The Man Who Destroyed Michael Jackson

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]If at 5 years old, kids are scared of monsters under the bed, then Michael Jackson had a real one. His name was Joseph Jackson. He turned his son's childhood into endless rehearsals where every mistake was followed by a beating.

[00:00:16]>> How often would he beat you?

[00:00:20]>> Too much.

[00:00:23]Would he only use a belt?

[00:00:30]Why do you do this to me?

[00:00:34]>> There was never any fatherly warmth coming from Joseph. In his house, the word dad was forbidden.

[00:00:41]>> And he didn't allow us to call him daddy. And I wanted to call him daddy so bad.

[00:00:47]He said, "I'm not daddy. I'm Joseph to you." You know, >> Joseph deliberately broke the parent child bond so it would be easier to control and use his kids as performers.

[00:00:59]He was obsessed with money and career, seeing his sons as a way to live out his own failed dreams.

[00:01:08]>> Do you have a very good relationship to all of you?

[00:01:11]>> How would you describe your family?

[00:01:14]>> No, put they have a good relationship with me. In the early 1950s, Joseph along with his brother Luther formed a blues band called the Falcons. He played guitar and genuinely hoped to become a professional musician. The group never managed to land a recording contract and eventually fell apart. Joseph had to give up on his dream and go work as a crane operator at a steel mill to support his large family. By the 1960s, the older sons, Jackie, Tito, and Germaine, had already started secretly taking their father's guitar. When Joseph found out, he formed a group called the Jackson Brothers. When Michael was 5 years old, his mother, Catherine Jackson, noticed how beautifully he could sing. She asked Joseph to listen to him. Joseph didn't want to listen to his wife for a long time. For him, Germaine was the lead of the group, period. But Catherine saw what the father manager kept refusing to see. She practically forced Joseph to listen to his youngest son sing.

[00:02:18]Reluctantly, he agreed. And in that very moment, his plans for the family changed forever. Michael became the center. But if for his mother it was the discovery of a god-given gift, for his father it was the discovery of the perfect working tool. to turn them into superstars.

[00:02:36]Joseph literally trained and beat his children. He would sit in a chair in the middle of the room, a leather belt always in his hands. If any of the brothers slipped out of rhythm, messed up a move, or hit a wrong note, the belt would come down immediately.

[00:02:53]>> Go back. You just said that you would practice the dance steps and your father would be holding a belt in his hand. Is that what you just said?

[00:03:01]>> Yes. and he would tear you up if you missed.

[00:03:05]And so we not only were we practicing, we were nervous rehearsing because he sat in the chair and he had this bell in his hand and if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up. Really get you.

[00:03:19]>> However, in reality, Joseph Jackson didn't just use a belt to inflict pain on his children.

[00:03:25]>> Throw you up against the wall hard as he could. He would lose his temper. I just remember hearing my mother scream, "Joe, you're going to kill him. You're going to kill him. Stop it. You're going to kill him." You know, and uh and I was so fast, you know, he couldn't catch me half the time, but when he would catch me, oh my god, it was bad.

[00:03:49]>> And it wasn't just the boys who suffered. The girls got it, too.

[00:03:53]>> One occasion you sight when you're getting out of the the bathtub and he whacks you.

[00:03:59]How old were you then?

[00:04:00]>> I was I was very young. I I I remember being younger than eight. Let me put it like that.

[00:04:07]>> I mean, that's that's pretty bad.

[00:04:09]>> Yeah. And I can't remember what it was that I did.

[00:04:14]Um I can't remember if I truly deserved it, but my father's never touched me aside from that time. He's he's never whipped me, >> but he did he did the boys quite a lot.

[00:04:23]He was quite physically disciplinary.

[00:04:26]What's even more striking is that Michael Jackson was already talking about the physical abuse from his father as early as 1979.

[00:04:34]But back then, no one could imagine how serious it really was.

