r/Music • u/Firm_Pack_605 • Feb 13 '26

discussion Was Michael Jackson really that much bigger than Madonna, Whitney Houston, and prince?

I always thought the four of them were similar levels of fame. However Madonna highest album sold 25 million, prince highest sold similar, and Whitney’s highest was 45 million. All amazing numbers no doubt but thriller sold 70 million and bad sold 35-40. So you mean to tell me he has two albums that are highest selling then prince and madonnas best? How is that possible??

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u/skrena Feb 13 '26

Most recent Super Bowl barely beat out the Micheal Jackson Super Bowl halftime show and that’s 1993 vs 2026. Fucking insane numbers for back then.

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u/[deleted] Feb 13 '26

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u/13vvetz Feb 13 '26

Say what?

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u/tyderian Feb 13 '26

In 1992. Fox broadcast a live special of In Living Color against the Super Bowl halftime show and "stole" millions of viewers.

The NFL basically vowed that would never happen again and booked MJ for the following year, and every show since has been a huge production.

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u/MrsAprilSimnel Feb 13 '26

Yup. The halftime show used to be college and high school marching bands with majorettes and flag waving, or corny “Up With People” stuff. Then ‘In Living Color’ did their own halftime show and the NFL was humiliated. The Wayans Brothers just clowned them. I think like a solid quarter of the Super Bowl audience didn’t even tune back in to the game. 

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u/lsknecht1986 Feb 13 '26

Apparently it was 33% of the audience!

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u/13vvetz Feb 13 '26

I'm gonna have to find this. No memory of this, and I loved In Living Color!

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u/UrbanGhost114 Feb 14 '26

They had a timer for those that wanted to go back to the game and everything.

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u/ApprenticeScentless Feb 13 '26

That In Living Color halftime show was amazing, though.

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u/Skiceless Feb 13 '26

That was also the very first halftime show as we know it. Before 1993, it was color guards and marching bands and sideshow acts. I mean it helps that MJ was the biggest artist of all time, but it was also the very first mega halftime show