a paid show for an audience of thousands of people. And that show that they were invited back for was headlined by Gladys Knight and the Pips, who played their song, I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Gladys Knight loved the Jackson boys, talked to their dad about them auditioning for the Detroit

based record label she was on, Motown, which became their next major goal. In less than a year, they would be heading to Motown for an audition for the massively influential record label. Barry Gordy founded Motown in Detroit in 1959. Motown has been described as one of the most culturally influential and successful black owned record labels in the history of the music industry. Motown produced stars like The Temptations, who sang My Girl, also signed the Supremes who produced hits like Baby Love and Stop in the Name of Love. Kind of such a good song. That

group was later renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes and Diana would go on to have a solo career and become one of Motown's biggest stars. Other massive Motown stars Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and now young Michael Jackson is hoping to join this illustrious roster before he even hits puberty. And to end the Jackson's audition, none of the studio reps gave any feedback. Joe was nervous. He was so nervous he beat the fuck out of each and every one of his kids. Beat him unconscious just to kind of soothe his nerves. Okay, maybe he wasn't that nervous. He wouldn't be nervous for long actually. Back home in Gary, they soon received news that they had been invited to sign a record deal with Motown queues so much celebration. I'm sure I

Hope those kids were at least doing this in part because they did love it and not just because of dad pressuring them I'm guessing you know They large they they wouldn't have been as good or as good as they were if they didn't love it to some degree Things were made official with Motown in 1968 Jackson five had had a record contract. Barry Gordy told the Jacksons, I'm going to make you the biggest thing in the world and you're going to be written about in history books. He made him a promise. Your first record will be a number one. Your second record will be a number one and so will your third record. You'll hit the charts just as Diana Ross and the Supremes did. Now Joe and the Jackson 5 moved to Southern California to stay with Barry Gordy and Diana Ross on and off for over a year.

Michael described Diana as a motherly figure who took care of them. That's pretty impressive. The other Jackson's split time between Gary and Southern California. Jackson spent a lot of time during this period working on their first album, Diana Ross Presents, the Jackson 5. And on their first single, I Want You Back. The song was written by a Chicago-based producer named Freddie Perrin. It was originally written for Gladys Knight and was originally titled I Want To Be Free. Well, I Want You Back was released in October 1969. It was a smash hit and so it begins.

The single sold 2 million copies in the first 6 weeks. Peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. After release of I Want You Back, Diana Ross presented the group at a big Hollywood event. They played at the Miss Black America Pageant. Their first full Motown album, Diana Ross Presents Jackson 5, would then be released December 12, 1969. Two days later, Jackson 5 make their debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Huge, wildly influential show at the time, singing a medley of songs off their first album. Listen now to 11 year old

Michael break it down. Ed will introduce him as 10 but you know he was off by year. They're probably trying to make him sound like even more of a prodigy or something. Now here are five brothers from Gary, Indiana ranging in age from 10 to 18. They're a sensational group. Here the Jackson Five. So let's have a final round. I love the outfits you're wearing. A lot of tassels. He's so good, 11 years old. God, so good. I love that they're dressed like, you know, it's 1969 1969 so like counterculture kind of outfits psychedelic colors. It's uh

Yeah, yeah cool to see them in that that light the Jackson 5 second single ABC Huge hit released in March 1970 sold even better than the first two million records in three fucking weeks They are blowing up then their third single love you save peaks Save, peaks at number one, June of 1970, meaning Berry Gordy's promise three consecutive number ones did come true. And the Jackson Five will go on to sell over a hundred million records globally. And at the age of just 11, Michael Jackson is already a star. With the money the boys are making off the record sales, Joe now moves the whole family from Indiana to Encino, California, a neighborhood in the San Fernando area of LA, just west

of Sherman Oaks, not that far from Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Jackson 5 started touring off the strength of their first two albums in the fall of 1970 and into 1971. Their second album, ABC, released on May 8, 1970, featured two more hit number one singles, ABC and The Love You Save. First are their albums to be nominated for a Grammy. And then they're back on the Ed Sullivan show, May 10th, 1970. Gary, Indiana, here's the youthful Jackson Five

opening with a medley of their... By the way, fucking, how, how did Ed Sullivan become so famous? He looks like a fucking funeral director funeral home director he just like he's a weird looking dude and zero charisma from what I can see he looks like the guy from the funeral home like the like the real host got sick and for some reason all they could get was this random like mortician or something they snuck him into the last

second and he I don't, but that's who he was. He should have sold over a million each each hit. I'm such a good performer. Oh baby, give me one more chance Show me your love Won't you please say Such a good performer Like in your heart I could watch that for an hour Also, I'm starting to get a little high Hahaha Sometimes I forget that I'm podcasting It's like, oh man, I just want to keep listening to this song

Okay, September 8th, 1970 They released their third album Simply called, uh, third album Fair third album, simply called Third Album. Fair enough. The cranking them out, three albums in nine months. This album will sell over six million copies, produce another number one single, I'll Be There. Huge hit.

They were growing a massive fan base, were mobbed by crowds of girls when they went out in public. According to Michael's autobiography, those girls were serious. They still are. They don't realize they might hurt you because they're acting out of love. They mean well, but I can testify that it hurts to be mobbed. You feel as if you're going to suffocate or be dismembered. There are a thousand hands grabbing at you.

One girl is twisting your wrist this way while another girl is pulling your watch off. They grab your hair and pull it hard and it hurts like fire. You fall against things and the scrapes are horrible. I still wear the scars. And I can which in which city I got each of them. That that is insanely intense. That's happening to him when he's 11, 12 years old. Just you know just getting mobbed. Michael realizing that success does not come with freedom. In his autobiography he also wrote that Motown controlled all their music. Sometimes he had different opinions about songs but he never said

anything because he knew it wouldn't matter. Sometimes he had differing opinions about songs, but he never said anything because he knew it wouldn't matter. Yeah, he was famous, but also a child and a manufactured product as opposed to being a true artist with artistic freedom. By 1972, when he was 14, young business veteran is already fed up with being told how to sing. Jackson 5 had now already released six studio albums, one after another after another. All of them sold very well. Michael wrote about how he wanting more of a say,

how he wanted more of a say in his musical expression. No matter what age you are, if you have it and you know it, then people should listen to you. Michael complained to label head Barry Gordy and Barry now told the producers to let Michael, his young money-making star, do more of what he wanted. Michael now started contributing more of his own vocal twist to songs and ad-libbing. Also, we need to back up just a tiny bit. In the midst

of all the Jackson 5 output, Young Michael launches a solo career while still performing with the Jackson 5. In the fall of 1971, he records his first solo album, Got To Be There, which was released in January of 1972. The album would peak at number 14 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the top R&B hip-hop album chart. Well not as suc... just R&B at that time. While not as successful as the Jackson 5 records, you know, successful enough for Motown to want to release more Michael Jackson's solo works. And not long after its release, Michael had his first solo number one single with the release of Ben, written for a 1972 movie of the same title. Song spent a week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Song was part of a full length to-do album also called Ben. 1972, the Jackson 5 take their act across the pond for their first overseas tour, which starts in England. So many sold out shows follow. So many screaming adoring fans. They will tour all over Europe, then tour across China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, make several stops in Africa. Michael releases another solo album, Music and Me, in 1973, and then Forever Michael in 1975. Forever Michael was his last album with Motown, at least his last album of newly recorded original music.

They'd for sure later dig to the vaults and release all kinds of shit trying to capitalize on his growing fame. Michael had also released four more albums with the Jackson 5 through Motown between 1973 and 1975. Just cranking shit out. Tensions between Joe Jackson and Barry Gordy started around 1974 because the Jacksons want more and more control over their music and they want more royalties, a better split. Also as the Jackson 5 are aging their popularity starts to wane prior to their 1974 comeback album Dancing Machine, that still sold well, but not nearly as well as they did with their first three albums.

Jacksons are blaming Motown for pressuring them to try and cash in on the disco trend, for rushing recordings, for trying to keep them singing songs that were starting to feel dated. They wanted to evolve their sound. By the mid-70s, Michael felt that they were in danger of becoming an oldies act. He's saying this as he's a teenager. Also another quick highlight when they performed Dancing Machine on Soul Train in 1974, Michael did a street dance move called the robot and people went fucking nuts. Not quite coconuts

but nuts. Dancing Machine rose to second place on the charts seemingly overnight and kids were suddenly doing the robot all across the country. Jackson 5 were approached by representatives from CBS during shows in Las Vegas shortly after its appearance and were invited to do a variety show for CBS that summer. They were allowed more creative control on that show which made it even harder to go back to the heavily controlled productions at Motown. Jackson's now demanded to write and produce their own songs. When Motown refused, Michael wanted to leave the label. Joe, Michael, everyone else but Jermaine decided to say something about it all. They have a meeting with Berry Gordy and they work out a departure.

Jermaine will stay at Motown largely because, well, he's gotten married to Berry Gordon's daughter Hazel. 1975, Joe Jackson now negotiates a new contract for the group minus Jermaine with Epic Records, which is an imprint of CBS Records. They renamed themselves the Jacksons because Motown owned the rights to the name Jackson 5. Marlon took Jermaine's place. Randy also officially joins the group. November of 1976, Jackson released their first album which was self-titled. It goes gold, spawns a number one hit in the UK called Show You The Way To Go.

In October of 77, they released another album, Going Places, but it doesn't really go anywhere and won't produce any real hits. Michael tries acting in 1977 with his role in The Wiz, a spinoff of The Wizard of Oz starring black performers. Michael played the scarecrow, worked alongside Dana Ross as Dorothy. He lived in New York City during filming, visited Studio 54, that famous nightclub where he was exposed to early hip-hop artists which will influence his future solo music. Jackson then released Destiny, their third album with Epic in 1978. While they had more control over their music with the previous two albums than they had with any of their Motown releases, this was the first album where the Jacksons fully wrote and produced all their own material and it was a fucking hit. Sold 4 million

copies worldwide, 2 million in the U.S. during its initial run. Another worldwide tour supported the album. Jackson for now widely considered talented songwriters and performers, especially Michael. Most successful song on the album was a little preview of the new musical direction Michael was heading in. That song we heard before, let's hear it again, Shake Your Body Down to the Ground. I got falsetto. A year later, Michael's fame will explode. Michael's breakthrough in his solo career occurred with the album Off the Wall. Such a good album.

Released in August of 1979, it was his first album with Epic Records and his first album produced by Quincy Jones, award-winning producer and songwriter, a legend in the business. Quincy Jones produced three of Michael's most successful albums. That dude, 80 Grammy nominations, 80! 28 wins. Today he's 91 and he's still going. Off the Wall featured the hit songs, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Rock With You, and She's Outta My Life. Critics opine that Off the Wall is actually more complex than the albums of Michael's youth.

Many still consider it one of the best pop albums ever made. Rolling Stone gave it four, excuse me, five out of five stars. That almost never happens with a pop album. It was nominated for two Grammys, won a Grammy, ended up getting inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008, and that album will go on to sell over 20 million copies and here's a little bit of Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. It's just timeless. Michael Jackson was a musical fucking genius. That album was recorded when Michael was just 20 years old. Released when he was 21, Michael now took full control of his career.

