Michael Jackson's 1993 Interview With Oprah Winfrey About His Lightened Skin Resurfaces

Oprah Winfrey got the chance of a lifetime when she interviewed the King of Pop - Michael Jackson at his Neverland Ranch in 1993. As per The Medium, Winfrey questioned him about relationships, his sexual orientation, abuse, his changing appearance, growing up famous, and tabloid rumors.

However, the most buzzing topic was Jackson's light skin, “He kept getting whiter and whiter and whiter, and nobody understood why,” Oprah said. “Anybody who knew Michael Jackson will tell you that when you are up close to him — he had absolutely no pigmentation in his skin — you are looking at his veins when you look at his hand. You are seeing through to the blue veins, and they’re very, very apparent… You’re looking at a person who is almost translucent.” She questioned him about skin bleaching, to which Jackson responded: "I have never seen it. I don't know what it is." 

In the widely shared clip Winfrey begins: "Let's go to the thing that is most discussed about you, I think, is the fact that the color of your skin is obviously different than it was when you were younger. And so I think it has caused a great deal of speculation and controversy as to what you have done or are doing. Are you bleaching your skin? Is your skin lighter because you don't like being black? Jackson responds: "Okay, number one, there, as I know of, there is no such thing as skin bleaching."

He continues: "I have never seen it. Well, they used to have those products growing up, I used to hear, always use bleach and glow, but you'd have to have about $300,000 to..Okay, number one, this is the situation. I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It's something that I cannot help, okay? But when people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. So, it is, it's a problem for me, okay? I can't control it."

Fans expressed their mixed reactions by resharing the video clip on a popular Reddit forum, @je.stitchery wrote: "Was there ever a question that he probably didn't enjoy being himself? I mean, the cycle of abuse in the Jackson family alone would be more than enough."

@Vercetti1701 recalled an incident: "Years ago I worked at a record store and a lady came up and asked 'Do you have any CDs by that white man who used to be black?' Not sure how she didn't know his name but it is also odd looking back that I knew exactly who she was talking about." @CapeManiak shared: "Vitiligo doesn’t normally change the entire face or neck or arms etc. It’s usually blotchy. But there are some cases called universal vitiligo that does in fact affect the entire body or close to it." 

@neeto_mosqueeto criticized Winfrey for her insensitive questions: "Fucking Oprah seriously. She was such a hack during that interview (and many others) that all she did was repeat what her interviewee had just answered. Anyway, she was so ridiculous at that interview. This isn’t even the worst of it. When she asks a 30-something-year-old man about whether he’s a virgin… fucking cringe and disgusting."