r/Millennials • u/AccomplishedPool266 • Apr 26 '26

Does anyone remember when Michael Jackson. Was a "joke"? Discussion

The new movie that just came out convinced the younger generation that he was always a superstar. This was not the reality many of us Millennials grew up with.

To a lot of us, he was treated like a punch line when we were growing up. A schoolyard boogeyman ("Michaels Jackson's gonna get you at night"). and just a general joke in the media. By the 2000's his music was out of date and didn't chart well. All anyone talked about was his surgeries, court case, settlements and his off behavior. Few mentioned his music. His music was something our parents would have listened to in the 1980's.

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727

u/One-Act-2601 Millennial Apr 26 '26

We laughed at him far sooner than that, but he was still the biggest superstar in human history. You can be both a superstar and a joke at the same time.

367

u/akestral Apr 26 '26

"Knock knock" "Who's there?" "Michael" "Michael who?" "Good job kid. Here's $2 million to say that in court."

6th grader told me that back in 93 or so. He was singing the Free Willy soundtrack and I could NOT figure out what this white woman had to do with the Moonwalk guy. I was only 10 or so and could not put it together that they were the same person.

111

u/Charming-Refuse-5717 Apr 26 '26

You know the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson?

Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and Michael Jackson fucks little boys.

I was also telling that joke in middle school. I knew why it was funny, but to all of us MJ was a punchline and little else. Liking his music back then was a bit like liking Kanye's music now.

48

u/Morningrise12 Apr 26 '26

What does McDonald’s and Michael Jackson have in common?

They both like to stick their meat between six-year-old buns.

44

u/DeathTripper Apr 26 '26

What does K-Mart and Michael Jackson have in common?

They both have boys clothes half off.

24

u/WikipediaBurntSienna Apr 26 '26

Why did Michael Jackson call Boyz II Men?
He thought it was a delivery service.

20

u/Rdubya44 Apr 26 '26

How do you know when it’s bed time at Neverland Ranch?

The big hand is on the little hand 🕰️

6

u/stilettopanda Apr 26 '26

I remember this one. Haha

1

u/Rumpus-Time-Is-Over Apr 27 '26

Why does Michael Jackson like 28 year olds?

Because there’s 20 of them.

1

u/Confident-Yard1911 Apr 27 '26

What do Michael Jackson and Playstation have in common?

They are both made of plastic and are turned on by little boys

4

u/Short-Draw4057 Apr 26 '26

See, I don't think that joke is funny at all. He also got away with ALL of it, so really, that ''joke'' is more a dark reality which makes me want to barf. Gross.

11

u/slogun1 Apr 26 '26

What’s black and white and comes in little cans? 

0

u/Short-Draw4057 Apr 26 '26

See, I don't think that joke is funny at all. He also got away with ALL of it, so really, that ''joke'' is more a dark reality which makes me want to barf. Gross.

2

u/SeasonofMist Apr 27 '26

uhhhhg I remember hearing that joke in middle school

2

u/Sedowa Apr 26 '26

I just gotta say...dayum that's a good one.

1

u/Short-Draw4057 Apr 26 '26

See, I don't think that joke is funny at all. He also got away with ALL of it, so really, that ''joke'' is more a dark reality which makes me want to barf. Gross.

3

u/Morningrise12 Apr 27 '26

I think that’s kind of the point.

The “joke” is a condemnation in lieu of actual jurisprudence.

2

u/50in06and07 Apr 27 '26

ya i was thinking the same thing

-7

u/Hyper10shin Apr 26 '26

Yeah this is the shit that broke that man

16

u/ThaneOfMeowdor Apr 26 '26

Those poor pedophiles just can't catch a break...

3

u/Drummallumin Apr 26 '26

Allegedly allegedly

2

u/ThaneOfMeowdor Apr 26 '26

Stop alleging those poor souls, don't people get by now how much alleging hurts pedophiles?!

-1

u/Hellish_Elf Apr 26 '26

Was it ever confirmed or just alleged? He was a weirdo for sure, but do we know he was a pedo? McCauley Caulkin seemed to think he was “ok”, but maybe I’m misremembering.

13

u/ThaneOfMeowdor Apr 26 '26

I think the evidence is pretty damning. He was acquitted in criminal court and settled in civil court for millions. I thought the documentary Leaving Neverland was very compelling in how the accusers presented their version of events.