He later explained in Moonwalk, my father's personal management contract with me ran out around this time. And although it was a hard decision, the contract was not renewed. Trying to fire your dad is not easy. It was a move I knew I had to make because of the time I was beginning to feel that I was working for him

rather than he was working for me. Off the Wall was originally gonna be called Girlfriend, track on the album written by the legendary Paul McCartney for Michael Jackson is named Girlfriend. Michael wanted the album to be different from anything ever produced by the Jacksons and it was. Despite how monumental this album was Michael struggled with feelings of loneliness during production. He wrote, and felt very isolated. I was so lonely that I used to walk to my neighborhood hoping I would run into somebody I could talk to and perhaps become friends with. I wanted to meet people who didn't know who I was. I wanted to run into somebody

who would be my friend because they liked me and needed a friend too. Not because I was who I am. I wanted to meet anybody in the neighborhood, the neighborhood kids, anybody. And that is so sad, right? Steep price to pay for fame and fortune, just that isolation. Micah was also still performing with his brothers at this time. In 1980, the Jacksons released Triumph, sold over three million copies, went on a lengthy tour to support it, album reached number one on the US R&B charts.

First time the brothers had charted that high together since 1971, and critics loved it. Got four and a half out of five stars from Rolling Stone. Got top or near top ratings for almost every place that reviewed it. Following year year the Jacksons would headline an arena tour to support Triumph and they would record another album, Jackson's Live while on the road and that would sell two million copies. Michael appears to already be dominating the music world but he's about to take that domination so much further. Michael's best-selling album, anyone's best-selling

album, Thriller, released November 30th, 1982. After the success of Off the Wall, Michael knew he wanted to do something bigger and better. It was difficult for him to make his vision come to life. He described the experience in his autobiography saying, There were times during the Thriller project when I would get emotional or upset because I couldn't get the people working with me to see what I saw. That still happens to me sometimes. Often people just don't see what I see. They have too much doubt. You can't do your best when you're doubting yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, who will? Again, musically the man was a genius, illuminary, operating on a whole other level from pretty much everyone else

around him, everyone else in the world. Thriller was originally called Starlight. Michael wrote some of his own songs including Beat It. Quincy Jones worked alongside him, listened to the other producers to find the right fit for the album. Michael collaborated with The Beatles' Paul McCartney for the song Say, Say, Say and The Girl Is Mine. Thriller also featured the smash hit, one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs, Billy Jean. Oh my gosh, it's such a monster song. According to Michael, Billy Jean was never based on a real woman, but he knew the song was going to be a hit while he was writing it. Michael and his team were under immense pressure from the record label to finish the album, which meant there was incentive to make compromises about the quality of their

work. Michael actually had tears in his eyes when he listened to the final version of the album before submission. It just wasn't what he hoped it would be. So he told his team they were not going to release it. And after some tense back and forth negotiations, the record company agreed to wait. And now Michael went back into the studio, reworked it until he felt it was right. He and Quincy would remix every single song. He didn't just pump that album out. It was a labor of love. It wasn't like Motown.

His scrutiny turned out to be the right call. As of August 2021, Thriller was still recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling album of all time with up to 67 million copies sold worldwide by some counts. 34 million of those in the U.S. Thriller would stay on the charts for 80 weeks and remain number one for 37 weeks. It was the best-selling album of the year in both 1982 and 1983 in the U.S. There has never been a bigger album release or an album to get more hype and praise than Thriller. Imagine that.

Imagine being a musician, not just releasing a good album, not just releasing an album that makes you millions of dollars or leads to a tour that makes you tens of millions of dollars. Imagine releasing an album praised by critics worldwide as being one of the best or the best album fucking ever. What a crazy thing for anyone to experience, for any ego to handle. And Michael is just 24 years old. Thriller generated seven top 10 hits. Thriller, Billie Jean, Beat It, Human Nature, Wanna Be Starting Something, and Pretty Young Thing. Michael earned 12 Grammy nominations, one eight, released a

famous Thriller music video as well. The 14-minute music video was directed by filmmaker John Landis, premiered December 2nd, 1983, considered one of the greatest music videos of all time, if not the greatest. Biographer Randall Sullivan would tell ABC, there hasn't been anyone that famous in a single moment as he was during Thriller time. I think that was probably the peak of celebrity for any human being. Think about that. During the Thriller era, Michael Jackson was arguably the most famous person the world had literally ever seen. Thriller is credited with jump-starting the era of music videos and playing a key role in the rise of MTV, which had just come out the year before, August 1st,

1981. MTV now gave artists another visual platform to present their songs. Michael went on to become wildly famous for his music videos especially for his songs Billie Jean, Beat It, and Bad. Michael introduced his famous Lean during the 1988 Smooth Criminal music video. He was actually assisted if you're curious by patented shoes with bolts that would lodge into the heel into the floor to do that move. His dance style would influence his sister Janet as well as artists like Britney Spears and Beyonce. And here's a little bit of Billie Jean. 1.5 billion views on YouTube even though it was first uploaded 27 years after it came out. Talk about some colossal staying power. more like a beauty queen from a movie scene. I said don't mind but what do you mean? I am the one

who dances on the floor in the round. She said I am the one who dances on the floor in the round. The music video for Billie Jean, the first video by a black artist to ever get heavy rotation on MTV. 1983, big year for Michael and the Jacksons. Jackson severed ties with Joe that year. He's out as both Michael's manager and as the Jacksons manager. Now have to find some other kids to literally whip into shape. And he does. He kidnaps three white kids, three white brothers, Isaac, Taylor and Zach. And under Joe Jackson's keen eye and firm hand they will become handsome. That's pretty cool trivia.

The more you know, I am so high. I actually fell for my own life. I was like, Joe Jackson didn't create Hanson. I was like, no, yeah, that's a fucking joke. Uh, no, Joe had nothing to do with Hanson. He now shift to focus to managing Janet who will also fire him in a few years. Uh, Michael wrote, I'll never forget that night because when I opened my eyes at the end, oh wait, sorry, I'm skipping ahead here.

May 16th, 1983, Michael performs Billie Jean for Motown's 25th anniversary special. Does the moonwalk for the first time? Making it one of the most popular performances of his career. Michael wrote, I'll never forget that night because when I opened my eyes at the end, people were on their feet applauding. I was overwhelmed by the reaction. It felt so good. I actually thought he came up with that move.

I thought that was a Michael Jackson invention, but he did not invent it. He was just the man who popularized it. The move was already popular amongst West Coast street dancers who used precise mechanized movements called poppin. According to biography.com, the style included sequences of pulsing or stop and start movements. One of the most well-known groups using this style of dance were the Electric Boogaloos. Boogaloos? Oh my God. Boogaloos. They did a stylized, almost cartoonish walk called the Backslide. In his memoir, Michael claimed he learned the move from some friends and worked on it in the studio.

The Billie Jean performance bridged the gap between street dance on the West Coast and break dance on the East Coast, which was part of early hip hop. I remember a couple years after the thriller came out, when I was, I don't know, first, second grade, kids doing the moonwalk or trying to do the moonwalk just all of the time. Like it was insanely popular. If you could do the moonwalk well, oh man that skyrocketed your social status in grade school. Excuse me, LA Times critic Robert Hilburn said the Billie Jean performance was Michael's unofficial coronation as the king of pop. Within months he changed the way people would hear and see pop music unleashing an influence that rivaled that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

In November of 1983, Michael, the most famous man in the world, would now sign a five million promotional deal with Pepsi as part of their New Generation campaign. And now his fame grows with even more exposure. He's singing and dancing on all kinds of televised shows. He's all over MTV. Now even when your TV cuts to commercial, there he is again. more Michael Jackson singing and dancing. This was a hugely popular commercial. got a single white glove You know some executives snorted so much fucking coke. So excited about it. I like to sign with Michael for that. Getting that commercial come out.

Not long after signing with Pepsi, Michael filed a lawsuit against Pepsi because his hair caught on fire while he filmed a simulated concert for a commercial. The incident occurred January 27th, 1984, was captured on video. At first, Michael didn't even realize he was on fire. He just kept dancing. Flames started to go out when he spun around. People tackled him to put out the fire. When he emerged from this dog pile, the top of his head was bald. Thousands of fans at the Shrine Auditorium in LA saw this accident and he suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp. Had to have surgery to repair these injuries.

He was given painkillers and prescription sedatives to help him sleep now and this is believed to be what led to his later struggles with addiction. There's also been speculation that Michael started experimenting with plastic surgery following this injury as his face, especially his nose, will change drastically over the following years. However, if you look at videos from a few years before the Thriller era, it's clear

he was already getting work done. Allegedly, he got his first nose job in 1979 when he was just 21. Fucking dad. Fucking Joe Jackson teased him too much. Regardless, following the Pepsi set disaster, the narrative around the most famous man in the world, the King of Pop now starts to shift. By the late 80s, there were rumors that Michael was lightening his skin, that he wanted to be white, that he was sleeping in an oxygen chamber to increase his lifespan. Perception around him starts to move

from a perception of him being artistic to eccentric, from being odd and an interesting musical genius who sees the world differently because he's so damn smart and talented kind of way to wacko-jacko a guy who's just crazy. Regarding him lighting his skin it will later come out that he has vitiligo a chronic autoimmune disease that causes white spots or patches of skin to lose color. It's caused by the loss of melanin the pigment that gives skin its color. Vitiligo affects between 0.5 and 1% of the world's population. It's obviously much more noticeable with people of a darker complexion than if you have a lighter complexion.

Regarding the oxygen chamber, in a 1993 interview with Oprah, Michael said he used all the money from his Pepsi settlement to build the Michael Jackson Burn Center at the Southern California Hospital at Culver City. He was photographed lying inside a special piece of equipment that he had donated for burn victims. And then that photo sparked rumors about him sleeping in an oxygen chamber. So poor dude. Dad gives him a complex about his nose. He feels super self-conscious, wants to change it, whatever. Then the most famous guy on earth starts to lose his pigment, tries to hide the fact that he has an autoimmune disease that people are gonna judge him for, pity him for having then he does something you know super

kind he makes a massive humanitarian donation and then a photo from him checking out equipment related to that donation plus the skin condition plus the nose jobs leads to people starting to call him wacko jacko but also bubbles wasn't helping. Bubbles not doing Michael's image any favors. Before I talk about Michael's monkey, his chimp, not a monkey, I know, today's second of two mid-show sponsor breaks. Thank you for sticking around. And now let's talk about Bubbles.

In either 1983 or 1984, Jackson bought a young, roughly one-year-old chimpanzee that he named Bubbles. And he started bringing Bubbles on tour to music video shoots, to recordings, all kinds of shit. This is when things start to get real weird. He's dressing Bubbles up in outfits to mirror what he's wearing. This is like Island of Dr. Moreau vibes. Michael wears a long-sleeve denim shirt. Well now Bubbles wears one. Michael wears some kind of long-sleeve red embroidered jacket that looks like it was made for 17th century European royalty.

