Watch: Michael Jackson’s Jehovah’s Witness faith was at odds with his musical expression

Could things have been different for Michael Jackson had he stayed close to church?

Katherine Jackson, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, raised all 10 of her children in the Jehovah’s Witness faith, and while some of them strayed as they reached adulthood, Michael remained committed. During a discussion about the life and legacy of the King of Pop, the hosts of Wondery and Audible’s podcast “Think Twice: Michael Jackson,” Jay Smooth and Leon Neyfakh, recalled just how deep Jackson’s connection with the church really went. The pair joined Panama Jackson on theGrio Black Podcast Network original “Dear Culture” podcast and spoke about the people they interviewed who were familiar with Jackson’s faith.

They claim that as Jackson’s creative expression began to flourish in the 1980s with projects like “Thriller,” the Jehovah’s Witness leaders in Brooklyn started warning their followers of devilish music that was meant to pull them away from their religion. As Jackson continued to make groundbreaking music, his relationship with the Jehovah’s Witness community began to dissolve. The days of dressing in disguise to spread the word of Jehovah door to door were no more for Jackson. Smooth mentions during the conversation that he can’t help but wonder if things for Jackson would have turned out differently had he stayed anchored to his religious beliefs and community.

Listen and watch the full episode here.

The following is a transcript of the conversation.

Jay Smooth: I also wondered. As we got to know more about the role that his Jehovah’s Witness faith played in his life working on the series, you know, we found. 

Panama Jackson: That was fascinating part. I don’t mean to cut you off.

Smooth: We found.

Jackson: Fascinating. 

Smooth: Yeah. Yeah. Because we, our producers were able to track down these people who grew up with them and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, like people who were going door to door with them that could really tell you what that part of his life was like and learning how much of a real true blue Jehovah’s Witness he was and how important that faith was to him. 

Leon Neyfakh: The Jehovah’s Witness elders in Brooklyn seemed to grow more uncomfortable with the direction of Michael’s career. Though they didn’t mention Michael by name, they published an article in one of their official magazines warning their followers to be on the lookout for music that pulled them away from Jehovah. They said the devil had been cunningly using various forms of unrighteousness in music. 

Smooth: I do wonder. You know, you hear the story over the course of the series of how there came to be more and more friction between that faith and his creativity as he started doing things like the “Thriller” video, the Jehovah’s Witness elders were not feeling that sort of worldly expression, and it eventually came to a head. And I believe around the time of the “Bad” era, he wound up stepping away from the church. And I do wonder, the anchor that that faith gave him, as controversial as the JW used to be and I will say a number of the people that we connected with are now disillusioned former members who would speak to the shortcomings of the church. But the anchor that I think Michael found in that faith and the opportunity that he had to just be a regular person, being friends, being social with his fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses, going door to door, being at the Kingdom Hall with them, I do wonder if he could have held on and been grounded in a different way if he had been able to keep onto that, hold on to that faith, that anchor within the church.

“Think Twice: Michael Jackson Podcast:” He had a trajectory that was undeniable. His talent was bursting out of him, but he also really wanted to spend his time devoting himself to Jehovah and seeking salvation. So there was always a conflict for him. He was pulled in two directions at all times. 

Neyfakh: Yeah, one of my favorite moments in the show is, you know, hearing that not only did he go door to door, you know, with other Jehovah’s Witnesses, he would wear a disguise because this was at the height of his fame. Like “Thriller” had already come out, like he was the most famous person in the world. And here he is going to ordinary people’s homes. And part of it, I think he was just a really devoted Jehovah’s Witness, and he wanted to be proselytizing. But I think he also probably had an opportunity in those moments wearing the disguise, people not necessarily recognizing him, to experience the world the way the rest of us get to. And that was a respite for him. 

Jackson: Yeah. I’m glad you brought up that part because, you know, in thinking about what were the most surprising things that I learned about Michael Jackson through this process. And I realized early on that I was going to learn a lot based on the reporting that you all had done and the way that you all decided to share the story. I mean, you opened up with something I knew nothing about. Right. So I know if I did, I know lots of people have no idea about a lot of this stuff, but I don’t you know, I don’t while I know that that the Jackson family, Jehovah’s Witnesses, it isn’t played up as a central grounding point kind of in the story that gets told about their lives. You know what I mean? Like even in the Jackson family “An American Dream” story. I don’t remember that being kind of at the center of the story, but that would have still been happening at that time.

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