Michael, the world’s biggest biopic, has many of us crazy over none other than the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Maybe you or someone you know became obsessed with him after watching the movie. Listening to his music for hours? Watching random content of him through the years? Going to the theaters to watch Michael multiple times, and then watching it again at home? Continuously grieving his death and getting emotional over his life? Maybe it’s just Human Nature. Maybe it’s “Michosis”.
Many Gen Z MJ fans have made posts on social media talking about their “Michosis”: A slang term referring to a longing for Michael Jackson and intense feelings of obsession, grief, protectiveness, and even devotion towards him. Saying that they randomly get sad and cry over his death back in 2009, even if many of us weren’t old enough to understand fan reactions to his death, stating that they spend most of their days thinking about Michael Jackson and binge-listening to his music. So how did Gen Z rediscover him after the movie?
A lot of later Gen Z probably knew Michael Jackson from his most popular songs and iconic moments, but many of us didn’t exactly know his story. Instead, he was known as an urban legend, a magical performer with unreal talent and aura. We would hear from our parents and elders that there would never be another Michael Jackson or someone who had his impact. People used to pass out at the sight of him! Pulling INSANE crowds wherever people knew he was. Everyone went crazy over him simply standing on stage for 5 minutes at the Super Bowl. He was famous on a whole other level never seen before, nor will it be recreated again, knowing how famous he was before the social media era. His death broke the internet, and the world was heartbroken learning about his passing. He broke many records and had iconic moments that simply cannot be repeated or done by someone else. His impact is massive, as many of the musicians we listen to across various genres were influenced by him. However, we weren’t able to witness most of it.
Many of us weren’t active followers of him during his later years, nor was Gen Z there for his peak. Many report that they grew up hearing negative things about him, such as accusations of him bleaching his skin to become white, making fun of his appearance, allegations that he was a bad father because he held up his son over the balcony as a baby, and a misconception that he died of an intentional overdose because they grew up hearing that he was addicted to drugs. This mindset dramatically shifted once the Michael biopic dropped.
While it wasn’t the most accurate, we got a glimpse of the first half of his life in the biopic, from his Jackson 5 days to the Bad tour, learning about his relationship with his father, Joseph, and the rest of his family, how he grew up, the ups and downs of his life and career with the Jackson 5 and on his own, his philanthropy, and his caring but unusual heart and personality. It’s like we rediscovered the person behind the name Michael Jackson. After the movie, many people became interested in the rest of his life, which helped people realize that, “Maybe we need to appreciate him more”. This realization led to many of us learning more about his life and artistry, his talent, his journey with his children, how the media treated him, and ultimately the truth of his death. The biopic also caused his music to skyrocket on the charts, and the movie itself became one of the biggest movies of 2026, regardless of what the critics and media said.
This movie itself is probably also the closest we would get to a concert of his. It also introduced us to Jaafar Jackson, his nephew, who portrayed Michael in a beautiful way while showing off his talents. The movie showed us how Michael’s childhood wasn’t normal and never had his own personal space while being under the spotlight since he was 6 years old.
Everywhere I looked after the movie came out, there was an insane amount of Michael Jackson content all around social media, with his songs and random moments showing his personality going viral. People dressed as him and recreated his choreography, making him more trendy and appealing to a broader audience. Watching him in a new light helped Gen Z fall in love with him again and reminded us why he is the King of Pop.