King of Pop Michael Jackson is regarded as one of the most influential artists in history. His impact went beyond being a dancer, singer, writer, and businessman. The Indiana native revolutionized pop music and became a leading figure of the late 20th century.
Beyond his stellar career, his personal life was controversial, including unusual eating habits and specific food preferences while traveling. Jackson was a picky eater who often requested the same comfort foods on flights. KFC meals were regularly part of his in-flight routine.
A detailed account of Michael Jackson’s diet and lifestyle was recorded in a book titled Michael Jackson Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones. It reportedly claimed that Jackson had several unusual requests during his touring years, including a habit of drinking wine disguised inside Diet Coke cans.
For breakfast, Jones said Jackson allegedly preferred KFC original chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, scrambled eggs with strawberry jelly, gravy, and spray butter.
He aimed to eat healthy and sometimes chose lighter options like salmon lox, low-fat wheat bagels, low-fat cream cheese, and fruit plates with oranges, grapes, apples, and bananas.
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The pop star began his career at age five or six in 1964 with his brothers as the Jackson 5, created by his father Joseph Jackson. He toured with them and achieved great success. When his solo career took off, he began his first tour on Sept. 12, 1987, after releasing his seventh studio album, Bad, which was a massive commercial hit.
While on tour, Michael Jackson’s food habits and schedule were mostly erratic because concerts demanded a high level of physical fitness and energy. Although he loved fried chicken and quick takeaway orders, he often preferred vegetarian options during tours, including tofu with pepper sauce, lasagna, steamed broccoli, and fresh fruits.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s lunch and dinner requests reportedly remained similar, centered around KFC chicken, corn on the cob, and potatoes. He did not have a sweet tooth and rarely asked for desserts except on rare occasions and on Sundays. Instead of sweets, Jackson opted for gum, mints, or whole fruit, Jones stated in her book.
The Beat It singer loved potatoes and made sure to include them in his meals. However, reports said he often forgot to eat on time and had to be reminded by staff to finish his meals because he was focused on his dance performances during tours.
According to ABC News, Jackson reportedly ate limited items and made sure to dance off his calories (quite literally). “He was just careful about what he ate; he just tried to be healthy,” said Kevin McLin, a family friend and Jackson’s former publicist.
“He ate turkey burgers, Chinese food, a lot of vegetables. He always tried to eat healthy stuff. He tried to stay away from red meat,” he added.
However, several other reports told a different story. One included an interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach around 2000–2001, in which Jackson spoke about experiencing what he called “serious food crises” as he reached peak stardom.
“I go through these serious food crises when I could go weeks without eating. I take stuff to keep weight on. What turns me off is that I don´t like eating anything that used to be alive and now it´s dead on my plate. I want to be a strict vegetarian, but my doctors keep trying to throw in chicken a fish,” he said.
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In a separate account, Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, described her observations of her son’s long-standing disinterest in food. She recalled that even as a child, he would often skip treats like hot fudge sundaes, claiming he simply was not hungry.
She claimed he developed a negative approach toward food after he became a pop star. Many speculated that he had an alleged eating disorder, but it was never publicly confirmed.
Meanwhile, Katherine Jackson also remembered her son saying things like, “If I didn’t eat to live, I’d never eat.” She also said he sometimes fasted once a week. He described this as a way of “cleansing” his body. Despite this, he could still be highly active during fasting periods. He continued to dance and rehearse for long hours.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009. The final autopsy later revealed a range of medical issues and prescription drug use, which created additional legal disputes surrounding his death.
