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The "Michael" biopic may tell his story, but it's leaving out quite a lot. Join us as we count down the most significant details barely touched upon or completely omitted from Michael Jackson's 2026 biographical film! From his early solo career and behind-the-scenes of "Thriller," to Joe Jackson's secret family and the history of allegations, there's plenty the film glosses over.
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00:00Ready whenever you are, Michael.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're looking at significant details about Michael Jackson's early life
00:10that were barely touched upon or outright omitted from his 2026 biopic.
00:15There will be some spoilers.
00:17It's only a movie.
00:19It's not funny.
00:22Number 10. Michael's early solo career.
00:25I just have all these songs in my head.
00:30You wanna be a man?
00:32Just gotta get him out.
00:33The film implies that throughout his childhood,
00:35Michael Jackson was exclusively part of a group act.
00:38Upon reaching adulthood, we see Michael break free as a solo artist
00:42with albums like Off The Wall and Thriller.
00:45Those albums marked major turning points in Michael's career,
00:48but they were far from his first solo efforts.
00:51His first solo studio album was 1972's Got To Be There,
00:55which Michael recorded while he was still a young teenager.
01:07Michael recorded three more solo studio albums before Off The Wall.
01:11While Michael didn't have as much creative freedom on his first four albums,
01:15he was already branching out from the family act.
01:18The film fast forwards through this portion of his life,
01:20with only a handful of hits being played.
01:24Then most people would turn you away.
01:30Number 9. Behind the Scenes of Thriller.
01:33Bang!
01:33Wrong.
01:34Michael, look, look, look.
01:36Wrong, wrong, wrong.
01:37You didn't land at all where you're supposed to land.
01:39I know.
01:39Alright, not only did you not land where you're supposed to land,
01:42but you landed badly.
01:43You have to land, look.
01:44You have to bend your leg.
01:46You have to act.
01:46We briefly see Michael filming Thriller, but the biopic doesn't get into any of the iconic
01:51videos behind the scenes stories.
01:53According to director John Landis, the budget rose to $500,000,
01:58about 10 times more than the average music video back then.
02:01So I said to Michael, listen, Michael, I'd love to make something more elaborate,
02:06which Michael picked up on because that's what he wanted to do.
02:09His whole thing was, we gotta be good.
02:10It's gotta be great.
02:11It's gotta be big.
02:12The bit.
02:13Although the suits weren't interested in bankrolling what they considered a, quote,
02:17vanity video, funds were raised by packaging Thriller with a making-of documentary and selling it.
02:22When his parents dropped by the set, Michael supposedly asked Landis to have his father removed,
02:27which Joseph denies.
02:29Several other big names passed through the set, including Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando,
02:34Rock Hudson, and the former first lady, Jackie Kennedy.
02:38The video also commenced a feud with narrator Vincent Price,
02:41who regretted only accepting a flat fee.
02:43For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller.
02:54Number eight, Michael's early relationships.
02:57While it takes place before either of his marriages,
03:00the film tiptoes around Michael Jackson's love life.
03:03Some sources say that Michael's first girlfriend was a then-teenage Tatum O'Neill,
03:07although she claims they had a platonic relationship.
03:10Because we did a lot of talking on the phone because he was always on the road.
03:13What era was this?
03:14We're talking Dynasty.
03:15That was his first record with the Jacksons.
03:18So it was pre-off the wall.
03:21Pre-off the wall.
03:22So I'm 14.
03:23Okay.
03:23But I had met him when I was 13.
03:24He also supposedly kept things platonic with Brooke Shields, who met Jackson as a young teen.
03:30According to Shields, dating, quote, terrified Jackson.
03:33There was an arrest to development, I believe. And he was sort of truncated emotionally as a
03:41little kid. And he was childlike, but in many ways.
03:47Tony winner Stephanie Mills reportedly dated Jackson for about a year and a half.
03:51Ola Ray, who appeared as Jackson's girlfriend in the thriller video,
03:55had a real life fling with him as well. Reflecting on their relationship, Ray said,
03:59quote,
04:00I won't say that I've seen him in his birthday suit, but close enough.
04:04Kissing and puppy love makeout sessions and a little more than that.
04:07What point did you realize you were falling in love with him?
04:10When we did the dance scene, when he had to walk around me and flirt with me.