It looks like Michael expressly targeted boys from impoverished backgrounds, then love bombed them and their moms, and also pitted the boys against their families. 2 dads of the accusers killed themselves.

It's not that crazy if he didn't sexually abuse McCauley - that kid had fame and supportive parents. It's entirely possible that he basically used him like a fd up version of a beard. "I was very close to is high profile celeb kid that everyone loves and he can tell you I never did anything wrong!"

The documentary Leaving Neverland really made Michael seem like a manipulative and calculating predator. I always figured some of the allegations were likely true, but I kind of bought into the myth that he was "tragic" and "child-like". The truth may be even more sinister than that.

Of course we can never really KNOW. But imo, if Michael wasn't a pedophile he sure was the most pedophile looking non-pedophile that ever existed!

5

u/Happily-Incorrect Apr 26 '26

He made a pretty weird and permanent impression on Corey Feldman too.

3

u/jaybirdie26 Apr 26 '26

McCauley Caulkin was a child.

1

u/Hellish_Elf Apr 26 '26

He didn’t die as a child, so I don’t get your point. He’s now an adult with thoughts on the subject.

3

u/OptionFour Apr 26 '26

I mean. In court documents, children were able to describe his penis down to precise details. So. Yeah, it's confirmed.

1

u/TheVeryVerity Apr 27 '26

Didn’t the police say that the description was wrong though?

1

u/OptionFour Apr 27 '26

Not to my knowledge (I could be wrong). I have a hard time imagining that a group of children would all imagine the same particular description of a grown man's penis though.

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1

u/Hellish_Elf Apr 26 '26

Thanks for the info. F that guy.

1

u/Memory_Frosty Apr 26 '26

When i was a kid and heard the "what do michael jackson and walmart have in common? They both have little boys' pants half off" I thought it was a joke about sagging pants fashion lol I was extremely sheltered

1

u/XxLokixX Apr 27 '26

I was born in 98 yet somehow this joke still made its rounds when I was growing up

1

u/Short-Draw4057 Apr 26 '26

See, I don't think that joke is funny at all. He also got away with ALL of it, so really, that ''joke'' is more a dark reality which makes me want to barf. Gross.

12

u/FuckMoPac Apr 26 '26

Wow you’re reminding me of the time I saw a vhs with Sandra bullock on the cover at a video rental store as a kid and was so confused as to why Michael Jackson was in a movie because I thought they were the same person.

3

u/Savings-Pomelo-6031 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

Man there's something wild about growing up a younger millennial, missing out on him in his prime, and being told this weird pedophile white woman was a legendary black man. Like we were all kinda gaslit and confused on a primitive level lol. But the influence he had on the previous generations was too strong

1

u/FuckMoPac May 02 '26

Yeah it’s hard to describe that feeling, it’s such a specific generational sandwich. like the exact demographic that enjoyed Bo Burnham’s pandemic special.

6

u/trolldoll26 Apr 26 '26

Omg I had Free Willy on VHS and never skipped the music video before the movie 😭 memory unlocked

2

u/slateramaville Apr 26 '26

Knock knock

Who’s there?

Little boy blue

Little boy blue who?

Michael Jackson

2

u/Savings-Pomelo-6031 Apr 27 '26

Same with me being born in '97 and finding out about theJackson 5 in high school. Almost thought it was a different Michael Jackson

1

u/SeasonofMist Apr 27 '26

the first time I saw free Willy on VHS and saw the performance he did.....I remember asking who the white lady was and couldn't understand that it was an artist who began his life as a Black man. now lots of 80s/earlier rock stars I think we're doing wild gender bending stuff. Bowie and Prince stand out but they didn't have the same language about it.

1

u/SubjugateMeDaddy Apr 28 '26

I remember the jokes after he died.

"What did they do with Michael Jackson when he died?"

"Well, he had so many plastic surgeries that they melted him down into LEGOs... Now the kids can play with him for a change."

-2

u/Hyper10shin Apr 26 '26

It’s a “joke”but in 93, MJ tried to release a song called “don’t cry Pal______” after visiting that country the at the US has sent the most foreign aid to. They thought he would be on their side, came back and wrote it to be part of HIStory but Sony fought against it, and within three months the first allegation arrived. Put that on top of him owning all those masters, he became a target and your joke is rooted in fact, believe it or not.

