In his lengthy career, Michael Jackson performed only once at the Grammy Awards, in 1988, when he delivered a medley of “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Man in the Mirror.”
He didn’t even perform on the show in 1984, the night he made history by walking away with eight trophies in one night for Thriller.
But it’s a little-known fact that the King of Pop almost performed on the 2002 Grammy broadcast, before negotiations broke down at the last minute.
It’s fascinating to imagine what could have been. Let’s revisit the time MJ almost showed up for a surprise Grammy performance.
Grammy Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich Tells All
For more than 40 years, Ken Ehrlich was the guy who served as executive producer of the Grammys. He was responsible for booking the performers and putting together the show.
Nearly 30 years into his Grammy run, Ehrlich published At the Grammys! Behind the Scenes At Music’s Biggest Night. The book included lots of behind-the-scenes details about how Ehrlich booked the Grammys each year.
One of the most fascinating tidbits comes in the 2002 chapter, when Ehrlich reveals that he was in discussions to have Michael Jackson appear on the broadcast — and the King of Pop would’ve performed live on the show.
Michael Jackson’s Invincible Era
Jackson’s Grammy discussions took place during the era for his album Invincible, which was released in September 2001. It was his first new album in six years, and was an attempt to reclaim his throne as the King of Pop after a few years out of the spotlight.
The typically-reclusive Jackson went on a media blitz in the fall of 2001 with the release of Invincible. He appeared at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, dancing briefly with N Sync as a surprise guest during their performance of “Pop.”
He performed three concerts at Madison Square Garden for a CBS tv special with a series of A-list special guests. Those shows would be among the last of his career.
In September, the King of Pop made a high-profile appearance on TRL, the MTV request show that was the epicenter of youth pop culture.
In January 2002, Jackson received a Grammy nomination for “You Rock My World.” Later that month, he appeared at the American Music Awards. There, he was given an honorary award (“Artist of the Century”) and gave a speech.
Michael also gave a rare print interview with Vibe magazine and did a radio interview with Steve Harvey.
Behind the Scenes Grammy Negotiations With Michael Jackson
With all of those public appearances, it made sense that Michael Jackson would consider attending the 2002 Grammy Awards as well.
In his book, as Ehrlich describes putting together the performances for U2, Mary J. Blige, Bob Dylan, and others on the Grammy show, he adds a fascinating footnote: “The performance that no one saw on the show was Michael Jackson. It was rumored that he would appear, but it never happened.”
The Grammy producer says that after Jackson’s successful tv concert special for the network, CBS execs wanted him for the Grammys. The problem? Ehrlich writes, “Michael only appears on award shows if he gets an award. And we were not about to do that.”
The Grammys had already given Jackson the Legend Award in 1993, when he was introduced by his sister and famously said in his speech, “Me and Janet really are two different people.”
The Grammy bigwigs weren’t interested in creating a fictitious award specifically for him, like the American Music Awards had done. They communicated this to Jackson’s manager, Trudy Green, and Ehrlich thought everything was good.
But when Green arrived to a meeting 10 days before the Grammy broadcast to discuss the specifics of Michael’s performance, she asked again about an award. At that point, Ehrlich left the room in frustration, according to his book.
As the meeting ended, Grammy officials stuck to their guns and refused to create an award for Jackson to receive on the air. Ehrlich writes, “We did say that following his performance, we would make mention of his 30-year career and recognize his achievements. If that was enough, we offered to move ahead.”
Soon after, Jackson’s people invited Ehrlich and Grammy director Walter Yetnikoff to the Bel Air Hotel to plan the performance with the singer. Ehrlich says, “I spent two days putting together an absolutely riveting mega-mix of Michael’s hits that could serve as the basis for his performance… He seemed to love it, and told us more-or-less that he was in.”
Erhlich says MJ told him he would follow up soon to confirm the performance. “Three days later, still no word,” Ehrlich says. “And then finally, via the record label, we heard that Michael had declined. It’s too bad, because… this performance would have been a virtuoso opportunity for him to receive credit for what he’s done.”
What Song Would MJ Have Performed on the Show?
Ehrlich says in his book that MJ was open to performing the medley of hits that he had put together. He doesn’t mention specifically which songs were included.
Ehrlich’s story contradicts a rumor that has appeared online, that Michael was supposed to perform “Whatever Happens” with Carlos Santana at the 2002 Grammys. Though fans have repeated this claim on message boards, there is no credible evidence to support it.
It does seem odd that Jackson would’ve done a hits medley rather than a song from his current album that he was trying to promote. But that is Ehrlich’s recollection, and he’s the only one in the know who has spoken on the subject.
It’s also possible that Jackson would have performed both a medley and a new song from Invincible — perhaps his nominated track “You Rock My World,” which he had already performed during the CBS concert special.
But that’s all speculation. The only one who has spoken about this on the record is Ehrlich, and he says Jackson would have performed a hits medley.
The 2002 Grammy Awards Carry On Without Michael
The 2002 Grammys were a wildly successful show even without Jackson. The show featured legendary performances like Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama,” Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” Alicia Keys’ “Fallin,” and “Lady Marmalade” by Pink, Mya, Christina Aguilera, and Lil Kim, with Missy Elliott and Patti LaBelle.
Jackson lost his only nomination, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, to James Taylor.
By not performing, Jackson probably cost himself a boost in album sales. Ehrlich noted that show performers Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, and Train all saw huge sales gains the week after the broadcast.
Michael Jackson would never again appear on the Grammy broadcast. In 2010, after his passing, he was honored by a tribute performance of “Earth Song” by Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, and Smokey Robinson.
We can only fantasize about what a 2002 Grammy performance from Michael Jackson would have looked like.
For more reading, see our list of the best Michael Jackson duets.
Last Updated on October 10, 2025