04:16Just coming from out of the movie theaters, when we did the, I did the little walk,
04:20to the beach. He had to dance around me and flirt with me. That was when I was like, oh
04:26my god.
04:27Number seven, playing the scarecrow in The Wiz.
04:30Michael Jackson didn't make a ton of feature film appearances.
04:34When he did, Jackson usually played himself.
04:37An exception was starring as the scarecrow in the 1978 film version of The Wiz.
04:52While the cult film wasn't a huge hit upon release,
04:55it did play an important role in Jackson's solo career.
04:58The musical led to Jackson working with Quincy Jones, who oversaw the soundtrack.
05:03Although Jones initially had doubts about Jackson's casting,
05:06he was convinced shortly after meeting him.
05:08He was amazing, though, because he knew everybody's lines, every line in the movie
05:13Michael memorized it. He knew every word of dialogue, lyrics, dance steps, everything.
05:20He just absorbed everything. And I started to see a maturity in him that I respected.
05:25He was so impressed that when Jackson inquired about producers who might be interested in the album
05:30that ultimately became Off The Wall, Jones offered his services.
05:34Kendrick Sampson makes a cameo as Jones, but the film eases on past his collaborations with Michael.
05:40What on those albums, Thriller for example, is you?
05:45You know, you have his music, some of his writing, some of his influence.
05:48No, no, no, no, man, but look, we take his stuff and take it to another level.
05:52Number 6. Performing in Strip Clubs
05:55Y'all wanna work in a steel mill like me for the rest of your days?
05:58No, sir.
05:59Yeah, cause I sure as hell don't.
06:00This is very much the PG-13 version of Michael Jackson's life.
06:04During their youth, we see Michael and his brothers performing in public.
06:08What the film doesn't share is that some of those venues were strip clubs.
06:12Bring on the girl!
06:13Alright everybody! The moment you've been waiting for!
06:17Our twirly girly!
06:19Before Michael was even 10, his father allowed him to watch from the wings as women undressed on stage.
06:25Michael was exposed to sexual acts backstage as well.
06:28When the brothers were on tour, Jermaine Jackson reportedly had sex with women he brought back to their room,
06:34where Michael and Marlon were told to act like they were sleeping.
06:37The brothers also looked through a peephole into the ladies' bathroom while performing in Chicago,
06:42receiving protest from Michael.
06:44Someone said, hold on! Stop! This person deserved their privacy. You are not allowed to go there.
06:50The film, meanwhile, is stripped of virtually any sexual references.
06:54Number 5. The Jacksons Were Jehovah's Witnesses
06:57We don't celebrate holidays and birthdays so much. Our parents are Jehovah's Witnesses.
07:02I don't know anything about Jehovah's Witnesses.
07:05Although Joe Jackson didn't share his wife's spiritual beliefs,
07:09Katherine Jackson was a devout Jehovah's Witness. As such, she brought up her children in the Jehovah's
07:14Witness faith. The film makes no mention of Michael's religious history or how the church would
07:19eventually clash with his craft. I have something I want to tell you.
07:23Yes, Michael?
07:26I'm not like other guys.
07:28Shortly before the Thriller music video made its debut, Jehovah's Witness leaders threatened to
07:33excommunicate Jackson for promoting, quote,
07:35demonology. Jackson thus ordered John Branca to destroy the video's negative.
07:40Branca ultimately persuaded Jackson to put a disclaimer in front of the video instead.
07:45While Jackson claimed he was still a Jehovah's Witness in 2001,
07:48it was reported in 1987 that he had, quote,
07:52disassociated himself from the faith, with the Thriller incident likely being a factor.
07:56But they will possess you, unless you chose that number on the drive.
08:02Number 4. Michael's Siblings
08:04We need to capitalize on Michael's success.
08:08Because the Jackson family is the brand.
08:10That's our Coca-Cola.
08:12And we need to start selling.
08:13Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon are seen performing alongside Michael,
08:17but the other four members of the Jackson 5 are essentially glorified extras here.
08:22Aside from a passing mention that Jermaine left the group to go solo,
08:26the film doesn't explore the personal or professional lives of Michael's brothers.
08:30We got lucky our first four records went to number one.
08:32And our first time to Europe was just incredible.
08:36It was just amazing.
08:37What did the second record do, Marlon?