Well, Bubbles is wearing that jacket. Bubbles sleeps in a crib in Jackson's bedroom or in bed with Jackson. Bubbles will eat candy at the Neverland Ranch movie theater. He'll sit at the dining table and eat with Michael and his guests. Jackson's 2005 trial Jackson said that his chimpanzees helped with housekeeping chores. Bubbles was the first, but he will get other chimps. One will be called Action Jackson, why not? He said, they run around, help me clean the room. They helped me dust, clean the window.

Jackson's housekeepers testified that they disapproved of the chimpanzee behavior. One said she had to clean up shit hurled at the bedroom wall. Another described a chimp tearing off his diaper and then crawling into Jackson's bed. At one point, Bubbles will get his own agent, he'll have his own bodyguard, and he'll sit in on the recording for the Bad album. When the Bad World Tour began in September of 1987, Bubbles and Jackson will share a two-bedroom hotel suite in Tokyo. Bubbles and Jackson made a social visit to the mayor of Osaka, Yasushi

Oshima. Bubbles drank Japanese green tea while seated quietly next, Yasushi Oshima, bubbles drank Japanese green tea while seated quietly next to Jackson. Oshima said that he and his fellow officials were, quote, surprised to see the chimpanzee, but we understand he is Michael's good friend. This is the first time an animal ever entered City Hall. I like how diplomatic he's being. Yeah, it was weird. It's fucking weird for him to bring a monkey into the room But you know, we understand that they're close. They're good friends According to author David Wigg Queen singer Freddie Mercury I love this story grew frustrated trying to record a duet with Jackson around this time

There must be more to life than this because of Michaels insistence that bubbles be in the studio According to wig Michael made bubbles sit between them and would turn to the chimp between takes and ask, do you think that was lovely? Or do you think we should do that again, Bubbles? After a few days of this, Freddy has exploded. I'm not performing with the fucking chimps sitting next to me. Mercury left the project and released the song as a solo artist in 1985. Oh my god, that's so weird. The duet with Jackson was not released until the Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor discovered it and included it on their album Queen Forever in 2014. Just a few weeks ago on Jimmy Kimmel, John Bon Jovi, musician, actor, Korean War historian and scholar

recalled being on tour in the 80s for Slippery When Wet that tour in Japan at the same time Michael was and partying with Bubbles. He said that we walked into his Michael's hotel room, which was all done up in mirrors so we could dance. They actually took a wall out between these rooms because he was there for quite a while. They invited Michael to perform with them on stage that night but he couldn't do it and then as an apology he sent Bubbles with a handler to John Bon Jovi's hotel room for a party after the concert. Just a chimp. Bubbles had a fucking cigar apparently. And Bubbles partied with Bon Jovi for hours and helped the band tear up the hotel room to the

point that they almost got kicked out. So Michael was for sure doing some weird shit in the 80s, even by rock star standards. Bubbles, if you're curious, will end up in an animal sanctuary. He's been at one in Florida since 2005. He just celebrated his 40th birthday. Then, even though he could have easily toured alone and made so much more money and just stuck to making solo records, Michael records another album with the Jacksons, Victory, released in July of 1984, the only album where all six brothers play together. Jermaine is back, baby! And fucking so is Bubbles. Bubbles is back on tour. Why not? back baby and fucking so is Bubbles. Bubbles is back on tour why not? Victor reaches number four on the Billboard 200s album chart goes double platinum in the US sells over five million copies worldwide. Check out a

sample from the lead single. Not his best work. This is State of Shock with Michael and Mick Jagger singing together. That's enough of that. Jackson's Go On The Victory Tour in the U.S. and Canada from July to December, selling out 55 concerts. Tour ends, earns 75 million. Most of the fans were there for Michael because the majority of the songs on the set list were from his album's Thriller and Off the Wall. This will be the last album or tour Michael will do with his brothers. The gap between his popularity

there is just too wide. Tensions grow on tour, bubbles probably not helping that. We're so high that on December 9th Michael announces this is the last time the Jacksons will perform together and that decision cancels the European and Australian dates planned for 1985. Now completely on his own. Despite a growing perception that Michael will get well, pretty fucking weird, Michael's fame and cultural influence continues to cruise along at thriller-esque heights because he keeps kicking out bangers. In 1985, Michael works with Lionel Richie to write We Are the World, a charity song for the nonprofit USA for Africa,

featuring stars like Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, so many. No word on how much Bubbles contributed to the super famous track. The recording took place January 28th, 1985 at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood. We Are the World was released March 7th, 1985 excuse me. Went on to sell over 20 million copies and the song raised over 80 million dollars in humanitarian aid.

Won three Grammys in 1986. It was a huge deal. The same year Michael made a business move that increased his wealth exponentially, purchased ATV Music for $47.5 million. ATV owned the copyright to songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A decade later, in 1995, Michael sells 50% of his interest to Sony for $95 million. It's a pretty good return on his investment. This created the joint venture Sony slash ATV. Years after Michael's death in 2016, Sony will pay $750 million to Michael's estate for the remaining 50% of Sony ATV.

The catalog's value now estimated to be somewhere between $1 and $2 billion. Back to the 80s and 1987, Michael releases his follow-up album to Thriller, Bad. Bad not quite as successful as Thriller, but still one of the top selling albums of all time. Number five, sit between Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and the Eagles Greatest Hits 1971 to 1975. I'm sure that Bubbles guidance, his wise, wise guidance had a big hand in that. It was also critically heralded with several critics like David Sigerson from Rolling Stone saying it was better as an all-around album than a thriller. Bad Sword at the top of the charts had five number one hits, I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Dirty, Diana.

How the hell was Smooth Criminal not a number one single? Now consider one of his best songs of his entire catalog. Are you okay? You've been hit by, you've been hit by a smooth criminal. Michael spent a year touring to promote this album. The 123 Show World Tour began September 12, 1970 in Japan, concluded January 27, 1989 in the United States and sponsored by Pepsi. Goes to a total of $125 million. Interestingly, except for two shows in Hawaii during his later history tour, or his story or history, this would be the only time that Jackson would tour in the U.S. as a solo artist. 1988 in the midst of his massive tour and hit records that would put $125 million in his pocket in just 1987 and 1988, equivalent to about $330 million today, Michael purchases a 2,700 acre ranch in Los Olivos, California for a measly $17 million.

Pocket change for the King of Pop. Calls it Neverland, makes plans to add a private amusement park with a zoo, train, Ferris wheel, arcade, movie theater, and more. Now shit starts to get real weird. Really really weird. When the public is looking at Michael Jackson's behavior, appearance, chosen surroundings, chosen companions, more and more frequently thinking like what the fuck is going on there? Michael stated that he related to the Disney character Peter Pan. They'd become obsessed with Peter Pan and all things youth oriented. He doesn't have enough people, you know, telling him no in life. Now at the age of 30,

it was like he became obsessed with trying to give himself the childhood he never had. And he was diagnosed with Peter Pan syndrome by the media. According to biography.com, this is a pop psychology condition referring to an adult, usually male, who does not want to engage with the world as an adult, but rather remain in a state of childlike innocence. But was it innocent? That's the million dollar question with Michael Jackson. Was it all innocent? Biographer Randall Sullivan told ABC that Michael saw himself as a real life Peter Pan, that he wanted to look like Bobby Driscoll, the model and voice actor for Peter Pan, business-wisewise though he's definitely not making kid decisions.

In 1991, the reigning king of pop signs a 65 million dollar 65 million deal with Sony that gives him an unprecedented share of the profits of his next six albums, his own record label, and more. LA Times reported the deal could make him hundreds of millions of dollars and more money. That same year he released his eighth album Dangerous, another smash hit not Not as big as Thriller or Bad, but still huge. Currently the 14th best-selling album of all time. 32 million sales worldwide. Album was unique for Jackson because it mixed so many different genres. R&B, funk, gospel, hip-hop, rock, industrial, more. This album featured the hit single Black

or White and the music video included 10-year-old child actor Macaulay Culkin, star of Home Alone. Speaking of children, Michael is frequently seen with young boys around the age of 9, 10, 11. He's taking kids on tour, corporate events for Pepsi, he's having sleepovers with kids at Neverland Ranch, it's fucking weird. None of this is disputed. What's disputed is what he's doing to these kids.

In the 2019 Leaving Neverland documentary on HBO's Max, regarding allegations of grooming and sexual abuse from around this time, the mother of James Safe-Chuck, one of the boys who was for sure with Michael shortly before this time in the late 80s, when he was around 10 years old, shares a story I found just interesting and sad. Shortly after James met Michael Jackson on a Pepsi commercial shoot, Michael got the phone number of James' parents who live in the LA area, called him up. He wanted to come over to the house just to hang out, just by himself, no bodyguards, no assistants, no one. The most famous man on the planet wants to go visit this little kid, hang out with him

and his suburban parents for the night. James' mom, Stephanie, said that once he came over, he went into James' room, looked around through his closet, looking for his toys, you know, just checking things out, started, quote, acting like a little boy, giggling, joking around. They all watched some movies together that night on the couch, had some popcorn. Apparently, Michael loved popcorn. After that, Michael would come to the house a lot. There's pictures of him just sitting on their floor,

legs crisscross, applesauce, holding a soccer ball in his hand, just exactly like a 10-year-old boy would. Even his facial expression is very childlike. James and Michael, they'd play video games together, watch movies, chat it up, and at night would even just walk around the neighborhood and talk, with Michael wearing a hoodie and a hat to disguise himself. James' mom said that, "...I came to feel like he was one of my sons. He would spend the night. I would wash his clothes. I cared for him. She said all this even though she was closer to Michael's age than her son was. He was just so childlike. That's how she saw this grown man as a child. She said she felt bad for Michael. He talked to her about how he didn't have any real friends. Watching

this part of the docu-series made me feel sorry for Michael. I don't know for sure if he ever molested anyone or not. I think he probably did. I definitely think he did. He's had several accusers make strong cases, but he's also had a lot of defenders, including people who hung out with him alone and often when they were little kids like McCauley-Colkin. But then some of those defenders, not McCauley, but others have come out since and said they were pressured to lie for him. But whether or not he was a pedophile, he was for sure just so mentally fucked up in such a unique way. I think he felt deeply intensely alone in a way most of us, myself included, will never be

able to fully relate to. He was super famous by the time he was barely 11. And he'd been performing in front of audiences cheering for him for years before that, rehearsing a lot since he was five. Then he just got more and more famous as time went on to the point that he became the most famous person on earth. And along the way he parted ways with his father firing him as his manager. Essentially fired his brothers when it came to recording and touring with him. These people were not just his family but his main friends. His relationship with his mom also grew strained because his music grew more sexual which didn't sit well with her Jehovah's Witness values. He really didn't have any friends.

He's somewhat estranged from a lot of his family. There's at least a lot of tension there. Can't really relate to almost anyone due to his massive fame. He's also constantly wondering what do new people want from him when they're nice to him? Do they really like him? Are they just wanting to see how he can help their career? Maybe give them a job?

At the very least, they'll want to show him off to their friends like he's some prize and not a person. No one in his inner circle is criticizing him. If they do, they're fired. No one's like, hey, maybe ease up on the plastic surgery. Maybe get some therapy. Let's leave the chimp at home. No more sleepovers. You're a grown man, dude.

