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Fox News' Geraldo Rivera Interview for Fans' MTV Protest on "Just Lose It" Music Video Airing

Date confirmed in “Entertainment Weekly” (archived) (“on Thursday [November 11, 2004]”)

Michael Jackson, Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera interview transcript

Geraldo: I think we may have on the telephone right now, a surprise caller in his first live interview on Network Television in at least a year, as far as I know. I believe Michael Jackson is there. Are you there, Michael?

Michael: How are you Geraldo... Hello?

Geraldo: Ok buddy, let me ask you... How do you feel, Michael, about the continuing support you've gotten from your fans despite all you've gone through.

Michael: Well, Geraldo, it's because of my fans that I am calling you today. I mean, I feel they are the best fans in the world and I decided rather than having anyone else speak for me that I would do it myself you know. And I want to thank my fans for their strong support over the years.

They could have been anywhere today, you know, and they chose to be in New York in Times Square. And I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. They have written thousands and thousands of letters, and have made hundreds of calls regarding the Eminem video. And I love them so, so much. In London over 4000 people showed up on my behalf.

And I want to thank Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton, Minister Farrakhan, The Source, Steve Harvey, Bob Johnson and BET, Jesse Hughes and Radio One, and all the many others who have supported me.

And Geraldo, I want to also thank you for your friendship and everything, all the wonderful things you have been doing. Thank you so, so much.

I made my feelings clear about the Eminem video. I think that it's demeaning and disrespectful, and I also want to make it clear that it's not just about Michael Jackson...but a pattern of disrespect that he has shown to our community. He needs to stop it, and he needs to stop it now.

Geraldo: Michael, let me just say that I support you because I believe that you are getting a raw deal. Not just by Eminem, but in a lot of other aspects of life that I don´t need to mention. But let me go on the positive side for a minute. What do you have coming up? Anything that we can announce to these people? Something that can give them some optimism?

Michael: Yes, I´m always working on wonderful music. I´ve been working on several albums right now, I´ve been working on music today. I´m working on something as we speak Geraldo, and I´m in the process of making plans to do some other wonderful things that I´ll be announcing to the fans very, very soon. And I look forward to that Geraldo, you know. And I´ll give you a call too, soon.

Geraldo: I bet you do, I bet you do. Ok, please do. But before I let you go...anything else you want to say?

Michael: I love my fans, I love you. And thank you so much for being there on my behalf. And thank you Geraldo again, thank you so so much.

Geraldo: Ok Michael, thank you. Thanks for calling in. Michael Jackson everybody.

“Entertainment Weekly” (November 12, 2004) (archived)

On Thursday, Fox News Channel’s Geraldo Rivera was covering a protest outside MTV’s Times Square studios by a group of Michael Jackson fans, who were upset over MTV’s continued airing of Eminem’s ”Just Lose It” video, when he received a cellphone call from none other than the King of Pop himself. During the call, amplified over loudspeakers so that the picketers could hear it, Jackson said he wanted to ”thank my fans for their strong support over the years” and to echo their condemnation of the video, whose lyrics and images repeatedly mock Jackson.

Unlike BET, which complied with Jackson’s request to pull the video from rotation, MTV has not stopped airing the clip, in which Eminem portrays Jackson sitting on a bed with a group of little boys in one scene and having his nose fall off in another. According to Newsday, about 16 fans showed up at the anti-MTV rally. ”We feel as though MTV has a responsibility to the public not to air this kind of video,” said Vernay Lewis, a Jackson fan club member and an organizer of the rally. ”It’s insensitive. It’s rude to Michael and his family.”

In his call to Rivera, Jackson made similar comments, saying of Eminem’s video, ”I think that it’s demeaning and disrespectful, and I also want to make it clear that it’s not just about Michael Jackson but about a pattern of disrespect that he has shown to our community.” (Jackson apparently didn’t specify whom he meant by ”our community.”) ”He needs to stop it and he needs to stop it now.” Rivera replied, ”I believe that you’re getting a raw deal, not just by Eminem, but in a lot of other aspects of life that I don’t need to mention.” Um, sounds like you just did, Geraldo.