Prince Jackson Says Dad Michael Jackson Had 'Insecurity' Over His Vitiligo
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00:00 he had a lot of insecurity around kind of looking blotchy.
00:04 - Prince Jackson is opening up about his late father,
00:06 Michael Jackson struggles with his physical appearance.
00:10 The 26 year old was on a recent episode
00:13 of the Hot Boxing with Mike Tyson podcast
00:15 and spoke about Michael's vitiligo,
00:17 a condition that causes the skin
00:19 to lose color or pigmentation.
00:22 In the candid episode, Prince reveals
00:24 when he first learned about the condition
00:25 and shut down any rumors about his famous dad's appearance.
00:29 - When I was younger, you know,
00:30 he was always explained to me, speaking about that.
00:33 He had a skin condition called vitiligo.
00:36 It had been kind of an,
00:39 I don't know what the actual medical term is.
00:41 I'm trying to get into it.
00:42 - So I'm hearing from you, that is real.
00:44 This is officially not a rumor.
00:45 - Yeah, yeah.
00:46 I think it was even on the autopsy report.
00:48 So there was things, I think the cause of it,
00:50 it's up for speculation, but it's either vitiligo
00:55 or some form of lupus that contributed to the vitiligo.
00:59 - He then got into detail about the impact
01:01 the skin condition had on his dad's self-esteem.
01:04 - He had a lot of insecurity around kind of looking blotchy
01:07 in his appearance.
01:08 So he wanted to see if he could, you know,
01:10 smooth out his appearance to help with his security
01:14 on his, I guess, physical appearance.
01:16 You know, I think the glowing may have probably
01:18 also had something to do with it
01:19 'cause he was visionary, I guess,
01:21 in the way that he thought, right?
01:23 - Michael died in June, 2009, when Prince was 12 years old.
01:27 While chatting with Mike,
01:28 the producer admitted he's still learning about his dad.
01:31 - He was very interesting.
01:34 You know, we were doing a lot of research.
01:35 Personally, I'm doing a lot of research on him
01:37 and just learning a lot about his history.
01:39 And there's so much to cover, right?
01:40 It goes back to early '70s, late '60s.
01:43 And when you see the performances and like on the "Bad" tour,
01:47 the "Dangerous" tour, you see it from his perspective
01:51 when he's looking out
01:52 and it's just a sea of people watching him.
01:53 And I always wondered, doing that night after night,
01:57 month after month, what impact does that have on you?
02:01 - Super distinct. - You know, to see a sea
02:02 of people just singing your lyrics back to you
02:05 and wanting to reach out and touch you, whatever it is,
02:08 just being mesmerized,
02:09 the impact of that has gotta be very profound.
02:13 - Recently, Prince and his younger brother, Biggie,
02:15 who used to be known by his nickname, Blanket,
02:18 honored their dad at the Michael Jackson
02:19 Blue Sapphire birthday celebration.
02:22 Biggie's appearance at the event was a rare one
02:24 as the family has mainly kept him out of the public eye
02:27 since his father's death.
02:29 Their sister, Paris Jackson, wasn't at the celebration,
02:32 but that doesn't mean she isn't close to her family.
02:35 In October 2022, AXIS Hollywood spoke to Prince
02:39 at the annual Thriller Night Halloween party,
02:41 and he gushed over his relationship with his siblings.
02:45 - Love your costume. - Thank you, thank you.
02:47 I love yours. - What was the inspiration?
02:49 - During the pandemic, my girlfriend and I
02:51 got really into "Mario Brothers," and I was always Mario
02:54 and she was always Peach, so we said, "Let's do it."
02:57 - I love it, I love it.
02:58 So how does it be here to honor your father's song,
03:01 reaching such a milestone?
03:02 Must be extra special knowing your father's musical legacy.
03:05 - 100%, 100%.
03:07 We were talking about it with my team in the morning.
03:10 You can feel it in the air.
03:11 There's this electricity, it's just incredible.
03:13 I wasn't here when "Thriller" was made,
03:15 but a lot of my cousins were here.
03:17 A lot of people who were on this property were here,
03:19 and to hear their stories, and here we are 40 years later,
03:23 like you said, it's a monumental achievement.
03:25 - Totally, do you ever see a world
03:27 where you and your siblings
03:28 might release music together someday?
03:30 - Oh, definitely not for myself.
03:32 - Not a singer? - No, definitely not.
03:34 I can't say anything for my brother,
03:36 but my sister has her own fantastic musical career.
03:38 - I love that, and yes, fans love the bond
03:40 you share with your siblings.
03:42 How does it feel having that close-knit family
03:45 tie in with your siblings?
03:46 - Family's important, it's what we were raised with,
03:48 and it's a community that we can always rely on,
03:52 and for that reason, it's an honor
03:54 to have that bond with them.
03:55 I feel supported, I know that I support them,
03:58 and it's just such an incredible relationship.
04:01 - I love that, and obviously, you're dressed as Mario.
04:04 Are your siblings coordinating with you tonight?
04:06 - No, my girlfriend is coordinating with me tonight.
04:08 I don't know what my sister is gonna be,
04:10 and I don't know what my brother's gonna be,
04:12 so I have a feeling my brother's gonna be something
04:14 that you won't recognize him in, so he can hide.
04:16 He's very incognito like that,
04:18 but my sister always does a really awesome costume,
04:21 so I'm excited to see what she comes in.
04:22 - Oh my gosh, I can't wait.
04:23 So do you have any fun memories of Halloween
04:25 growing up with your dad and siblings?
04:26 - Yes, yes, when we were younger,
04:29 when we didn't go out to trick or treat,
04:31 my dad used to come in with bags filled with,
04:33 like garbage bags filled with candy,
04:35 and we used to trade them around
04:36 while we were on the arcade room floor,
04:38 or the game table floor,
04:40 and it's just such a great holiday,
04:43 because I feel like nobody takes themselves seriously
04:46 when you're in costume, you know what I mean?
04:47 And it brings down those barriers,
04:49 so I feel like it rekindles that inner child,
04:52 which is what my father is all about,
04:53 so it just emulates that feeling.
04:55 - Totally.
04:56 Okay, and we spoke to Ola Ray,
04:58 who starred as your father's girlfriend
04:59 in the famous Thriller music video,
05:02 and she told us what it was like seeing him do his thing.
05:05 We have a little video right here for you.
05:07 - It was so exciting watching him.
05:09 He was so powerful, and just, he was such a perfectionist.
05:13 He kept saying, "Okay, let's do it again,
05:14 "let's do it again, let's do it again."
05:16 - What's it like hearing that
05:17 from someone who works so closely with him?
05:19 - That is, from my experience with my father,
05:21 that describes him very, very well,
05:23 and from other people that I've connected with recently
05:25 that knew my father, that worked with my father,
05:27 he was a perfectionist,
05:29 and I think that's what made him so great,
05:30 his attention to detail and his dedication
05:32 to getting it right.
05:33 - Totally, and I heard also, he's such a prankster.
05:36 Did he pull any crazy pranks on you guys
05:39 when you guys were younger?
05:40 - Yes, when he actually showed us the Thriller music video,
05:42 he told us it was real,
05:44 and then started acting like he was transforming,
05:45 and my sister and I ran out the room.
05:47 - Stop.
05:48 - Yeah, yeah, it was terrifying.
05:49 - Total freak out?
05:50 - Terrifying, thought it was real.
05:51 - Good, I love that.
05:52 Well, thank you so much, friends.
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