You got to stop that shit. Was he a child molester or someone really, really fucked up psychologically in a way that's hard to comprehend? Or both? Two years after Dangerous is released, Michael's life and career shifts drastically in 1993 when he's investigated for child molestation allegations. Again, it was already known that Michael had sleepovers in Neverland with boys who were not related to him. This was the first time he was publicly accused of wrongdoing. August 24th, 1993 the public learns that LA police were investigating Michael for alleged abuse. At a news conference, Michael's representative said the allegations were coming from extortionists

who were trying to get $20 million from him. And this will now be the narrative for all allegations, you know, according to Michael's handlers and his team, that they're nothing more than money grabs. Law enforcement officials acknowledged the investigation but refused to discuss details. according to Michael's handlers and his team, that they're nothing more than money grabs. Law enforcement officials acknowledged the investigation but refused to discuss details. AP reported the alleged victim was the son of a dentist in Beverly Hills. Detectives served search warrants on Michael's homes in Century City and Los Olivos earlier that week, seizing property including videos and photos. At the time, Michael was in Thailand for his dangerous tour. One can only hope that Bubbles was able to console him when he would crawl into their bed at night.

Michael issued a brief statement, I am confident the police department will conduct a fair and thorough investigation and that this result and that its result will demonstrate that there was no wrongdoing on my part. I intend to continue with my world tour and look forward to seeing all of you in each of the scheduled cities. I am grateful for the overwhelming support of my fans throughout the world. I love you all. Thank you Michael All the proceeds of the dangerous tour a tour that grossed over a hundred million dollars in ticket sales Were donated by Michael to various charities most of them kid-based including the heal the world foundation in 1992 Jackson founded heal the world to help disadvantaged children all around the world.

Did he really love children overall, truly want to help them, but also want to fuck some of them? Not an impossible combo. Did he not desire children at all sexually, but Bubbles wanted to molest kids, and Bubbles had some dirt on him? Was forcing him to force himself on kids? Is Bubbles the real villain? I mean, pre-Bubbles, Michael Jackson, no allegations.

Looked pretty normal. Then Bubbles shows up. She gets weird. Real quick. Something to think about. Some kind of demon chimp. Don't think about it too much because that's absurd. Soon after the additional molestation allegations went public in 1993, the LA Times reported that the police were focusing on Michael's contact with at least four young boys.

The investigation started in July when the father of a 13-year-old boy took his son to a therapist to discuss allegations regarding Michael Jackson. boys. The investigation started in July when the father of a 13-year-old boy took his son to a therapist to discuss allegations regarding Michael Jackson. The therapist then made a report to the LA County Department of Children's Services. Investigators conducted interviews, learned about at least three more potential victims. LA Times obtained case files that contained the boy's statement to a social worker from August 17th. He said his relationship with Michael escalated from affectionate cuddling to sexual, excuse me, sexual intimacy. It was noted that the boy had difficulty with dates, but that

otherwise the story was consistent. Said he met Michael when Michael's car broke down and his stepfather who owned a rental car company ended up helping him. They started seeing each other more regularly when Michael came back from tour in February. He alleged that Michael told him that the relationship was in the cosmos and meant to be. According to the case file, Miner said he felt comfortable sleeping in the same bed with Mr. Jackson wearing sweatpants and pajamas respectively, but then he became

uncomfortable when Michael kissed and fondled him. The boy said, one time he was kissing me and put his tongue in my mouth and I said, don't do that. He started crying. I guess he tried to make me feel guilty. Michael allegedly warned the boy not to tell anyone about the relationship. He said that the boy would go to juvenile hall and they'd both get in trouble. Michael also told him about other boys he had done this with, but he didn't go as far with them. This will mirror other abuse allegations where Michael allegedly acts like he's only done sexual things with this person he's with because they're so special and also as if they had brought out those desires in him, not vice versa.

Some real dark predator grooming mindfuck stuff going on, if these allegations are true. The boys in this case said he first shared details with his father who confronted Michael. God, how tempted was that guy just to beat the King of Pops' ass? Pops'? King of Pops' ass. He could have probably gotten away with that too. God, how tempted was that guy just to beat the king of pops his ass? pops is King of pops ass. He could have probably gotten away with that too. Not gotten in any trouble I mean what what Michael done, you know, press charges and just wait for his dad to tell everyone why he beat his ass By the way, this feels like an experiment right now. This feels like scientists are watching me It's so hard to stay focused on this narrative

Okay, I can't believe I thought about taking three of these pills before the recording. Two is plenty. Okay, the two sides now attempt to reach a settlement in meeting with attorneys. In an emergency response referral report, the summary stated that the boy's mother was also suspicious of abuse, but the perpetrator persuaded her to allow the relationship to develop. Ugh. Vanity Fair? How can you convince? Oh my god, it's a parent. Anyway, Vanity Fair published an article where the family alleges that Michael argued with

the boy's mother about sleeping in the same bed with him. What the fuck? He allegedly said, why don't you trust me? If we're a family, you've got to think of me as a brother. Jesus! Why make me feel so bad? This is a bond. It's not about sex. This is something special.

What the fuck is wrong with these parents? Imagine a grown 34-year-old man saying that to you about your 10-year-old. If you don't already know, you never let your kid sleep in the bed of some guy you just met. Alone, no less. Not even some guy you've known for years. Not even if it's your kid's idea, the benefits do not outweigh the risks. There's no reason for this. On August 26th, the police source said that the videotaped seeds from Michael's home were not incriminating,

and the lack of evidence left investigators scrambling to get more statements. Michael's accuser, the one who kicked off this investigation was later identified as Jordy Chandler, who met Michael in 1992. Jordy, his stepbrother and step-sister were guests at Neverland. Over numerous visits, Michael befriended and earned the trust of the entire Chandler family.

Then Jordy's father, Evan, became suspicious of his son's relationship with Michael by 1993. Didn't want his kids around Michael, but he was in a custody battle with their mom, who continued to allow it. Jordy and his stepbrother allegedly slept in Michael's room when they traveled with him to Monaco for the World Music Awards. In private recordings that were later presented at Michael's trial, Evan Chandler described Michael as evil and described how he wanted to destroy him. Negotiations for his settlement failed and the allegations were made public.

Jordy described Michael's genitals to a psychiatrist and the police and included details such as discolorations from the vitiligo. That certainly doesn't look good. December of 1993 the police conducted a strip search of Michael to see if his genitals matched Chandler's detailed descriptions. Medialits reported on the results of the tests differently. Early reports claimed that the search did not corroborate Chandler's claims, but those in the room said his description did match. Other boys gave statements and Michael's defense saying they also shared a bed with Michael and nothing inappropriate took place. I would argue that sharing a bed with him in and of itself is inappropriate. Who the fuck are these parents?

Then another bombshell drops. December 8th, 1993 Michael's sister Latoya alleges in a press conference that the allegations against Michael were true. She said, this is very difficult for me. Michael is my brother, but I cannot and I will not be a silent collaborator of his crimes against small innocent children. She claimed that her mother Catherine showed her checks Michael had made out to families of young boys, one as young as nine. She said the amounts were substantial. Then Latoya repeated a claim she'd made earlier stating the Jackson, the Jackson children were not just physically abused abused but also sexually abused by their father. She'd first made that claim in 1991. In her autobiography, LaToya Growing Up in the Jackson Family. Other family members now quickly defend Michael and Catherine tells The Washington Post that LaToya was

lying, said she was trying to profit off of Michael's downfall. In her 2011 autobiography, Starting Over, LaToya retracted her allegations against Michael and Joe Jackson. She said her husband forced her to accuse them. The Daily Beast interviewed her and quoted her as saying, my family and Michael knew that wasn't really me talking. I never believed for a minute that my brother was guilty of anything like that. Hmm. So what was true? The initial allegations or saying the allegations were false? Also, could your spouse ever make you falsely accuse one of your own siblings of being a pedophile?

God, if my sister did that to me, like, we're done forever. How do you, you can't, you can't come back from that. I literally would never talk to her again and I love my sister dearly. But that, oh my God, so unforgivable. September 22nd, 1994, Santa Barbara County prosecutors announced they will not be filing child molestation charges against Michael Jackson because the primary alleged victim chose not to testify. They said that the case would remain open and charges could be filled based on the evidence if he changed his mind before the statute of limitations expired. So Michael is not found guilty here, but Michael is also a long way from being vindicated.

The Chandler sought $30 million in damages, settled out of court in 1994 for $23 million. The suit accused Michael of sexual battery, seduction, willful misconduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and negligence. Tom Snedden, the Santa Barbara DA, said over 400 witnesses had been interviewed and two other potential victims were identified. One of the victims asked not to be involved and the other was out of the country and denied wrongdoing by Michael. Michael later issued the following statement, I am thankful that the investigation has reached

a conclusion. I continually maintain my innocence. I am grateful to all my family, friends and fans who have stood by me and also believed in my innocence. Lisa, Marie and I look forward to getting on with our lives, raising a family, and will never forget the unending outpouring of love from all over the world. God bless you. Ah! Jordy Chandler disappeared from the public eye after this. Some tabloids reported that he was took on a new identity, moved to New York, legally

emancipating himself at age 14. His dad, Evan Chandler, died of suicide in November of 2009. Ugh. Wonder how much the Michaels situation had to do with his death and with Geordi's emancipation. Michael withdrew from the public after these allegations for his service in 1993. And now what about Lisa Marie? The woman mentioned in Michael's statement, Michael made headlines again in 1994 for a very different reason. He married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of legendary singer Elvis Presley. And how convenient

is the timing of this? How phony was this relationship? It read phony as fuck to me at the time. Still does. August 1st, 1994, Lisa Marie issued the following statement, My married name is Mrs. Lisa Marie Presley Jackson. My marriage to Michael Jackson took place in a private ceremony outside the United States weeks ago. I am very much in love with Michael. I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family. It feels like it was really with a gun to her head.

A picture of Bubbles holding that gun for some reason. Michael and Lisa Marie had gotten married May 26th, 1994 in the Dominican Republic. Then they appeared together at the VMAs, September 8th, 1994. Lisa Marie actually met Michael in 1975 when she was seven, when she watched him perform, he was 17. They reconnected November of 1992 when Lisa Marie was still married to her first husband. Some thought they were a good match because Michael worried about partners coming after his money.

