Michael Jackson Could Not Get Enough Of This Popular Fried Chicken Chain

Michael Jackson had access to any meal he wanted. But most days, his favorite food came in a cardboard bucket. The King of Pop loved KFC. He grew up eating it, and even when he was touring, that didn't change. During a stop in New Zealand with the Jackson 5, the group had someone go out and grab fried chicken instead of eating the local food. That's what they wanted — something they knew.

Plenty of people remember him showing up with a box of it. Magic Johnson once said he was surprised when Jackson got brought KFC during a meeting at Jackson's house. Speaking on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" (via SI), the NBA legend recalled the experience, stating, "I start screaming, 'Michael you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?!' Man, I said, 'Hold up, I got to come down there and share that bucket with you.' I went down there, we sat on the floor and tore that chicken up."' Johnson, who later became one of several celebs who own fast food restaurants, didn't expect that kind of meal since he'd always heard Michael ate healthy.

Others recalled similar moments. Rapper Freddie Gibbs talked about the time Jackson came back to Gary, Indiana to get the key to the city, and bought out the whole KFC, handing chicken out through the car window. Another story says he once made the head of EMI wait while he walked down the street to get some. When he wanted it, he got it.

Michael Jackson wasn't switching it up, either. His charter company said he'd sometimes eat the same KFC meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Original Recipe chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits with strawberry jelly, and spray butter, too. That was the combo. It didn't change. That kind of consistency was rare, especially for someone with unlimited access to private chefs. His kids reportedly ate it right along with him. Their nanny, on the other hand, didn't eat any of it.

This wasn't always how he ate. In the 1980s, Jackson mostly stuck to vegetarian food. He'd go to Golden Temple in L.A., a longtime vegetarian restaurant that has since closed. That was his spot back then, but things changed. At some point, he started leaning into takeout, especially KFC. We can't really argue with the appeal — those 11 herbs and spices, the crispy breading that clings to the chicken, the buttery, flaky biscuits. It's not hard to see how that combo became part of his routine.