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“The Dating Game”

Date confirmed Kit O'Toole’s “Michael Jackson FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Pop” (“June 5, 1972”) (archived)

Inside Edition (July 1, 2009) (mirror) (archived mirror)

Latonya Simmons won a date with much sought-after Michael Jackson when she was 10 years old.

The year was 1972: a 14-year-old Michael Jackson is about to make a young girl’s dream come true.

10-year-old Latonya Simmons was competing against two other girls to win a date with the 14-year-old superstar on The Dating Game.

“When he picked me—oh God! If you looked at the other girls they were very upset,” said Latonya. “I used to always pray, please, God, let me go out with Michael Jackson, and then all of a sudden it happened.”

And when it did, Latonya took no chances. During The Dating Game, Jackson asked her, “Girls always follow me around, tell me what you’d say to them.” Latonya answered: “Go away; he’s mine, not yours!”

INSIDE EDITION spoke to Latonya, a one-time hospital administrator in Los Angeles back in 2003. Latonya recalled going out on four or five innocent dates with Michael, nothing more than a peck on the cheek.

“It was just kid stuff, we were kids,” she said.

But only one girl can claim the title of Michael’s first love.

“I guess I was his first date, yeah,” said Latonya.