Lisa Marie didn't need his money, got Elvis' estate. In a 2002 interview with Oprah, Lisa Marie would say of their time together, I loved taking care of him. It was one of the highest points of my life and things were going really well and he and I reunited. It was a profound time of my life. Well, maybe not too profound. I mean they were only together for two years. Michael and Lisa Marie divorced January 18th, 1996. According to Lisa Marie,

Michael asked her if she still loved him. During a 2005 phone call, she said she was indifferent and that he then cried. Lisa Marie also touched on sexual abuse allegations. When asked if she thought any of the charges were true, Lisa said, no, I was never in that room. I can tell you I never saw anything like that. Not a strong denial of the abuse, almost an acknowledgement. No asterisks. Did he molest any kids? Not around me. He knew we had one of our rules was he was to molest kids out of my sight. Look up footage on these two. They do not seem into each other at all. Try and find footage of Michael seeming sexually interested in any woman actually. Even in a music video that dude to me has never ever on any level put up the vibe of a dude who's

attracted to women. It's just too bad he couldn't I don't know maybe if he would have been able to deal with that his life would have gone in a different direction. I'll never be convinced that Michael was straight or into grown-ups. Watch footage of him around people's own age. Man or woman compared to footage of him around young boys, around young boys specifically, much more than young girls, dude came alive. At the very very least, in addition to being a musical genius, Michael Jackson was creepy as fuck. Like one of the creepiest celebrities. Ever. Couldn't stop thinking about that in regards to the sleepovers. You shouldn't let your kids sleep in the same bed as any strange man, but especially

not if they look and or act like Michael Jackson did. Like if Kyler was 10 years old and I had to let him spend the night with a grown man, some weird fucking hypothetical, some terrible one, and sleep in that man's bed. But I get to pick like the guy out of a lineup of 100 dudes. And one of those dudes looks like Michael Jackson from the 90s. I'm picking the other 99 dudes before I pick him. 1995, Michael's career took a further dip after the release of his album, History, Past, Present, and Future, Book One. It would have been a huge hit for almost any other artist, but he had soared so high in his career that anything less than record-breaking or nearly record-breaking was a disappointment.

Disc One contained the greatest hits compilation. Disc Two included collaborations with his sister Janet B Smalls Shaquille O'Neal and Slash and yeah, you heard that right Shaquille O'Neal Listen to Shaq the rapper Realism, it's the menace, the organism. Quiz, I'm not from the prison. I take charge like Manila. Dive by Shaq, represent with a thriller. Round my crotch, twist my knees and I'm through. Mike's bad, I'm bad, who are you? Do bad, do bad.

Let's forget about Shaq's rapping career. His story was his most personal album and had lyrics about abuse allegations and how he was angry with the media. The single, You Were Not Alone, and his duet with Janet Scream. Oh my god, that video is so good. Top hits. Michael earned a Grammy for the Scream music video. The double album ended up selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Over 20 million! And this is a decline for Michael.

1996, Michael gets married again. And again, it does not feel like a genuine relationship. It's so fucking weird. Michael marries a nurse, Debbie Rowe, and they'll stay together for four years. Rowe was the former assistant of Michael's dermatologist. Debbie was born December 6th, 1958, three months younger than Michael. She was adopted by a millionaire couple from Malibu

and was recovering from a breakup when she met Michael at the dermatologist's office. They became friends and then made some kind of agreement for her to have his kids. Debbie announced her first pregnancy early 1996. She and Jackson got married in Sydney, Australia in November. But they will never live together. Never be seen being affectionate towards one another in a sexual way. You know when he kisses her, he kisses her on the cheek like he would your mom. The first child, Michael Joseph

Jackson Jr. AKA Prince, born February 13th, 1997. Prince will go on to graduate from Louisville Marymount University in 2019. Now has a YouTube channel dedicated to motorcycle rides across California. He co-founded the charity Heal Los Angeles with his friend and in 2020 partnered with the meal delivery service

to give out meals during the pandemic. Seems like a genuinely good dude. The second child, Paris Michael Catherine Jackson, born April 3rd, 1998 in Los Angeles. She seems to be doing great now. Did struggle growing up. She told Rolling Stone that she attempted suicide multiple times by age 15, hospitalized in 2015 after a possible suicide attempt,

and in 2019 was seeking mental health treatment Maybe this has a lot to do with her You know odd childhood her parents relationship was a sham Michael basically hired someone to pretend to be his wife and be artificially inseminated Michael left her then when she couldn't get pregnant after the first two kids She'll later in another molestation investigation tell authorities she and Michael literally never had sex ever not one time, but had two kids. Also said after his death that she felt like a racehorse being inseminated to have his kids. And after he got his kids from her, she let him have full custody and would sign away her parental rights. Some fucking weird arrangement here. Also I can't believe more people don't talk about how Michael's kids look nothing like him at all. Like I know that genes can express themselves differently, but how the fuck does a black man

with a naturally dark complexion and strong African-American features have three kids? He'll have another child after he leaves Debbie. And not a single one of them looks anything like him. None of them. Like, look even remotely black at all. What are the odds of that if you compare? You know the kids to how Michael looked like before his surgeries after you know before he chemically altered the color of his skin You know no resemblance at all not even in the ballpark. They don't look like anybody in his family Paris has blue eyes fine straight hair light skin very European bone structure Prince Jackson brown eyes But again, no African-American features at all, third child, fucking blanket. Looks like his dad is maybe Hispanic or Indian. Who is these kids' dads? The leading conspiracy for at least the first two kids

is that actor Mark Lester is the real father, a claim he made himself in 2013. A friend of Michael Jackson for over 30 years, Mark Lester is famous for playing Oliver in the 1968 film with the same name, said there was a good possibility that he's the real father to Prince, excuse me, Prince, Paris, and Blanket. Also said that he was willing to take a DNA test to prove it. Actor claims to have donated sperm to Jackson before his first child was born. Another friend, Jason Pfeiffer, claimed that the singer confessed to using Lester's sperm to father his children shortly before his death. He said, one day as we walked about his children and Debbie wrote, he just came out and said that his children were fathered by Mark. Why? Why would he like use his own sperm? Is this true? Who knows?

But if you look at pics of a young Mark Lester and hold them up to Paris Jackson's photos, he looks like he could legit be her dad. Like if he played her dad in a movie no one would bump on it. Michael's third child Prince Michael Jackson aka Blanket. Born early 2002. His mother an unknown surrogate. You may recall Blanket from the infamous baby balcony incident. On November 19th 2002 Michael walked out onto his hotel balcony in Berlin holding Blanket in one arm but she did a strangely dangle the infant over the balcony over the edge of the balcony as in if he would have dropped blanket Blanket would have fallen four floors and likely died Ironically, he was in Berlin to accept an award for this philanthropic work on behalf of children Such a weird thing to watch this video of him on the balcony. He comes across as somebody who's literally never held a baby before in

his life Michael's youngest child now keeps a low profile, not much is known about him. I'm guessing he likes it that way. Last note on Bubbles. Shortly after he has Paris, Bubbles gets the boot for being too aggressive. Bubbles has grown into a mature chimp. This is common, which is why people should not get chimps for pets. You know, they're fine when they're younger, then they get a little older, maybe more aggressive, and then they gotta be dumped off in an animal sanctuary.

In between perhaps buying his third child, after maybe paying for his first two kids, in 2001, Michael releases his final studio album, Invincible. This album cost between 30 and 40 million to produce, remains to this day the most expensive album ever made by far. Three times the cost of the second most expensive album, the infamous 2008 Guns N' Roses long-awaited album Chinese Democracy. Invincible reached number one on the Billboard charts but received mixed reviews from critics. Invincible was released while Michael was having legal troubles with Sony over the rights to his master recordings.

Michael was trying to leave Sony due to conflict of interest regarding his share in the company. Things escalated when Michael called Sony chairman Tommy Modola a racist. Michael believed his album was sabotaged because Sony pulled all promotional resources. Critics were very mixed on how good the invincible was. Reviews in you know more recent years have been more positive. Many have credited the album as being the first to use dubstep. In 2009 it was voted by online readers of Billboard as the best album of the first decade of the 21st century. Reached number one on the charts in 13 countries was globally Michael's fastest

selling album in the first few months. It sold more than 6 million copies. Now it's sold over 13 million more or over 13 million. His public image though, while it's taken a beating in several music polls, people still considered him to be the king of pop. The lead single on this album was You Rock My World. Here's a little taste, another another killer song. I love this chorus. Maybe the album would have performed even better if Bubbles wouldn't be able to stick around, you know, maybe put in charge of promotion or something. February of 2003, British journalist Martin Bashir produces a documentary titled Living

with Michael Jackson. It'll lead to Michael's image taking another hit. Bashir spent months with Michael, got him to discuss his personal relationships with children. Michael admitted that he continued having children sleep over at Neverland Ranch and that yeah, he sometimes slept with children in his bed. Yeah, yeah, sometimes, yeah, sure. What's the big deal? He's a 44 year old dude, liked to have sleepovers with 10 year old boys. They shared the same bed, in a locked room, without their parents or any other adults with an ear shot

What this big deal so we rassle so I like to rassle kids. So I like jerk soft shame cock of kids Why not everyone? Why everyone angry with you? You can tell I mean Michael Jackson It's really hard to do that stuff. I'm super high right now Jackson told by sheer why can't you share your bed? That's the most loving thing can't you share your bed? That's the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone. He reminds me of a cult leader, like speaking to someone not in the cult here. After living on and running the compound for years,

surrounded only by followers who just never sent up to him and pointed out how fucking crazy he's becoming. Why can't you have sleepovers with other people's kids? It's loving. Why can't you take bubble baths with other people's kids? You know, it's loving. Why can't you break out the massage oil, give kids? It's loving. Why can't you take bubble baths with other people's kids? You know, it's loving. Why can't you break out the massage oil, give a new massage to your neighbor's 10-year-old? Kids have tense muscles! It's loving!

Why can't you teach a 10-year-old boy how to jerk off by making him jerk you off? It's loving! It's educational! People are like, no, dude, it's not loving. We got to put you in prison. Michael tried to further explain himself, saying, it's not sexual. I tuck them in, have hot milk, give them cookies have hot milk give them cookies it's very charming it's very sweet no it's not I mean it kind of is it's kind of charming but it's also this fucking creepy shit it's grooming I believe the documentary included footage of Michael holding hands embracing a 13 year old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo both Michael and Gavin denied that

anything inappropriate was happening at the time. Michael explained why he was so drawn to children, saying, My greatest inspiration comes from kids. It's all inspired from that level of innocence, that consciousness of purity. But then he added, And the butt holes are so tight. Hee hee hee, jamonga! I don't know what kind of voice that was.

He didn't add that. Not allowed at least. After the documentary aired and people were aggrieved by Michael's attitudes towards kids and more and more people were accusing him of being a pedophile, Michael denied any wrongdoing said he was devastated by Bashir's portrayal of him. Part of his statement read, I trusted Martin Bashir to come into my life and that of my family. He he he. I would love if you like, he wrote, he wrote that in his quotes. Come on, yeah.

He said, and that of my family, because I wanted the truth to be told. Martin Bashir persuaded me to trust him. Now be an honest and fair portrayal of my life and told me that he was the man who turned Diana's life around. Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before. I can't stop, I can't stop hearing hee-hee in my head. That someone who had gotten, who had got to know my children, my staff and me, whom I let into my heart and I told the truth could then sacrifice the trust I placed in him and produce his terrible and unfair program. Everyone who knows me will know the truth, which is that my children came first in my life and that I would never harm a child.

