Did Michael Jackson Actually Unite the Bloods and Crips as Portrayed in 'Michael'?

Michael Jackson's newly released biopic, Michael, was released worldwide on April 24 and has been a massive hit with moviegoers.

In just two weeks in theaters, the film has already grossed $424 million globally. Michael brought in $217 million opening weekend, surpassing its original production budget of $155 million.

While the film, starring Jaafar Jackson (Michael's real-life nephew) as the King of Pop, was panned by critics before release, the general audience has had the opposite reaction, giving it a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans are praising the movie and greatly enjoying the opportunity to celebrate the icon's music.

Audiences say #Michael is Verified Hot at 96% on the Popcornmeter! https://t.co/m6m7wjwkdl pic.twitter.com/9viLLqJepC

— Rotten Tomatoes ???? (@RottenTomatoes) April 24, 2026

The biopic does have one particular scene that has some viewers questioning the believability that the events actually occurred.

In Michael, there is a sequence which shows Jackson taking notice of rampant gang violence happening in California, particularly between the notorious Bloods and Crips. He then decides to act by organizing members of both gangs to unite and participate in the making of the “Beat It” music video. Large numbers of both the Bloods and Crips are present upon Michael's arrival, and after rumblings from each side, the gangs drop their deadly rivalry to witness Jackson's greatness. They all watch and cheer on Michael as he works on choreography for the “Beat It” video, which the gang members would go on to be honored with background roles in.

The plot line of deadly gang members putting aside their differences over pop music may have a cheesy, “too good to be true” quality to some.

The blood & crip part in this damn Michael movie is absolutely insane ????

— J.Mack (@mackey_jermaine) April 29, 2026

So, did it actually happen? Did Michael Jackson successfully bring the gangs together over his music?

Yes, in 1983, Michael Jackson actually brought together roughly 80 members of the Bloods and Crips for the music video of “Beat It” to promote unity, creating a temporary truce between the two sides. Jackson self-funded the project ($150,000) as CBS declined to due to the use of real gang members and filming on Los Angeles' Skid Row.

When Michael Jackson brought together the Bloods and Crips for his "Beat It" music videopic.twitter.com/ViWfNgTMEY

— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) April 25, 2026

The gangs are present as background extras throughout the iconic video, which helped break the color barrier on MTV, which historically did not play videos of Black artists at the time.

This situation is definitely something that seems like it would only happen in a Disney movie, couldn't happen in real life, but it did.

It just goes to show the powerful figure Michael Jackson was and the extreme cultural impact he had over everyone of all backgrounds.