Living legend Lionel Richie stopped by the Joe Rogan podcast and used his time to debunk long-standing rumors about his relationship with the late Michael Jackson.
The Grammy Award-winning artist explained why Michael Jackson was given the nickname of “smelly,” while speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Richie decided to debunk a theory that outlets like People ran with after reading his memoir, Truly, that the “All Night Long” singer was clowing the King of Pop’s body odor.
Speaking to Rogan, Richie said that was not the case.
“Everybody thought I was saying Michael smelled,” Richie explained. “No—that was Quincy [Jones] ‘s nickname for him. ‘Here comes Smelly.’”
The current American Idol judge further explained that Jackson’s nickname was a product of the ridiculousness he experienced as a direct result of his fame.
According to Richie, Jackson’s clothes kept disappearing, with people treating them like they were collectibles.
“Imagine sending your clothes out and only getting half of them back—the other half are souvenirs,” Richie told Rogan. “So he’d wear a pair of jeans until they tried to run away from him.”
He also shared a story about how Jackson would often show up wearing shoes two sizes too big, simply because he didn’t want to be rude to the person who had given them to him by turning them down.
“Michael, you could’ve gotten them in the right size,” Richie recalled telling Jackson. The Thriller crafter’s response: “I didn’t want to embarrass the guy.”
“Every time he put on underwear, it was new—because the old ones never came back,” Richie said, laughing while sharing the story.
Well, it’s good to know that Michael Jackson doesn’t stink. Richie’s memoir, Truly, is now available.