I had to get out of my system. This documentary launched a new criminal investigation on Michael's relationship with a 13 year old boy Gavin featured in the program November 18th 2003. Investigators executed a search warrant Neverland Ranch now. Hundreds of items are seized including pornographic magazines, bedding, a doll that had been quote, lewdly defaced. On November 19th Santa Barbara DA Tom Snedden announced that Michael would be charged with committing a lewd act upon a child. November 20th 2003 Michael's arrested on charges of child molestation. Soon released on three million dollars bail. Later indicted on

ten counts including child molestation, abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion. Jury selection for Michael's trial started January 31st, 2005. Every day of the trial was a media circus. Hordes of fans waiting outside the courthouse with signs. Media swarms him as he goes in, goes out of the courthouse. Prosecution and defense give opening statements February 28th. Trial will last for four months. Over 100 witnesses will testify. Michael was prosecuted on 10 counts, right, as I mentioned.

The charges would come with a maximum sentence of more than 18 years. Prosecution argued that in early 2003, Michael molested the 13-year-old victim, Gavin, whom he began courting in 2000. Michael invited the boy and his family to the ranch where he exposed him to pornography and gave him alcohol. Prosecution charged Michael with conspiring to intimidate and restrict the freedom of the victim and his mother to keep them away from the media. The jury heard that the living with Michael Jackson documentary was supposed to be a comeback but backfired for the singer. Michael's employees thought the documentary was a PR disaster, wanted to isolate the boy and his family. They

planned to make a rebuttal video. Michael was charged with conspiracy because of their efforts to persuade the family to participate in the video and to keep them away from the press by flying them to Florida and having them stay at Neverland for extended periods of time. Prosecutors said Michael molested the boy towards the end of his stay at Neverland in late February or early March 2003. The defense argued that the accuser and his family set Michael up for an elaborate scheme with his illness as a hook. The defense called the the accuser and his family set Michael up for an elaborate scheme with his illness as a hook. The defense called the family con artists, actors, and liars. And actually, yeah, this family is pretty shady. Defense attorney Thomas Mesurud Jr. argued that the boy's mother approached many celebrities, including Jay Leno and Jim Carrey, asking them for money, trying to extort them.

She had claimed false imprisonment twice before, claimed she was sexually assaulted. Actor Macaulay Culkin, Wade Robson, an alleged victim from the 90s, we'll talk about more going forward, testified in Michael's defense. By 2005, Robson was a choreographer and songwriter who worked with Britney Spears and NSYNC. Both witnesses described as Michael's special friends, who slept in his bed. But they denied that Michael touched him inappropriately. The victim who appeared in the documentary was identified as Gavin Arvizo, now 14 years old.

Gavin Arvizo's mother, Janet, also testified for the prosecution, which will not help. Arvizo spent about five days on the stand. She testified about Jackson's alleged plan to send the family to Brazil and her efforts to leave clues for anyone who might try to find them. She said she and her kids escaped the ranch on three occasions, but returned voluntarily each time. Michael's former staff member, Blanca Francia, testified that she saw Michael taking a shower with Wade Robinson and her son, fuck, and her son, Jason

Francia testified that Michael molested him. Public now knows of five boys who accused Michael of sexual abuse. Jordy Chandler, Jason Francia, Gavin Arvizo, Wade Robinson, and James Safechuck. Wade Robinson, James Safechuck, two accusers from the 90s. James Safechuck met Michael in the set of a Pepsi ad in December of 1986. He was 10 years old. Hired to appear in the commercial alongside Michael. Safechuck claimed Michael befriended him and his family.

He was generous, gave him gifts, including his jacket from the Thriller music video. Michael flew them out for visits and vacations following this. During a trip to Hawaii, Michael asked him to sleep in his bed. The fuck? He alleged that in 1988, when he was 10 years old, Michael showed him how to masturbate while on tour. He abused Safe Chuck hundreds of times over four years, allegedly, and employees of his two companies coordinated the visits. Wade Robson, an Australian citizen, met Michael in 1989 after he won a dance contest where he danced, he just looked like little mini Michael. Within a few years, he and his mom moved to LA with Michael's encouragement to try and establish his career and showbiz.

In 1993, Wade's mother Joy talked to CNN about his slumber parties with Michael, saying, they play so hard, they fall asleep, they're exhausted. There's nothing more to it than that. Get the fuck out of here Actually, yeah, there was joy joy is now somewhat estranged for most of her family who continue to struggle with her decisions to allow a Grown man to have slumber parties with her little boy. I mean, that's fucking crazy They say never say never but I would never in a million years let my kids stay the night with this guy Let me fucking guy. I struggle to understand how you could do that as a parent. How you can be that naive. In my mind, you don't do that if you're a decent parent with normal parental instincts. Robson alleged that Michael molested him from age seven to age 14. He performed in Michael's music videos, released an album on his label.

He claimed the abuse started in 1990 when Michael invited his family to stay at Neverland Ranch. Robson and Michael slept in the same bed, not doing anything at first, but then eventually cuddling and then later Michael's urging allegedly touching each other's genitals. Then touching led to more aggressive and penetrative sexual acts, acts they'd allegedly engage in over the next seven years. Wade Robson's mom testified in 2005 that she received a permanent residence visa by funneling her wages through Michael Jackson's corporation. The Michael Jackson Corporation. Joy accepted a car. Ten thousand dollar payment.

Ten thousand dollar loan from Michael. Had some financial incentive to look the other way. To convince herself that what was going on was okay. To use her son. Ugh. Robson and Safechuck alleged that when they started puberty they were both replaced with younger boys. As mentioned earlier in the timeline, 34-year-old Michael slept in the same bed with 13-year-old Jordy Chandler at his house with his mother present. Also slept in the bed with him and his father's home.

What the fuck? June Chandler testified at a 2005 trial that she was unable to remember most of the 1993 case. Michael paid around $25 million to settle the Chandler's lawsuit. $ million went to Geordie. Each parent received 2.5 million. Michael reportedly paid the money to avoid something long and drawn out or to avoid more members of the public from being faced with more evidence that this dude was very likely a pedophile. Alleged victim Jason Francia also paid 2.4 million. Robson will later come forward in 2014 to claim that he lied at trial, that he wasn't

ready to publicly admit what had been done to him yet, that he wasn't ready for how admitting to the abuse could damage his family. 2014, the Daily Beast reported that the prosecution wanted to name James Safechuck as one of the victims. Safechuck had given a statement defending Michael in 1993, but declined to participate in the trial. Safechuck later said he also lied to the 1993 statement that he also wasn't psychologically ready to accept he had been manipulated by a sexual predator. Both these guys

would just talk about how much they loved Michael. How sad. 2005 Gavin Arvizo testifies that Michael masturbated him. March 7th, the victim's brother testified that Michael laid on the bed and masturbated himself and the victim's brother said he'd seen Michael molesting his brother twice and that Michael once walked into the room. They were standing himself and the victim. Brother said he'd seen Michael molesting his brother twice and that Michael once walked into the room there standing naked and aroused. Uh, ye. March 14th Gavin admitted that he uh he told a teacher that Michael had not touched him. He said he denied that he was molested because he didn't want to be ridiculed at school. March 16th 2005, lead investigator Steve Robel testifies that the accuser said he was molested between five and seven times but could only describe two incidents in detail. March 17th 2005, The case next to his bed, which included photos of bondage and quote, a study of naked boys.

Creepy, like sketches I'm guessing. Michael also had bondage sculptures of women with gags in their mouths on his desk in view of the boys and making all this look so much worse. Numerous members of Neverland staff, so many people employed by Michael Jackson, told authorities they never saw or even heard of a woman spending the night with Michael, including his two spouses. Debbie Rowe, the woman Michael had two children with, also told the police now at this time, as I mentioned, that she had never had sex with Michael. What the fuck? They're not even seeing grown men be with Michael. March 25th, Sergeant Robert Spinner from the Sheriff's Department testified that both Michael and his accuser's prints were recovered from the same pornographic magazine. The prints were found on Hustler Barely Legal Hardcore.

Sergeant noted that the prints were found on different pages. 12 of Michael's prints were found on Hustler Barely Legal Hardcore. Sergeant noted that the prints were found on different pages. 12 of Michael's prints were found on eight pages. Five of the accuser's prints found in three magazines. Two prints from the accuser's younger brother found in one magazine. Bubbles fingerprints. They're found in all the magazines. So I don't know what we're going to do about that.

Also, forensic accountant testified that Michael was spending 20 to 30 million more than he was making each year. Dude was out of control. Living in an echo chamber of one person where no one ever tells him no. Doesn't even have fucking bubbles to talk to, bounce ideas off of anymore. Bubbles would have been like, rain it in Michael. Uh, wherever fucking he sounds like.

Michael's annual budget included 7.5 million for personal expenses, 5 million to maintain Neverland. By the late nineties, he took out loans to pay his debt. 1998, he took out $140 million loan, which has increased to 200 million. Two years later, Michael uses half of ATV that catalog is collateral for the loan. Enclosing the prosecutor called Michael a predator who used his wealth to lure young boys into the world of the forbidden. Senior deputy DA Ronald Zonin said the line on the Serengeti doesn't go after the strongest antelope the predator goes after the weakest

Prosecution theorized that the boys were entertained with games and attractions at the ranch Michael eventually showed them pornography Encouraged him to drink alcohol break down their defenses Defend said the accuser and his mom were con artists, actors and liars with an addiction to celebrities. Defense attorney Thomas, fucking something, Mezzerro, described Michael as childlike, very naive and very idealistic. Everyone's looking for a big payday from Michael Jackson. He conceded that Michael had not managed his money well

and trusted the wrong people. He called the prosecution's tactic of introducing pornographic material and introducing his financial troubles Mean-spirited nasty barbaric attempt to demonize. Mr. Jackson And Michael was acquitted of all these charges june 13th 2005 Jury had started deliberating 10 days before june 3rd. They were sequestered Uh, the jury provided a note for the judge to read with the verdict that said

They felt the weight of the world's eyes upon us all, and thoroughly and meticulously studied all the evidence. The note ended with, we would like the public to allow us to return to our lives as anonymously as we came. Jurors held a news conference after the trial. One juror said, we expected better evidence, something that was a little more convincing, just wasn't there. Other jurors called out Janet Arvizo's behavior during trial.

She stared at them throughout the proceedings, gave bizarre testimony. When asked about the mother's consent to let her son sleep in Michael's bedroom, the female juror did say, what mother in her right mind would allow that to happen? Fair. After his acquittal, Michael traveled to the kingdom of Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf, where he stayed for an undisclosed extended period of time as the guest of Sheikh Abdullah, son of the king of Bahrain. Why not?

Michael never lived in Neverland Ranch again. He spent the next several years in Bahrain, Dubai, and Ireland before returning to the LA area. At the time of his death, Michael was running a mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of LA in between Beverly Hills and Bel Air, maybe the most expensive neighborhood in LA. He was paying a cool hundred grand a month in rent. This area is so affluent that today most home prices start around 50 million. I found one house for less than that on realtor.com. Seven million. A steal. The next least expensive house, 39 million. Most expensive,

137.5 million. On almost five acres over a 56,000 square foot house. Palatial estate. Anyway, Janet Arvizo, the mother of alleged victim Gavin, ended up getting charged with fraud. Arvizo fraudulently received over 18,000 government benefits after failing to disclose her application or inner application that she and her children were recently paid 70 grand to resolve a civil lawsuit. On November 13, 2006, Janet pleaded no contest to welfare fraud. Originally pleaded not guilty to one count of aid by misrepresentation and four counts of perjury by application for aid.

