Most celebrities went silent when Michael Jackson’s trial began. Some distanced themselves publicly. A few quietly disappeared.
Eddie Griffin showed up.
The veteran comedian and actor had met Michael years earlier under unusual circumstances.
A joke Griffin did — Michael Jackson on crack — somehow made its way back to Michael. Instead of being offended, Michael loved it. He flew Griffin and his team out to Florida, bought out twenty floors of a luxury hotel so nobody could track him down, and opened the door himself when they arrived.
THE FIRST THING GRIFFIN NOTICED WAS A PIECE OF TAPE ON MICHAEL’S NOSE.
Eddie Griffen Met Michael In A Hotel
He asked Michael what that was. Michael didn’t flinch; he just said “I got allergies, man. Come on in.”
That was Michael. No pretense or performance. Just super real.
Griffin said being in his presence felt like something he couldn’t fully explain — like being around pure love. An angelic energy. The kind that made you want to fight for him.
So when the trial came, and Michael called Griffin directly, Griffin listened. Michael told him something that hit hard: “Nobody would go to court with me Eddie.”
Not a complaint. Just the truth. The most famous man in the world was sitting alone in the middle of the biggest fight of his life — and his friends had gone quiet.
Griffin’s grandfather’s voice came to him: a friend in need is a friend indeed.
HE GOT IN THE CAR AND WENT TO SUPPORT HIM.
Michael Jackson’s Face Says It All
The Netflix documentary Michael Jackson: The Verdict revisits exactly how isolated Michael was during that period. Most of his friends had left him, and he found himself fighting alone. Most people never knew Eddie Griffin was there. He was the one friend who showed up for him