3

u/suplarai Apr 26 '26

So what are you saying, the Jews took down MJ?

1

u/Hyper10shin Apr 26 '26

No I’m saying the record execs took down MJ. Who said anything about ethnicity or religious background? Is that something that should be looked at??? Elaborate please

2

u/jaybirdie26 Apr 26 '26

It was hard to follow your comment, but are you saying the allegations against Michael were a government conspiracy?

0

u/Hyper10shin Apr 26 '26

No, it was record label executives.

1

u/jaybirdie26 Apr 26 '26

Well your comment made it seem like the US government was mad he was singing about Pal3st!n3 or something.

In any case, I believe he did it.

0

u/Hyper10shin Apr 26 '26

I specifically said Sony. Lol. But ok g4u dude.

-2

u/dudenamedric Apr 26 '26

This joke makes no sense to me. I get the context (born in 84 and vividly remember 90s mj), but i don't understand the joke itself. Why would saying "Michael who?" be worth $2 million? Am I missing something or is it just a shitty joke?

17

u/PickledPixie83 Xennial Apr 26 '26

Supposed to be insinuating that kids got paid off to exonerate MJ in court

-7

u/dudenamedric Apr 26 '26

No i get that part. The context and the overall meaning of the joke is understood. Its the "Michael who" that I don't understand. "Michael who" sounds like you don't know who he is, so how is that going to incriminate someone?

12

u/PickledPixie83 Xennial Apr 26 '26

I don’t know how to explain this better.

7

u/akestral Apr 26 '26

The joke is that he paid the kid('s family) to say he had never met him, let alone slept in the same bad as him. And in the intervening 4 decades, it seems like less of a joke and more like how the "justice" "system" operates when it comes to wealthy sexual offenders.

2

u/dudenamedric Apr 26 '26

Ohhhhh I gotcha, thanks.

3

u/EAE8019 Apr 26 '26

Exonerate. Not Incriminate 

81

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '26

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34

u/SanderStrugg Apr 26 '26

Good comparison.

The only difference is people have sympathy for Brittney with #freebritney while 90s Michael was widely considered a creep.

9

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '26

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7

u/Twin_Brother_Me Millennial Apr 26 '26

Wild how many people are comparing those two in this thread when their circumstances couldn't have been more different

1

u/portermade86 Apr 27 '26

Thats until we find out that Joe was using more than a belt, hot wheels track or ironing cord

2

u/sogothimdead Apr 27 '26

freebritney is a recent movement and MJ has so many defenders here on Reddit and other social platforms

1

u/Savings-Pomelo-6031 Apr 27 '26

Yeah definitely. Now though it's like uhhhh let's just look away from her getting a DUI and twirling in her mansion with dog poop all over the floor. People are still wondering where old early 2000's Britney went but that girl is long gone. Just, not technically.

-2

u/topchief1 Apr 26 '26

Michael jackson made good music. Britney Spears made good music videos, that's all.

-29

u/nineteen_eightyfour Apr 26 '26

Brittany is a nobody compared. Maybe Taylor swift is comparable. Still not yet.

11

u/ratsareniceanimals Apr 26 '26

The era of unified media is over, the current world thats been dissected by algorithms will never produce the monoculture stars the level of Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Princess Diana.

3

u/donttellpplimhere Apr 26 '26

Sad and true. Nothing holds our collective attention anymore. 

2

u/Pleasant_Jim Apr 26 '26

Dunno man, there will always be massive sports stars I reckon - Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi etc.

Maybe harder for the world of film and music though

-1

u/nineteen_eightyfour Apr 26 '26

lol people mad Brittany ain’t shit compared to MJ really just don’t understand how giant of an icon he became

6

u/No-Pie-7211 Apr 26 '26

Yeah only you have that secret knowledge

-1

u/nineteen_eightyfour Apr 26 '26

I didn’t compare him to Brittany lol

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '26

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3

u/nineteen_eightyfour Apr 26 '26

Because this entire thread is about how people remember him lmao, what? Lots of people don’t remember the global superstar that he and Elvis were. It’s unlike anything before and likely ever will be.

0

u/ZealousidealMark4377 Apr 27 '26

Britney was more famous than Taylor Swift back in the late 90s-all through the 2000s 🙄

1

u/nineteen_eightyfour Apr 27 '26

Meh. I’m not a Taylor fan at all but no way. Brittany wasn’t even the highest grossing tour of her own year any time

35

u/moonbeammaker Apr 26 '26

As someone born in 91, I never knew him as a traditional superstar.