She was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, so she was a scammer. Doesn't mean her son wasn't molested, but she was a scammer. Unfortunately, if McCauley Culkin is exhibit A in the defense of Michael Jackson not being a pedophile, since she has consistently said that Michael Jackson never did anything to him, Janet or Vizzo is exhibit B of B of just you know people are just trying to get his money. Michael will spend the last few years of his life struggling with an increasingly negative public perception of him, drug addiction, and financial trouble due to overspending. On March 5th 2009 now 50 year old Michael announces his final curtain call, a concert residency in

London. The show is called This Is It. He was going to perform This Is It at London's new O2 arena. He was going to perform 50 sold out shows, but because, but not because he was so excited to perform again. No, he needed to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. That is crazy that no matter how much money you make, you can always fall into debt. You can always overspend. Michael also hoped that This Is It would take the focus off his scandals and his unusual lifestyle, bring people back into his music. But then Michael postponed the first shows from July 8th to July 13th, which sparked

rumors about his health. At the time, Michael was around $400 million in debt due to his extravagant spending and decreasing income. The year before, in 2008, Michael defaulted on his $24.5 million mortgage for Neverland. A Los Angeles real estate investment company, bought his note, and put the title into a joint venture. And a year before that, in 2007, the Mickey Fine Pharmacy in Beverly Hills filed a complaint against Michael for not paying a $101,926 bill dating back to 2005. Over a hundred grand in pharmaceutical costs. And I'm guessing Michael Jackson had pretty decent health insurance. Michael

spent his final days preparing for his shows. He spent hours rehearsing every day, wrote some new songs. This is it cost 25 million dollars in pre-production. Michael's behavior became increasingly erratic as it got closer to opening night. He was described as being exceptionally thin, looking frail. Michael's makeup artist Karen, described him as paranoid. Said he often was getting the chills, kept repeating himself. Faye testified in the family's wrongful death suit against AEG Live, the entertainment company that promoted This Is It.

She said that during an April 2009 meeting, Michael was upbeat but thin. By June, he was not the man I knew. He was acting like a person I didn't recognize. During a rehearsal in mid-June, Michael was very stoic but frightened. He repeated, Why can't I choose? over and over. Also appeared to be emaciated. He was 5'9". He was weighing around 130 pounds this time. In preparation for the tour, Michael hired Dr. Conrad Murray as his full-time personal physician. They met in 2006 when Murray treated one of his children in Las Vegas. When he met Michael, Dr. Murray was dealing with some financial troubles of his own.

Over $400,000 in court judgments had been issued against his Vegas practice. And then in December of 2008, he was ordered to pay almost $4,000 in unpaid child support. And all of that is what led him to working for Michael Jackson. Dr. Murray was paid $150,000 a month to spend six nights a week with Michael. His job was to make sure he was ready to tour. One aspect of Murray's job was dosing Michael with a daily cocktail of prescription drugs. After Michael died, the police found over 20 prescriptions inside his home in Holmby Hills including prescriptions for methadone, fentanyl, Percocet, Dilaudid, and Vicodin.

So many opioids and some powerful ones. Michael was suffering from severe insomnia, had to take different drugs to sleep. He most often asked for the drug Propofol, an anesthetic used for surgery, sometimes, you know, used to relax and fall asleep. Why is he having so much trouble sleeping? Worried about all his money problems? I mean, that could be it. Or maybe worried about the public and law enforcement finding out about more molestation victims. A court document showed that Murray never purchased Propofol for Michael, but in the weeks, in the six weeks he worked for the Singer, he administered it to him nightly via an intravenous drip even though he was concerned Michael was addicted to it. Michael had very likely been

addicted to drugs for a while, maybe going back to the time his scalp was burned in that Pepsi debacle in 84. As part of the earlier investigation of child molestation charges, a former staff member reported that Michael was taking 30 to 40 Xanax pills a night. Michael asked his employees to get prescriptions in their names, travel to doctors in other states to get medications per a confidential document from 2004. One staff member said he expressed concern about Michael taking 10 or more pills every night and then another staff member replied that he was doing better because he used to take 30 to 40 pills a night. Michael attended rehearsal June 13th but skipped the June 14th

rehearsals at his doctor's advice. He didn't return until June 19th. According to choreographer Kenny Ortega's later testimony Michael appeared lost, cold, afraid. Ortega thought the best thing to do was stop production but he did not want to break Michael's heart. Autorga sent several emails to AEG Live executives writing that Michael showed signs of paranoia, anxiety, and obsessive disorder-like behavior. Ortega recommended bringing a psychiatrist to evaluate him. During a June 20th meeting at Michael's home, Ortega testified that Conrad Murray believed Michael was physically and emotionally capable of handling all his responsibilities as a performer. And that he should be the only one to make his decision. Michael returned to rehearsals June 23rd and he suddenly seemed better. Kenny Ortega would

testify I was overjoyed at his energy, his state of mind, his enthusiasm. Murray later admitted he stopped using a propofol to induce sleep for two nights. He's trying to wean Michael off the drug. At his later criminal trial a sleep expert would testify that a person can recover quickly from heavy propofol use. Michael left home around 7 p.m. June 24th to go to the Sable Center in downtown A criminal trial of sleep expert would testify that a person can recover quickly from heavy propofol use. Michael left home around 7pm June 24th to go to the Sable Center in downtown LA for his final rehearsal. Those in the audience thought he looked like he was in good shape.

The rehearsal ended around midnight. Michael hugged his dancers, thanked his crew, went home, was greeted by a small group of fans waiting outside. He complained of fatigue, so Murray gave him some volume to help him sleep. Michael asked for propofol throughout the night. While Dr. Murray wouldn't give him that at first, he did give him different sedatives. And then Murray finally gave in during the mid-morning of June 25th and added Provovol to Michael's IV drip. Michael told the police that he remained with Michael for 10 minutes,

briefly let him use the bathroom. When he returned two minutes later, Michael was not breathing. Murray started CPR, administered flumazenil, a benzodiazepine antagonist to try and offset the sedatives. Some experts have said that this worsened the problems caused by the propovo. Strangely, a full 82 minutes passed before paramedics were called to the house. Then when they arrived, Dr. Murray did not immediately tell them what drugs he gave Michael. Dr. Murray was fucking panicking, a little suspicious. Team of doctors at the UCLA Medical Center would attempt to resuscitate Michael,

but he was pronounced dead. It was reported that Michael died after suffering a cardiac cardiac arrest in his home. The coroner's report was released in February of 2010 listed his cause of death as acute probable intoxication, one of numerous sedatives found in his system. And then the police discovered that Dr. Conrad Murray was not licensed to prescribe most controlled drugs in the state of California. The standard of care for administering Provoval had not been met and the recommended equipment for monitoring, precision dosing, and resuscitation were not present at Michael's home. Michael's death was now ruled a homicide, not intentional, but a homicide

nonetheless. July 7th, 2009, a televised memorial was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. 17,500 free tickets were given out via lottery. An estimated billion people watched the memorial on TV. Memorials went up all around the world, including one at Michael's childhood home in Gary, Indiana. His family held a private funeral for him at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. Michael's daughter, Paris, who was just 11 when her dad died, gave an unplanned speech at Michael's funeral saying, ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much.

Man, what a tough thing for a kid to go through. Michael's mother Catherine took guardianship of his kids after his death. Documentary about Michael's preparations for his show titled This Is It. It was released October 2009. That film will make 260 million worldwide after everything. You know, he still had so many fans. Michael's estate has settled all of his debts since his death. The state would sell its share of Sony ATV in 2016, as I said, for $750 million. Two years later, his estate earned $287.5

million for its stake in EMI music publishing. In October of 2017, Forbes announced that Micah was number one on the list of top earning dead celebrities for the fifth straight year. That's a morbid list. Excuse me. Crazy hat with intellectual property. You can just keep making money in death. You can make more money in death than in life. I'm having such trouble focusing.

I'm going to finish this. February 8, 2010, Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to Michael Jackson's death. Opening statements in Conrad Murray's trial began September 27, 2011. November 7, Conrad Murray will be convicted of involuntary manslaughter and a few weeks later received a maximum sentence of four years in prison. He'll be released in two. 2013, the Jackson family filed a wrongful death suit against AEG Live, the entertainment company.

It's promoted, this is it. The Jackson's alleged that AEG failed to protect Michael while he was under Conrad Murray's care. They set up to 1.5 billion, which was an estimate of what Michael would have earned to that point or could have earned to that point. Trial started on April 29, 2013. October 2013, a jury found AEG not responsible for Michael's death. 2013-2014, Michael's estate will now defend itself against more allegations of sexual abuse. Alleged victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck now in their 30s file suits against Michael's estate and his company's MJJ Productions, Inc. and MJJ Ventures, Inc. Robson claimed that Michael molested him for seven years, as I mentioned earlier. Safechuck filed a similar suit against Michael's two companies. In 2014, alleging he was abused on hundreds of occasions between 1988 and 1992, the suit

accused employees of the companies as acting as co-conspirators, collaborators, facilitators, and alter egos for the abuse. The suit alleged that the employees of MjJ Productions witnessed the abuse, that employees took steps to ensure Michael was alone with Robson and other children. Safechuck claimed that he was one of several children who were victims of the company's child sexual abuse procurement and facilitation organization. In May of 2015, a judge dismissed Robson's suit not due to lack of evidence but because he waited too long to file the claim. Safechuck's suit was rejected on the same grounds in June of 2017. But then both cases are reopened in 2020 after a new state law

gave plaintiffs in child sex abuse cases more time to file suits. However, both suits were again dismissed October of 2020, April of 2021, when a Superior Court Judge ruled that the two corporations and their employees were not legally obligated to protect the voice from Michael Jackson. The Jackson Patriarch were not legally obligated to protect the boys from Michael Jackson. The Jackson Patriarch Joe Jackson dies June 27, 2018. 89 years old, had been suffering from cancer.

Joe suffered a stroke in July 2015 while visiting Brazil to celebrate his 87th birthday. After returning to the US, he never fully recovered. There were renewed allegations of sexual abuse in 2019 with the premiere of Leaving Neverland at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary aired on HBO in March of 2019. The four-hour documentary features Wade Robson and James Safechuck who gave in-depth interviews about the sexual abuse they claimed they suffered as kids. The allegations were detailed earlier in this timeline. Jackson Estate called the

accusers serial perjurers and filed a hundred million dollar lawsuit against HBO. The lawsuit alleged that HBO violated a non-disparagement agreement they made when they aired Michael's 1992 concert special, Live in Bucharest, The Dangerous Tour, which was HBO's highest rated special ever at that time. HBO still in arbitration over the Leaving Neverland documentary. At some point, there will be a follow-up documentary titled After Neverland, but it will not be released through HBO. On August 18, 2023, California Appeals Court rules that Michael Jackson's two accusers can resume their lawsuits against his companies. California's Second District Court of Appeal ruled a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children

by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it solely is owned by the perpetrator of the abuse. Cases were consolidated in the appeals court and now go back to the trial court. Jackson estate lawyer, Jonathan Steinseper. Jonathan S. something issued the following statement, we remain fully confident that Michael's innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michael's death by men motivated by money. Despite all the bad press, Jackson's recordings still get played constantly and keep making his estate a ton of money.

