Michael Jackson’s biopic and what it leaves out

Michael Jackson’s biopic and what it leaves out

May 1, 2026 · 24 min · Episode 1593

About this episode

The episode discusses the new biopic 'Michael' and the narratives it omits regarding Michael Jackson's life and legacy.

A new estate-backed film, Michael, tells the story of Michael Jackson’s rise from Gary, Indiana to global fame, highlighting hits like Thriller and his record-breaking success. But it ends before major scandals, and it leaves out the US musician's race and politics, including his solidarity with Palestine. What story is being told, and what is being erased? In this episode:  Sherry Zane, Historian Episode credits: This episode was produced by David Enders and Sarí el-Khalili, with Spencer Cline, Catherine Nouhan and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz and Tamara Khandaker.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X , Instagram , Facebook , and YouTube

People in this episode

Host: Malika Bilal

Guest: Sherry Zane

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Al Jazeera

Books & works: Michael, Thriller

Places: Gary, Indiana, Palestine

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