Michael Jackson dominated the music world in the 1980s. His reign brought him the biggest-selling album of all time with “Thriller.” His influence broke racial barriers and created the formula for every pop star that came after him. Jackson became known around the world as the King of Pop.

When Jackson reached such stratospheric lengths, rumors about his private life began circulating. For years, Jackson rarely commented on such stories. However, he decided to sit down with Oprah Winfrey for a live televised interview in 1993 to clear up the gossip.

It was during that live broadcast that Oprah Winfrey cut to a commercial as soon as possible when the two were unexpectedly interrupted.

Michael Opened Up To Oprah About His Childhood And Skin Condition
During Jackson’s interview with Winfrey, he opened up about his father Joseph. According to Jackson, his father was physically abusive. He also called Jackson “ugly” and made fun of his appearance. Jackson said that he was sad when he was growing up and that he cried every day.

Joseph’s unkind words only magnified Jackson’s insecurities, especially in regard to his teenage acne. Jackson told Winfrey that going through puberty was difficult, especially in front of the public eye. He said that he felt judged by the public at that time, because he was no longer the child they were introduced to.

These insecurities about his physical appearance only magnified when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. The condition causes skin to lose pigmentation. Jackson was subjected to rumors for years, suggesting he was bleaching his skin. His interview with Winfrey marked the first time he opened up about his vitiligo.

“It is something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me,” Jackson tearfully said. “It’s a problem for me. I can’t control it. But what about all the millions of people who sit in the sun to become darker, to become other than what they are? Nobody says nothing about that.”

Jackson also said that his father told him it runs in his side of the family. After the interview aired, Jackson’s dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, released a statement to the press at Jackson’s request. The statement said that Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1986.

Michael Cleared Up A Rumor That He Wanted A White Child To Play Him In A Pepsi Commercial
Jackson’s interview with Winfrey was part of the promotional campaign for his 1991 “Dangerous” album. In 1992, Jackson embarked on his “Dangerous World Tour,” which saw him performing across the globe to his devoted fans.

Pepsi was the tour’s sponsor and Jackson agreed to film a commercial for the soft drink company, as he had in the past. The commercial featured an adult Jackson playing “I’ll Be There” on the piano when a child version of Jackson appears and starts singing along. The child version of Jackson can be seen standing in the doorway and performing the song.

Before the commercial aired, rumors began spreading that Jackson hired a white child to play a younger version of himself. The child was said to have had his skin digitally darkened with Jackson’s face as a child superimposed on his body. These rumors began circulating a month before Jackson admitted his vitiligo to Winfrey.

Winfrey mentioned the rumor and asked Jackson if it were true, to which Jackson responded by saying it was “ridiculous” and “horrifying.”

“Number one, it’s my face as a child in the commercial,” Jackson said. “Me, when I was little. Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a Black American. I’m proud to be a Black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. … That’s like you [Oprah] wanting an oriental person to play you as a child. Does that make sense?”

Oprah Cut To A Commercial During Her Live Interview With Michael When The Smoke Detector Went Off
One of the other controversies surrounding Jackson at the time was his dance moves. Winfrey told Jackson that mothers in her audience wanted to know why he grabbed his crotch on stage.

“I think it happens subliminally,” Jackson explained. “If you’re a dancer, you know you’re just interpreting the sounds and the accompaniment of the music. If there’s a driving bass, you become the bass. If there’s a cello, if there’s a string, you become that. So you become the emotion of what that sound is.”

He continued, “So if I’m doing a move and I go ‘BAM!’ and I grab myself, it’s the music that compels me to do it. You don’t think about it, it just happens. Sometimes I’ll look back at the footage and I’ll go ‘Did I do that?’ So I’m a slave to the rhythm. Okay?”

It was at that moment that Jackson’s smoke alarm started going off in the house. Winfrey immediately went to a commercial. When they returned, Winfrey explained the alarm went off because of all the lights they used to shoot the interview.

Following Jackson’s death in 2009, Winfrey remembered the moment when reacting to her interview with Jackson.

“You want to know what I was thinking? ‘What the hell was that?'” Winfrey recalled. “I don’t know what that was or why that happened in a live interview. I think it was the smoke detector that had gone off. It was crazy.”

She continued, “First of all, what I knew is you can’t continue this conversation with both of us pretending this alarm isn’t going off in the house, so you got to do something and hope that whatever it is, we can fix it in a two and a half minute break.”

“I think the f-word might have been said a few times by the director,” she said. “I think that might have happened. [laughs] I heard a couple of those over the loudspeaker.”