[00:04:38]>> If he hit me, I would hit her back, which was terrible, and they would I would run around the house and hide and all that stuff, but I would really get it more than anybody.

[00:04:54]Around the time he had a deeply personal conversation with Latoya Jackson where he said he wouldn't miss Joseph if he died.

[00:05:02]>> He used to play this game with me all the time. And so Latoya, tell me the truth. If Joseph died, would you care? Would you cry? And I would say, "Why would you say that?

[00:05:13]Would you?" He goes, "You answer first."

[00:05:16]I go, "No, you answer." He says, "No, I could care less. I wouldn't cry."

[00:05:20]>> When he was beating you, did you hate him?

[00:05:24]Yeah.

[00:05:26]Strong hate.

[00:05:27]>> You never physically harmed him?

[00:05:29]>> Never. Never have. And And I I raised him just like you would raise your kids, you know. But harm Michael for what? I have no reason. That's my son. I loved him. Say, uh, let's get into this beating thing. There's no such thing as beating a kid. You whipped them and punished them for something they did and they will remember that. So they remembered in such a way they wouldn't do it again. That's the way I was.

[00:05:55]>> The bruises from the belt healed, but Joseph's words cut much deeper. When Michael hit his teenage years, he developed acne and his facial features started to change. For most fathers, that would be a moment to support their son. But not Joseph. He chose the most painful target, Michael's nose. He constantly mocked him, calling him big nose and openly saying, "In our family, we don't have ugly ones like that.

[00:06:23]You're not one of us."

[00:06:25]>> Is it true that your father used to say you had a fat nose?

[00:06:28]>> Yeah.

[00:06:29]>> What did he say? What did he actually say?

[00:06:32]>> God, your nose is big. You didn't get it from me.

[00:06:37]>> That's when a fatal thought took root in Michael's mind. My face is a problem. He later admitted to friends that he had surgeries because he couldn't stand seeing his father's face in the mirror.

[00:06:50]>> I wouldn't want to look in the mirror.

[00:06:52]And my father teased me and I just hated it. I cried every day because of it. It made me >> Your father would tease you about your problem.

[00:06:58]>> Yes. He would tell me I'm ugly.

[00:07:00]>> Your father would say, >> "Yes, he would. Sorry, Joseph."

[00:07:04]>> But Joseph didn't stop. One night, he decided to teach his son another lesson.

[00:07:10]While Michael was asleep, his father put on a terrifying mask, climbed through the window into his room, and woke the child up with a wild scream. He wanted to prove that the window should never be left open. But instead of discipline, he gave his son lifelong panic attacks. For years, Michael had nightmares about being kidnapped from his own bedroom.

[00:07:31]When Michael turned 21, he refused to renew his contract with his father. Up until that point, Joseph had full legal control over his career as both guardian and manager. Michael hired lawyers and consultants who delivered the official documents to Joseph. He couldn't tell him in person. He was terrified of his father to the point of nausea.

[00:07:52]>> I don't think he realizes to this day how scared scared I mean scared. So scared that we I would regurgitate You would vomit.

[00:08:08]>> Mhm.

[00:08:10]>> When would you vomit? What what would produce that sort of reaction in you?

[00:08:14]>> His presence. Just seeing him.

[00:08:19]And uh sometime I'd faint and my bodyguards would have to hold me up.

[00:08:25]>> And Michael said in a recent interview that he was frightened of you. He says that he was so frightened of you sometimes that he would be sick. Is that true? Well, I just know I just knew about that when I heard him mention that on TV on Oprah Winfrey show. Um, I didn't know anything about him being sick, but regurgitating, but if he did regurgitate, he he regurgitated all the way to the bank, you know.

[00:08:49]>> What do you mean?

[00:08:50]>> I mean, by me uh by me a little bit and and made him a superstar.

