Michael Jackson's Most Memorable TV Moments

Michael Jackson's pop culture reach stretched far beyond music videos and outrageous concert performances. With constant media presence in his life, some of his most memorable moments -- good and bad -- were captured on TV.

From the historical debut of his signature dance move, the moonwalk, to a much-maligned introduction of his blanket-covered baby and a controversial documentary-style TV special that looked at the man behind the mask, Jackson's life was punctuated by headline-making behavior.

Here's a look at some of his most memorable TV moments -- we know there are countless others, so please share the ones you remember most with us. -- By Maggie Furlong and Katy Kroll

Introducing the Moonwalk
In 1983, Jackson performed live on a television special called 'Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.' The special featured a Jackson 5 reunion with his brothers and a solo performance of 'Billie Jean' (with a crowd-pleasing toss of his hat out to the fans), but the 47 million people who tuned in were all talking about one thing: Jackson's very first moonwalk.




A Hair-Raising Commercial
In 1984, Michael Jackson's career was on fire -- and so was his hair, after an accident on set of a Pepsi commercial he was shooting. But the King of Pop turned the unfortunate incident into a very fortunate blessing for burn victims with the Michael Jackson Burn Center, which received $1.5 million from the settlement with Pepsi.


The Ultimate Thrill
'Thriller' is the best-selling album of all time -- still, almost three decades later -- and it won eight Grammys in 1984, but it was the music videos for hits 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It' and, most notably, the title track 'Thriller' that put Jackson on the map as the first African-American performer to get major play on MTV. The 14-minute 'Thriller' video, a mini-movie of sorts, has been honored through the years, including a 2007 YouTube sensation of Philippine prison inmates doing the choreographed routine.

In Living Color
Under the pseudonym John Jay Smith, Jackson snuck into viewer's living rooms as mental patient Leon Kompowsky in 1991, on the third season of 'The Simpsons.' Playing a bald, overweight white man who thinks he's Michael Jackson, the real pop icon proved he was able to make fun of himself.

An American Dream
A cast of big names and up-and-coming stars -- including Vanessa Williams, Terrence Howard, Angela Bassett, Holly Robinson-Peete and Billy Dee Williams -- starred in a 5-hour ABC miniseries about the Jackson family in 1992 called 'The Jacksons: An American Dream,' which still airs on VH1 to this day. In 2004, VH1 produced a sequel of sorts, called 'Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story,' which picked up on the singer's story where 'The Jacksons' left off.

Facing the Issues
In 1993, Michael Jackson's public admittance that he had been abused as a child drew more than 60 million viewers on Oprah Winfrey's show. Later that year, he vehemently denied allegations that he had molested a boy in a nationally televised statement in which he admitted he was addicted to pain pills. More than 10 years later, he went to trial for allegedly molesting a different youngster. When acquitted of all charges, Jackson jumped on the roof of his SUV and gave cheering fans an impromptu dance.

A Royal Wedding
In 1994, the King of Pop married the daughter of the King, Lisa Marie Presley. It was her second marriage and his first, and it garnered plenty of public attention -- and scrutiny. In 1995, amid the scandal surrounding child molestation charges against Jackson, Presley appeared half-naked with her then husband in his video for 'You Are Not Alone.' They divorced shortly thereafter.

30 Years of Pop
In November 2001, Jackson's decades-long career was celebrated with the 'Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special' on CBS. Performing alongside the likes of Beyonce, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Liza Minnelli, a scary-thin Whitney Houston and his brothers, the King of Pop proved he still had what it takes to captivate audiences. Sadly, it turned out to be his last concert ever.

Bizarre Behavior
In a lifetime of odd incidents and bizarre behaviors, one Jackson episode from 2002 was shocking. Reportedly just trying to introduce his third child, Prince Michael (aka Blanket) to his fans, Jackson dangled the newborn over his hotel balcony in Berlin, much to the dismay of child advocacy figures and attorney Gloria Allred, who pleaded with child protection agencies to investigate Jackson for abuse.

Awards and Accolades
In 2002, with the MTV VMAs falling on Jackson's birthday, Britney Spears introduced the King of Pop saying she "considered him the artist of the millennium." Jackson, having misunderstood Spears, came on stage and said, "When I was a little boy growing up in Indiana, if someone told me I'd be getting the artist of the millennium award, I'd have never believed it."

Behind the Mask
In 2003, British journalist Martin Bashir presented a documentary-style special that followed Jackson over a period of eight months, traveling from his Neverland Ranch to a lavish suite and shopping spree in Las Vegas, called 'Living With Michael Jackson.' In it, Jackson opened up about everything from his early sexual experiences and allowing kids to sleep in bed with him at Neverland, to his own children and even plastic surgery. After ABC aired the special, Jackson released a rebuttal video called 'Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See.'

More on Michael Jackson, the Legend & the Legacy:
Stars react to Jackson's death | Jackson jokes cut from 'Bruno'
Remembering Michael Jackson | Jackson TV coverage | Jackson in the movies
Watch 'We Are the World' the documentary | TV Squad's Jackson Coverage
Michael Was a Fanboy | Memories of 'Thriller'