Jaafar Jackson used the premiere of “Michael” to correct a rumor that has followed his uncle for decades.

At the film’s Los Angeles premiere, Jackson said one of the biggest misconceptions about Michael Jackson was that he “wanted to be white,” adding that the new biopic helps audiences understand that vitiligo played a major part in his life and that many people never really understood what the condition was or how early it affected him. 

That clarification matters because Michael Jackson publicly addressed the issue years ago. In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he said he had vitiligo, a skin disorder that destroys pigmentation, and made clear that he was still proud to be Black. That long-running public debate over his appearance is part of the cultural baggage the new film delves into. 

Jaafar, who is playing his uncle in his first acting role, has spent the press run describing the project as deeply personal. Vogue reported that he called the experience “an honor of a lifetime,” while noting that the film follows Michael’s rise from his Jackson 5 beginnings to global superstardom under Antoine Fuqua’s direction. 

The film itself is set to hit theaters on April 24, following the premiere event on April 20. Early coverage has already positioned Jaafar’s performance as one of the project’s biggest talking points.

For fans who have watched Michael Jackson’s image get flattened by rumor after rumor, Jaafar’s comments are a reminder that the story is bigger, more human, and more complicated than the rumors people kept spreading.