EXPOSED: Michael Jackson's Ex-Bodyguard Spills About The 'Real Reason' Late Pop Star Underwent Nose Surgery
Feb. 22 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson said in a documentary that he only ever had two operations on his nose despite a seemingly ever-changing appearance.
Following years of speculation, the King of Pop's former bodyguard made a shocking revelation when he disclosed the "real reason" why Jackson went under the knife for the first time in 1979, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Matt Fiddes, who worked with the music legend for more than a decade, said the chart-topping performer had long been subject to ridicule over the size of his nose on a recent episode of "The Steven Sulley Study" podcast, but that wasn't why Jackson opted for a rhinoplasty.
"He used to get teased by his family a lot over the size of his nose — being called big nose and all of this stuff," Fiddes said.
"He used to say his dad used to be the main one. 'You didn't get that from me, you got that from your mom, you didn't get that from my side of the family' — it hurt him a lot."
According to the bodyguard, it was actually a gruesome injury that led him to get nose surgery.
"Michael used to dance about three hours a day on average. At one stage he was doing 50 spins in a row. It was unbelievable," said Fiddes. "He fell over and broke his nose and he saw it as the perfect opportunity while he was under anesthetic to just get a smaller nose."
Fiddes pointed out that he was aware Jackson's physical attributes appeared to continue to change in the years to come. "I don't know how many operations he had. It's not a discussion I went into detail with him on but clearly he's had operations on his nose," the bodyguard went on.
Fiddes said that plastic surgery was taboo at the time, unlike today where it has taken over pop culture and become the source of countless reality TV shows. "It just wasn't a thing so he had to maintain this image because he had record companies behind him who paid him millions — billions."
"But in the end he would play on that. A lot of times how the media would have seen him is not how I would have seen him," Fiddes added. "He would make himself look ridiculous to wind the media up."
As for Jackson's changing skin color, Fiddes said Jackson had Vitiligo, adding that it was confirmed in his autopsy. "It started in his early 20s. Unfortunately, for Michael, it was on his face, he had it on his neck."
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After attempting to cover up the white splotches on his skin with makeup, Fiddes claimed that Jackson decided to embrace it. "So he decided to go white basically."
Jackson, for his part, previously claimed the only work done on his face was two nose operations to help him breathe more easily and sing higher notes.
He denied doing any alterations to his lips, cheeks, chin, or eyes prior to his death in June 2009. He was 50.