5 Things We Learned From Oprah's 1993 Live Michael Jackson Interview

It’s been 20 years since Jackson's interview that gave everyone a peek into his world.

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On February 10, 1993, Michael Jackson sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a live interview at his Neverland Ranch. This was a big get at the time for Winfrey, as Jackson had not done an interview in 14 years. It paid off the interview drew 90 million viewers.

While the interview predated the allegations of child sexual abuse that would forever change the public’s perception of him, he opened up about questions that had plagued his career up in till that point.

1. Jackson was compensating for his lost childhood.

Among one his revelations was how an unhappy he was about his lack of childhood. Growing up he had no friends and could no get to do anything he wanted, stating “it would make me sad that I would have to go to work instead”

Jackson said that that he was now compensating for his childhood, "People wonder why I always have children around. It's because I find the thing that I never had through them.”

2. That he was scared of his father.

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“I love my father, but I don’t know him,” is how Jackson began the conversation about his father, Joe Jackson. When Winfrey asked if him has father had beaten him he said yes.

Winfrey asked why Joe would beat him, Jackson responded, “I don't know if I was his golden child or whatever it was. Some may call it a strict disciplinarian or whatever, but he was very strict. He was very hard. Just a look would scare… but I do forgive him.”

3. That he never slept in a hyperbaric chamber.

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The popular rumor from the ‘80s was that Jackson slept in hyperbaric chamber to keep himself young.

Jackson stated that the widely circulated photo was a result of him checking out a hyperbaric chamber meant for his charity, “The Michael Jackson Burn Center.”

4. His skin was getting white because of vitiligo.

Throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Jackson’s skin kept getting whiter and whiter, the rumors were that this was a result of him having his skin bleached.

When Winfrey asked are you bleaching your skin, Jackson revealed that he had the skin disease vitiligo and said the condition was in his family.

5. That he probably was still a virgin.

When talking about his personal life Jackson told Winfrey that he was in a relationship with Brooke Shields.

When asked flat out by Winfrey if he was a virgin Jackson answered, "I'm a gentleman... that's something that's private. You can call me old-fashioned if you want, but to me that's very personal."

You can watch the whole interview here: