By Jael Rucker: Published: January 2, 2026

Photo: Jet Magazine Archives

*The following is a foundational investigation into the mechanics of 20th-century tabloid journalism. It is the first entry in a multi-part series correcting the historical record regarding the treatment of Michael Jackson.*

We’re going to do a deep dive into the first media rumor/lie to run rampant against Michael Jackson—a lie that has still been spread in recent years. Now, I want to preface by saying:

This is in no way shape or form intended to disrespect members of the LGBTQ community, or anybody who has or is considering getting a sex change—this is simply a retelling of an untruthful rumor told against Jackson that began when he was a teenager and has continued in some aspects in the aftermath of his passing.

Sometime in 1977, somebody decided to start a false rumor against a super talented, soon-to-be 19-year-old kid who was a hard worker committed to his craft, didn’t bother anybody, and had recently graduated from high school as a good student. The rumor in question? Jackson had gotten a sex change in order to pursue a relationship with entertainer Clifton Davis. It has been said that this rumor originated over the decades through a newspaper report. I was unable to find the original report within my research, but however it started, by May 1977, the rumor was being picked up and repurposed by various different outlets.

Photo: Dick Kleiner Newspaper Archives

Dick Kleiner was a popular entertainment columnist/journalist who ran a Q&A column about Hollywood/celebrities to answer what was true and what was false. Additionally, Kleiner interviewed many celebrities during the course of his career. In a May 1977 issue of his column, somebody wrote in asking if the sex change rumor surrounding Jackson was true, to which he denied.

“Dear Dick: I heard a rumor that Michael Jackson of The Jackson Five and Clifton Davis of That’s My Mama are supposed to get married after a sex change by Michael Jackson. Is that true?

Kleiner: No, it’s not true. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that Marie Osmond ran off with David Soul.“

So there you had it—the rumor wasn’t true. Additionally, because Kleiner was syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association, his columns would be repurposed in newspapers all around the world. You can see below some of where Klein’s denial of the rumor would be reprinted amongst various newspapers nationally.

So that was the end of it, right? Wrong. By the fall of that year, the rumors about the sex change and subsequently Jackson’s sexuality still hadn’t subsided. This led to Jackson giving an interview with JET Magazine in September 1977 to address all the false things that had been said about him.

Photo: Jet Magazine

In the interview, Jackson vehemently denied the sex change allegations and recounted his experience of finding out about it from a fan.

“I was in a Sears store buying some records while on tour when I first heard about it. This one girl came up to me saying, ‘It isn’t true, it isn’t true.’ I said, ‘What isn’t true?’ and she said, ‘You’re not a girl.’ I said, ‘What? Where Did You Read That?’ She said, ‘It was in JET magazine that you had a sex change.’ (JET denied publishing the rumor.)“

Jackson continued:

“I felt like I didn’t know who I was at that moment. I told her to tell all her friends that it was just a stupid rumor. The lady at the cash register got so mad at that girl. It was funny.”

So there you had it—straight from Jackson’s mouth and with a recent picture to prove otherwise. So that was the end of it, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, as the years progressed, the media continued spreading the lie. Below are some snapshots through the 80s and beyond of where journalists kept printing and insinuating that the rumor was true (some with snarky remarks included).

Photo: Google News Archives

Photo: Google News Archives

In a March 2005 issue of New York Magazine, written by Amy Sohn while Jackson was on trial, Sohn described the entertainer as being a “walking set of contradictions,” stating:

“Michael Jackson is on trial for child molestation, but as far as public perception goes, he may as well be on trial for much more: body dysmorphia, bizarre wardrobe, narcissism, racial-identity disorder, transgenderism, makeup wearing, and poor parenting. If he is a child molester, he should go to jail. But if it is his long hair, high voice, and clothing choices that lead the jury to convict him, it will be a sad statement on the public perception of sexual difference.“

“Jackson is a walking set of contradictions between male and female, gay and straight, man and boy, abused and abuser. The battery of jokes he has endured in the fifteen years since he began his visual transformation reflects the public discomfort with someone so palpably confusing. How he fares in this trial will come down to what the jurors make of Jackson the enigma.“

Photo: The New Yorker

To be fair, Sohn did make the point Jackson shouldn’t have been found guilty based on his public perception, but her description of him was untrue and contradictory (I’ll explain in a second). There are plenty more examples of this type of journalistic behavior if you go searching for it (and you don’t have to search for very long, unfortunately). Let’s make something clear—the only thing “bizarre” about this situation was the fact that it was very clearly false, and the rumor kept being spread throughout the decades. Like many musicians in the 80s and 90s, Jackson wore longer hair and eyeliner, but those musicians didn’t get the rumors and speculation the way Jackson did (many didn’t get it at all).

In fact, some of the musicians were and still are praised for their early stance on “not being put into a box” and “not allowing themselves to be defined by expectations and labels.” They also have not had their sexuality and gender questioned in the way Jackson did and still does. So, how come everybody gets that praise except Michael Jackson? How come certain things are only a “negative” or “bad” thing when it comes to Michael Jackson? Furthermore, Jackson’s critics can’t use the longer hair and makeup as an excuse because this started long before he was wearing eyeliner and his hair longer in the 1980s.

So what was it in 1977 then, when he was just a teenage Black boy wearing an afro and hipster clothing much like many other African Americans of all ages (male and female) during that time period? Not to mention, these events happened when people were close-minded and considered things like sex changes and “non-traditional sexuality” as taboo and controversial. Knowing the climate and people’s mindset from that period, these rumors were spread with the sole intent to persecute Jackson. The same way that girl ran up to him in hysterics (of course, this was pre-Thriller when he was able to have some degree of being able to go places without the need for security)—that easily could have been a scenario of somebody trying to harm him because of his “decisions.”

So with that being said, why didn’t it stop when a journalist said it wasn’t true? Why didn’t it stop when Jackson himself said it wasn’t true a few months later? Why did it continue throughout the decades? Why was the sex change rumor still being reported in the tabloids as late as 2008, the year before Jackson’s death? Why is it still being insinuated by some now? How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson?

Author Bio

Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.