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How Michael Jackson's Surge in Popularity Led to Tension Among the Jackson 5

Aired on 02/10/1993 | CC tv-pg
Michael Jackson's friends and colleagues joined Oprah in 1993 to discuss their various personal experiences with the pop superstar, who often came off as a recluse in the public eye. When Michael was just starting off as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, he was anything but shy. As an adolescent performer, Michael was at home in the limelight—so much so that he started to drift away from the group and came into his own unique persona that would eventually captivate the world.

Michael's outsize individual success relative to his brothers led to some bitterness. Some of the Jackson brothers went on to have moderate success, while the others eventually left the business altogether. Motown producer Suzanne de Passe recalled for Oprah how she witnessed the fracture of the group, which led to some resentment on the part of Michael's brothers, who started to take it out on their soon-to-be superstar sibling.

"It absolutely did cause friction," Suzanne said.

Original airdate: February 10, 1993