[00:08:59]Joseph hated Michael's team, especially the lawyer John Brana. In the 1980s, he would often publicly call his son's professional adviserss crooks who were stealing money from the family. He tried to convince Michael Jackson to return to family management. Michael understood that professionals were protecting his interests while his father was only protecting his own. The only real way Joseph could still pressure his son was through the group, the Jackson 5.

[00:09:28]When Michael became a global superstar after the release of the album Thriller, Joseph used emotional manipulation, convincing him that he owed the family and had to support them. So, when in 1983, a $5 million deal with Pepsi was offered, Michael agreed despite not wanting to under pressure from his family. That decision led to devastating consequences.

[00:09:54]During the shoot, his hair caught on fire. He suffered second and thirdderee burns. It was after this incident that he became dependent on strong painkillers, a dependency that would later destroy him. But Pepsi wasn't the only thing Joseph wanted. He pushed for a tour with the Jackson 5 and of course with Michael as the centerpiece. Joseph knew Michael no longer listened to him, so he used his secret weapon, Catherine Jackson. She came to her son not with demands but with a mother's request.

[00:10:28]Help your brothers and go on stage with the family. For Michael who always wanted to please his mother, saying no was almost impossible. So once again, he agreed to sacrifice himself.

[00:10:43]From the very beginning of organizing the tour called Victory, it was clear this wasn't about music. It was about money. A lottery system for tickets was introduced. To get a chance to attend the concert, fans had to send money in advance, about $120, for the chance to buy four tickets. If you didn't win, you had to wait up to 8 weeks for a refund.

[00:11:08]All the brothers were on board except Michael. He understood this would damage their reputation and push fans away, especially those who simply couldn't afford those conditions.

[00:11:19]Later, after a wave of backlash, the situation took an unexpected turn. An 11-year-old fan, Ladonna Jones from Texas, wrote Michael a letter. She said she had been working small jobs to save $30 for a ticket, but couldn't afford to buy four at once as the rules required.

[00:11:38]In her letter, she directly called the Jacksons selfish and greedy for money.

[00:11:43]That letter hit Michael hard. He called a press conference and announced that the ticket system would be changed. More than that, he said he would donate his share of the profits to charity. When Michael made his statement, Joseph and his brothers were visibly shocked. They didn't expect him to publicly walk away from millions of dollars Joseph planned to use to expand the family brand. But at that point, Michael didn't care about their opinion anymore. This lottery had seriously damaged his reputation. As the group's main star, he became the primary target of criticism. All the hate was directed at him. While Michael was being accused and dragged through the mud, the fans money was sitting in Joseph's bank account, generating interest that he profited from. Michael had had enough of his father's schemes. And during the final concert of the tour in Los Angeles, he stepped on stage and announced that this performance would be the last for the Jackson 5.

[00:12:44]I like to say this is our last and final tour and I think this is our farewell tour.

[00:12:54]Y'all have been wonderful. It's been a long 20 years and we love you all.

[00:13:00]>> That statement sent Joseph Jackson into a rage. By the end of the tour, Joseph and the promoters were already deep into planning a second leg, European and Australian dates for 1985.

[00:13:12]They were expecting to make tens of millions more riding the wave of Thriller. While Joseph was mentally counting the profits from future shows in Europe, Michael Jackson wiped out all of his plans with a single sentence.

[00:13:27]This wasn't just leaving the group. It was a triumphant escape from his father's control in front of the entire world. And backstage, things exploded between them. Michael told his father directly, "It's over, Joseph." After losing any real control over Michael's career, Joseph launched his own label, Ivory Tower International Records. He tried to push other artists and his younger children, but none of those projects came even close to Michael's level of success. To keep making money off Michael, Joseph often used the Jackson family name for questionable business ventures like attempts to launch perfumes or food products under the family brand. Michael usually distanced himself from these projects and from his father as well.