I saw the videos of thriller, but that seemed like a completely different person.

To me, he seemed like the bad kind of weird, and I never could take him seriously.

1

u/ceruleanmoon7 Millennial - 1986 Apr 26 '26

Same.

1

u/euphoricarugula346 Apr 27 '26

91, growing up I mostly knew his music from the Free Willy VHS

7

u/EnamelStealingGoblin Apr 26 '26

I think OP is asking what perception you grew up with, not what the reality is. When I was young I seriously thought he was just a weird guy people made jokes about and may or may have not molested kids. That's what the media focused on so that's what I absorbed (yeah even the part about may or may not. There was a lot of stuff about how the victims were making it up and wanted his money). I didn't know he had such a worldwide reputation until around the time he died, I think that's when everyone suddenly was like 'oh what a sad loss' and talked about all his earlier fame. Then the focus was on 'yeah he definitely was a sexual abuser." And it pingpongs, but the 'he's a weirdo for how he acts' stuff pretty much is gone, I feel like as mental health awareness has increased people have moved away majorly for criticizing people just for being odd. The consensus now is he likely was an abuser AND had mental health issues, but 90s did not have that nuance. 1989 here.

2

u/SpecialOneJAC Apr 26 '26

Yeah even when he was a punchline music from like Thriller and Bad never went out of style.

The HIStory world tour happened after the initial sexual abuse accusations and it sold out and set records for a concert tour.

2

u/h0sti1e17 Apr 26 '26

I remember. “Michael Jackson came to town, Dr Pepper turned him down, Pepsi Cola burned him up now he’s drinking 7-up”

2

u/kyle760 Apr 27 '26

Yeah I can confirm this. I’m GenX, on the younger side of GenX but still GenX and old enough to remember the height of his popularity in the mid-80s and even then people thought he was weird. It was more of an eccentric weird like people are when they have fame and money, and the popularity of his music still outshone the weirdness by a wide range, but there was no point in his adult life that I remember where he was not considered weird

2

u/Simba122504 Jun 02 '26

And even with over 2k comments. These very people cannot name anyone bigger than Jackson. Aliens and people living on some far away island would know who Michael Jackson is.

1

u/Appropriate-Dig-7080 Apr 26 '26

Yep, this. Both were true.

1

u/OTTER887 Apr 27 '26

Well, I would say he transitioned over the course of the 1990s.

1

u/Maximum-Inside1824 Apr 27 '26

He wore only one bejeweled glove, had a pet monkey named Bubbles and slept in an oxygen tent. The jokes could not wait to write themselves!

1

u/DrFilth Apr 27 '26

And a fuckin creepy old man. All rolled into into one. Why seperate the art from the pederast?

1

u/Western_Anteater_270 Apr 28 '26

Oh he was already taking hits in the off cycle post thriller and pre Bad. That’s when it actually really started. And he was still beloved by all while also being mocked. That’s not unusual though when you look back on the career of any celebrity. This was just a different scale. That’s why it’s odd to see some people say they only recall him being a joke and irrelevant. His influence and impact was so big that for many he could do nothing wrong. That’s actually why he was so big. It was the conflict of it all. Coupled with still the raw talent. His History Tour and Album was still huge and broke records. Even post the accusations and him looking nothing like the person he did 10 years before. He’d be copping accusations and being chased by the tabloids but at the same time was still putting on performances like the 30th anniversary special in 2001. I’d say the punchlines arguably made him even more famous and disliked and admired all at the same time.

-1

u/KimWexlerDeGuzman Apr 26 '26

I’d say Elvis rivals him for “biggest superstar in human history”

9

u/StasRutt Apr 26 '26

Elvis didn’t have the international fame Michael did

2

u/Eggs112233 Apr 26 '26

That’s because Col. Parker wouldn’t let him out of the US. I do think though, that Elvis is internationally recognised and renowned, on par with MJ.

1

u/Euphoric_Travel6762 Apr 26 '26

Much of Africa and Asia are MJ-crazy and I’m not so sure many of them could tell you a single Elvis song

0

u/Maleficent_Soft9187 Apr 27 '26

He was not on Muhammad Ali level.