08:39Jermaine, leave me alone.
08:42Sister Latoya Jackson pops up,
08:44although the film doesn't get into her singing career and complications with her family.
08:49Those are just the Jackson siblings who appear in the film.
08:51It completely disregards Michael's eldest sibling, Reby,
08:55as well as his two youngest siblings, Randy and Janet,
08:58the latter of whom has been vocal about her issues with this biopic.
09:01Also never mentioned is Brandon, Marlon's twin brother, who died shortly after being born.
09:07Life goes on, but it's never going to be the same.
09:12Number 3. Michael's Many Surgeries and Health Issues
09:16I've had no plastic surgery on my face, just my nose.
09:20It helps me breathe better so I can hit higher notes.
09:24But are you Michael, are you honestly saying that you've only ever had one operation?
09:29Two.
09:30You've had two?
09:31As I can remember.
09:33The film doesn't ignore the fact that Michael Jackson had plastic surgery and various health issues,
09:37like vitiligo. It only scratches the surface of Jackson's medical history, however.
09:42The script also plays around with some details, implying that Michael had his first nose job for vanity purposes.
09:48My nose is too wide.
09:52Fans suspect me in the side and look another way, like I did when I was little.
09:57According to biographer Randy Taraborelli, it was due to an accident after falling off a stage.
10:03While reports have varied on how many rhinoplasties Jackson had,
10:06he supposedly underwent his third after the Pepsi commercial accident.
10:10That incident is depicted, but it only touches upon the aftermath.
10:14Michael is seen making a triumphant comeback to the stage.
10:18Between his growing dependence on painkillers and ongoing cosmetic procedures, though,
10:23it's debatable if he ever truly recovered from the fire.
10:26It burned him so badly, his hair wouldn't grow back in the top of his head.
10:30And he didn't like that part of it.
10:36Joe Jackson doesn't come off as the most affectionate father or husband in Michael,
10:41but the film avoids discussing arguably the patriarch's biggest scandal.
10:45In addition to having extramarital affairs, Jackson fathered a child with Cheryl Terrell.
10:50When I was born, my father was 46 years old and my mother was 26. So, you know, in a
10:57sense,
10:57that he was really, he had become Joe Jackson, you know what I mean? And he was a lot slower,
11:05but he was very, very, very strict. I say that three times for emphasis.
11:11Meeting in the early 70s, Jackson and Terrell had an affair that lasted nearly 25 years.
11:16When Jackson told one family he was on business trips, he was actually visiting Terrell and their
11:22daughter Giovanni, who lived about five miles away.
11:25You're a liar. And you're a cheat. And I don't want you.
11:32No, I don't want you. I don't want you. I don't want you. I don't want you. I don't want
11:36you. I don't
11:37want you no more.
11:38It's unclear when exactly Katherine Jackson learned about her husband's second family.
11:42In any case, they remained married until Joe's death in 2018. Although Katherine filed for divorce
11:48once in 1973 and again in 1982. Around the time her father died, Giovanni published a book,
11:55Bastard Child.
11:56My sister Latoya went out her way to be messy and tell me that that's how I was referred to
12:03in the house.
12:04Number one, Michael's history of allegations. Initially, the third act of Michael was
12:10reportedly going to explore the allegations that Jordan Chandler brought against Jackson in 1993.
12:15Upon realizing they legally couldn't depict Chandler or his family, the filmmakers supposedly
12:20reworked the finale.
12:21I shall not in this statement respond to all of the false allegations being made against me,
12:26since my lawyers have advised me that this is not the proper forum in which to do that.
12:31While there are conflicting reports on what happened behind the scenes,
12:34the film ultimately overlooks any troubling accusations that Jackson faced.
12:38This includes his alleged history with accusers James Safechuck and Wade Robson,
12:43both of whom Jackson reportedly met between 1986 and 1987.
13:05The film ends around that time with the release of Bad. Maybe if Michael does get a sequel as the
13:11ending teases,
13:12it'll delve into Jackson's future trials. Even if it does, there will likely be debate about what is and isn't
13:19left out.
13:20I need to think.
13:22I told you what to think.
13:24What did you think of Michael? Let us know in the comments.
13:27What did you think of Michael's side effects?
13:31What did you think of Michael's side effects?
13:34Have a great video.
13:34We're going to see Michael.
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