[00:14:15]Over time, that distance turned into strict boundaries. At his Neverland ranch, Joseph wasn't allowed to show up without an invitation. Michael security had clear instructions. do not let his father in without approval. For formality, Michael would host a Joseph Jackson day once a year, inviting the whole family to the ranch. The final blow for Joseph came when Michael completely cut him out of his will. In 2002, when Michael was 43, he quietly finalized his will and divided his estate like this. 40% to his children, Prince Paris, and Blanket. 40% to his mother, Katherine Jackson, 20% to charity. Joseph Jackson's name was completely absent from the document.

[00:15:01]Michael even named Diana Ross as a backup guardian for his children, not his father, not his brothers. Michael was very calculated. He knew Joseph might try to pressure Catherine to get money through her. So, he structured her share as a lifetime trust. Catherine received a monthly allowance for living expenses, but she didn't control the core capital and couldn't legally transfer it to Joseph or funnel large sums into his business projects.

[00:15:27]When Michael tragically died in 2009, Joseph realized he'd been left with nothing. He filed a lawsuit demanding a $15,000 monthly allowance. He argued that Michael had supported him financially during his life and that as his father, he was entitled to part of the estate. But the estate's lawyers, John Brana and John Mlan, proved that Michael had intentionally excluded him from the list of beneficiaries. So when the ruling was delivered, the judge stated Joseph Jackson receives nothing from this estate. That was his son's decision.

[00:16:02]The saddest part is what Joseph said after Michael's death, that he missed watching him perform on stage. Not his son, but the performer and foremost.

[00:16:13]>> It has been really tough. Remember, we just lost the biggest star in the world, superstar in the world. So, it's been tough.

[00:16:21]>> This interview was recorded just 3 days after Michael Jackson died on June 28th, 2009.

[00:16:27]Instead of speaking only about his son, Joseph Jackson used a live broadcast on CNN to promote his new label.

[00:16:36]>> What about Janet and the rest of the family, the daughters and >> they're all going fine, but I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here. Marshall and I have the we owned a record company called >> Ranch Records, right?

[00:16:50]>> Okay. Still by Blu-ray technology and that's his next step.

[00:16:55]>> A few days later, while people were once again mourning Michael, Joseph started talking about his label again and it sparked outrage among fans.

[00:17:06]What I'm doing is I established a record company with Marshall and the company is called Morance Record distributed by Blue Star and Blu-ray. Yeah, >> it's typical Joe Jackson. I mean, I can see why Michael was at a distance from it.

[00:17:22]>> I think the fans more than anything want to focus on Michael. We don't want to hear the negativity. We don't want to hear anybody plug in their their record label. We don't want to hear when who some of whose albums drop. Despite his phenomenal business instincts, he never learned the most important thing, how to be a father. Between him and his children stood a wall that couldn't be broken by success or by tears. This was most clearly seen during one TV show with Latoya Jackson. She sat across from him crying, trying to explain how much she lacked his love, how much it meant to her just to hear a kind word.

[00:17:58]>> And you would truly understand and know how I feel. I care about you so much.

[00:18:02]You have no clue.

[00:18:05]>> But Joseph just looked at her with an empty, glassy stare. There was no empathy in his eyes, no understanding.

[00:18:12]He simply didn't know what to do with his children's genuine emotions because he had never truly experienced them himself. In his memoirs, he described his own father as harsh and authoritarian. He called himself a lonely child who had few friends because of the rigid discipline at home.

[00:18:31]That's why Joseph justified his own cruelty by saying that this was how he was raised and that it was the only way to make children turn out right and keep them off the streets.

[00:18:43]>> Well, I'm glad I was tough because look what I came out with. I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world >> and they treated everybody right. But those brutal methods of upbringing left an unhealed wound in Michael Jackson's soul. And until the very end of his life, he remained that same frightened 5-year-old boy.

[00:19:07]I recommend watching the next video, the full story of the king of pop. Thanks for watching. Subscribe to Music Vibe and see you soon.