Michael Jackson Revealed Chilling Childhood Details, Asked Reporter 'Please Don't Write it' In Secret Clip

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of child abuse that some readers may find distressing.

Michael Jackson, who resisted talking about the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father, Joe Jackson, covered up his misery with his celebrity status and musical achievements. In an unearthed secret tape, uploaded on YouTube, the King of Pop can be heard confessing about the atrocities he endured during his childhood. "He'd sit there every day, it's like after school, we'd come from school and we'd rehearse, and he'd sit in a chair like this, usually with a belt in his hand or a switch," Jackson revealed about his father. "I was beaten more than any of the children." However, before going into further detail, he begged the reporter not to note them down, "I mean, to the point I would be abused, please, please don't write that." 

"And he'd be sitting there, and we'd do our performance, and if you messed up, you'd get (0:40) hit," Jackson continued. "You mean for pranks and stuff?" the reporter inquired with curiosity. "No, probably for just being, I used to throw back at him and get back at him when he'd get me. I would repeat that," the Thriller hitmaker explained that he was hit more because he stood up for himself. He went on to say that a child's response to a parent might reveal a lot about their relationship. By which he implied that he did not share a loving equation with his mother and father. "The child, like when the father walks in the door, how does the kid react? Does he say, oh, Dad's home? Does he run over to him and jump in his arms and whatever? You can tell if they're a good parent in that way, too."

"If your father won't give you love, and your mother, you find love in someone else as a substitute, and you're kind to that person, you find it elsewhere. That's how it is, you know. And you can tell if a child, what type of relationship they have with the parents when the parents come around," he continued. The Billie Jean singer further said that he had taken on all of the performance pressure as a child. He claimed that his brothers never encouraged him or offered fresh concepts for the stage sequences. As the years passed, Jackson acknowledged that he made his own decisions, accepting advice but retaining the last say.

According to Today, during a candid confessional interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach which was later developed into The Michael Jackson Tapes, the Beat It singer revealed that he fainted several times in front of his father out of fear. "I am scared of my father to this day. My father walked in the room — and God knows I am telling the truth — I have fainted in his presence many times. I have thrown up in his presence because when he comes in the room and this aura comes and my stomach starts hurting and I know I am in trouble." 

However, Joe Jackson changed in the latter years and was much kinder to his grandchildren. But Michael refused to accept this change and confessed, "It is so hard for me to accept this other guy that is not the guy I was raised with. I just wished he had learned that earlier." Joe passed away on June 27, 2018, due to pancreatic cancer. 

CHILD ABUSE: If you know of any children who are being subjected to abuse, please contact The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453.