Which, you know, even if he was a pedophile, now that he's not getting the money personally, I don't mind his estate getting the money. It was reported February 9th of this year that Sony was buying 50% share in his publishing and recorded master's catalog. They were paying over $600 million to do that. Damn. Also, one more thing, Three of the Jacksons. Oh yeah.

Three of the Jacksons. Marlon, Tito, and Jackie, they're still touring right now as the Jacksons and using Michael's songs from the 70s to promote themselves, which seems kind of sad. Here's a commercial for a gig they had last year. The biggest pop music phenomenon of all time, the Jacksons. Saturday, April 15th at Casino Rama Resort. Tickets on sale now at Ticketmaster. For details visit CasinoRama.com. Marlon, Tito, and Jackie the Jackson's. That's a cheesy commercial too. Who designed that? Let's get out of this timeline. Good job soldier you've made it back barely. Okay now I need to do something I need to try to do something I promised I was gonna

do last week something I thought would have literally nothing to do this episode but actually does kind of fit. I'll talk about Michael again but first time to to end, time to end, oh my God, time to endorse a very real ad regarding a product that appeared two weeks ago in episode 398, August Engelhart and the coconut cult. One of the weirdest episodes that we've had in a while. So without further ado, one more quick sponsor break. Hey, are you struggling with masturbation? Is it taking up all your time? One more quick sponsor break. For the makers of Apple Jacks, Cocoa Crispies, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Honey Smacks,

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So Michael Jackson the King of Pop what an amazing musician Phenomenal and also holy shit. So weird. So creepy. For the second half of his life. If for some reason you're still not sold on how creepy he was, put it in today's context. Imagine Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran doing this shit. Except they've never been in what feels like a genuine sexual relationship with another adult to make it even like a little bit weirder. Not ever. But they're suddenly constantly seen in the company of various young boys, prepubescent kids, who also dress exactly like them.

Which is fucking weird. They admit to having sleepovers with no other adult's presence. With other people's kids. Right? Always little boys. Trying to talk about how that's loving. Never little girls, even though that would also be very creepy. They buy a ranch, convert it into a children's paradise, constantly bringing over kids to

play with them. While still single? Did we get fucking annihilated in the press and in the court of public opinion? What a shame that the King of Pop, in my mind, was also clearly a pedophile. What a shame he couldn't control his demons. Because outside of that, he did so much good. It's estimated he raised around $500 million for charities in his lifetime. Almost all of them dedicated to helping children.

And his music. Holy shit, did his music bring people together in such a special special way people of all ages and races. He was fucking phenomenal His performances were electric. I literally get the chills watching him command the stage and rock some of the best pop songs ever crafted You know watch some clips from the dangerous tour the choreography solid hit after solid hit the stage production off the charts I've been to a lot of incredible concerts. I've never been to a concert that incredible. Watching the crowd watch him. It's like a religious experience. Fans are losing their fucking minds.

Men, women, black, white, young, old. People literally fainting. Having to be carried out. They're sobbing. They're screaming the lyrics. It's wild. Not to take away from Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, etc. But I don't think there's a modern equivalent.

I don't know why I threw Justin Bieber Ed Sheeran, etc. But I don't think there's a modern equivalent. I don't know why through Justin Bieber in there He was a fucking Michael Jordan music or maybe more aptly Michael Jordan was the Michael Jackson of basketball You don't believe me watch some old concert footage this dude top his game in the early 90s He was a stillness prime as a performer had so many hits under his belt But you know He was also while he was helping so many people while he was giving so much joy to millions almost certainly grooming and likely molesting young boys. Befriending them making them feel like they were the most special kid in the world making them feel like they were

his best friend getting their parents to trust him. Molesting them, discarding them when they grew too old for his taste. Never found guilty in court but damn allegations and evidence are intense. Let's now look back at the King of Pop a few more times and learn something new in today's takeaways. Time Shuck Top 5 Takeaways Number one, Michael Jackson is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was and still is considered the King of Pop. Michael won

numerous awards including 13 Grammys, earned hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in his lifetime, hundreds more since his death. His 1982 album Thriller, still the best-selling album of all time globally, his music videos influenced the entire industry and helped MTV establish itself as a main platform for artists to reach new fans. Number two, Michael had two successful careers and worked in the music industry for approximately four decades. Started off as a lead singer for his family band, the Jackson Five, which morphed into the Jacksons. In the 70s, he launched his solo career and managed both full-time jobs for over a decade.

That skyrocketed him to international fame. In the 80s, Michael went fully solo. While he enjoyed great success, he did so at the cost of his childhood. Michael and his siblings also accused their father Joe of physical and emotional abuse. Number three, Michael introduced the world to two iconic dance moves, the moonwalk and the robot. Although he didn't invent those moves, he popularized them and influenced future artists who incorporated song and dance into their performances. Number four, Michael Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by five boys. Allegations first made public in 1993, again in 2003. Michael was arrested and

charged with 10 counts after a lengthy high-profile trial. He was acquitted of all charges in 2005. The allegations stuck with him for the rest of his life, negatively affected his public image. While he had millions of fans, millions also believed he was a sexual abuser. At number five, new info, a new Michael Jackson biopic is supposed to come out. In February of this year, the public got a first look at Michael, the controversial biopic about the singer. 27-year-old Jafar Jackson, Jermaine's son, will play the lead role in the movie. A promotional picture was released showing Jafar recreated Michael's man in the mirror

look from his Dangerous Tour. Kevin Mazur, Michael's former photographer, said, When I walked onto the set, I felt like I'd gone back in time and I was walking in the stadium to shoot the tour. Kevin Mazur, Michael's former photographer said, When I walked onto the set, I felt like I'd gone back in time. And I was walking in the stadium to shoot the tour. Seeing Jafar perform, I thought, wow, this is Michael. The way he looks and acts, his mannerisms, everything. He's Michael Jackson. For anyone who didn't have the chance to see Michael perform during his lifetime, this is how it was. In early 2024, it was reported that sexual abuse plaintiffs Wade Robson and James Safechuck wanted their trial to happen before the 2025 premiere of this film. Attorney John C.

Carpenter is representing the two men Carpenter called the movie propaganda. He acknowledged that the chances of a trial before the biopics released are poor unless the estate changes their tune. Producer Graham King told Variety his goal is to humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling unbiased story I can I can capture in a single feature film and let the audience decide how they feel after watching it. A leaked version of the script paints Michael as the victim in the sexual abuse cases. I mean, it's possible, I guess.

I don't know. All those sleepovers, all those witness statements. Can it really have all been innocent? Was he really Peter Pan? Or does the innocent, asexual Peter Pan only exist as a fictional character? Time Shuck Top 5 Takeaways Molly and Michael Jackson rolling on the King of Pop has been sucked. Probably, probably we're expecting to be weirder.

I don't even, I don't even know how weird it was. Um... It was weird. It was weird? Haha! Yeah. Okay. Good. Your eyes are the most weird. Oh man. My pupils are so dilated. I can, everything's so blurry. I want to come in there so bad. I bet. Lindsay, Lindsay also took Somali. I'm dying to be close to you. Oh, yay. Thanks to the Bad Magic Productions team for all the help in making Time Suck. So that's just Queen of Bad Magic, Lindsay Cummins, doing so much running operations around here. And then Tyler C. Tyler C. came back, Logan on vacation, recording this episode.

I'm so glad. Tyler has the best energy. Oh man, it's so good to see him. Tyler's doing so well right now. Thanks again to Olivia Lee, doing a great job providing initial research. Thanks to the All Seen Eyes moderating the Cult of Curious private Facebook page. The Mod Squad making sure Discord keeps running smooth. Everyone over on the Time Suck subreddit and Bad Magic subreddit, I'm just glad that some people are still interested. And now for today's updates kind of.

Updates. Get your Time Sucker updates. Okay, no messages. I didn't know if I'd be able to get through them by the time I made it to this point in the episode. Ah, Lindsey's coming in here. Her eyes are so crazy. You can pull up a chair. It's hot in here. My jaw's a little tight. So instead of having the normal updates, I just want to give the fans just a big thank you for sticking with this for seven and a half years

400 episodes Thanks for nice to touch you. Mm-hmm. Thanks for him. Give me all the support to start this, you know Like when we weren't making any money Yeah Yeah, all right. We look crazy. You should go like this I'm still doing a podcast. Oh Thanks Yeah, but thanks to everyone who's ever like, you know

told a friend about the show or bought a t-shirt or support us on patreon or just listen week after week which allows us to keep Getting sponsored and truly hope to try and do this for another hundred episodes, you know? And then, yeah, what was I going to say? I had all these things planned for this, but just, yeah, just so grateful. Just been very grateful this year to be able to recharge. I'm feeling the most, the healthiest I've felt in a long time. Creatively recharged. I've got a lot of good messages from fans about how like the show is sounding tighter,

better than ever, more fun. It's been fun to do the Short S and so fun to do nightmare fuel if you haven't listened on the scared to death feed. These little fictional stories have been such a blast to do. Yeah, just like so grateful. So grateful to have gotten another 100 episodes in. And yeah, that's, that I'll I'll stop with the updates We're gonna go we're gonna go home and hang out and cuddle hail Nimrod. Oh this button We all did I Feel compelled I think I forgot to say it but but if you're, you know, use fentanyl testing strips. Don't be reckless with this stuff. You know, Molly or anything else, be careful.

Thanks for listening to another Bad Magic Productions podcast. Scared to death, Time Suck each week. Short Sucks, Nightmare Fuel on Time Suck and Scared to Death podcast feeds seven weeks. Please don't become the most successful musician in history this week. Then use your fame and money to, at the the very least have creepy-ass sleepovers with little kids and your fucking chimpanzee all in bed together eating candy looking at porn. Just keep kids out of your bed and keep on sucking. How did it seem to go? Oh yeah, you don't, you're not a good perspective. Tyler, you said it was weird? It was more just like serious stares with serious eyes and a lot of bobbles, a lot of up and down bobbles.

Okay. A lot of nodding. Yeah. A lot of nodding. Okay. Okay. I was worried that you were going to hit the wrong link multiple times. Oh yeah. Yeah. I think I, that I felt pretty good about pulling off. Yeah. It was solid though. It wasn't, it wasn't too weird. Okay. Okay. Good. Also you could tell it wasn't normal. Okay. Uh, now let's, let's, let's listen to one more song for a guy, uh, who didn't seem to have a lot of sexual interest in women in real life. Man, he could write a good song about a man wanting to perform one.

I think Lindsay and I are going to go home and listen to some of his music. Oh yeah, you can't really hear it because it's in my headphones. Ah, such a good song. Well, words are escaping me. I want you to know that I was not in the last video Yeah, the captions Make me feel It is really fun to go hee hee hee, make those little noises Oh man, Michael, why? He's so cool here So, oh man, this is right before he had too much plastic surgery

Man, I know So, oh man, this was right before he had too much plastic surgery. Man, I know, I do feel sorry for him. Ugh, okay, that's all. Bye!