For decades, almost every detail of Michael Jackson’s private life became the subject of rumors.
But longtime makeup artist Karen Faye, who first worked with Michael during the Thriller era in 1982 and remained part of his professional circle for years, remembered a much more playful side of him.
During ABC’s 2010 20/20 special Michael Jackson: After Life, Faye appeared alongside longtime costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins. The three discussed what Michael was like away from the carefully controlled public image.
One of Faye’s funniest memories involved Michael and women.
She said that wherever they went, Michael would sometimes scan the people around him when an attractive woman caught his attention.
His private term for it?
“He called it fishing.”
Faye remembered Michael pointing women out to people around him and commenting on their appearance, sometimes excitedly drawing attention to someone he thought was particularly attractive.
It was a tiny detail, but it revealed a side of Michael that rarely appeared in formal television interviews.
Karen Faye Talks About Michael Jackson’s “Fishing”
The clip comes from the discussion featuring Karen Faye, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, whose 2010 ABC interview dealt directly with persistent rumors about Michael’s private life and shared memories from decades of working around him.
There is even candid Michael footage that fans have connected to the joke. In clips circulating online, Michael can be heard using “fish” while apparently noticing women around him, suggesting the strange little expression really was part of his private vocabulary.
Still, the story should not be stretched further than Faye’s recollection allows.
It does not establish Michael Jackson’s sexuality or prove details about his romantic relationships. It simply tells us how one longtime colleague remembered him behaving privately when he noticed women he found attractive.
And perhaps that is exactly why fans find it interesting.
The public saw a painfully shy superstar answering carefully prepared interview questions.
Karen Faye remembered someone joking with friends, looking around the room and announcing that Michael Jackson was going “fishing.”