News - 16 Dec `21Michael Jackson's Vitiligo Confession

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In 1993, Oprah Winfrey made history by conducting the most-watched interview in television history. It was an exclusive talk with Michael Jackson who had refused to be interviewed for 14 years. 90 million people tuned in for the sit-down chat at the King of Pop's Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, California. Winfrey called it "the most exciting interview" she'd ever done. After all, Jackson agreed to talk about anything. He didn't even discuss the questions with the host prior to the big moment. It was the candid conversation fans had been dying to see. But at some point, they thought Winfrey had botched the interview.

One of the first controversies Winfrey brought up during the interview was the color of Jackson's skin. "Are you bleaching your skin? Is your skin lighter because you don't like being black?" she asked the singer. The Thriller hitmaker seemed hurt about the accusations. "As I know of, there's no such thing as skin bleaching," he answered. "I have never seen it. I don't know what it is... This is the situation — I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It's something I cannot help. But when people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me." Jackson's voice started to break. "I can't control it," he added. "Let's reverse it, what about all the millions of people who sit out in the sun to become darker, to become other than what they are? Nobody says anything about that." Winfrey didn't stop to acknowledge how painful the question was for Jackson.

A fan even tweeted: "Through woeful questioning, after suffering for years, Michael Jackson had the courage to tell Oprah & the world in 93 he had vitiligo. Did she show any empathy? Did the media ever pare back on the relentless attacks about him? No. It just became worse." Many fans agree.

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