Long before holograms and record‑breaking world tours, Michael Jackson was making headlines for an entirely different reason: his on‑board dining demands. An unauthorised 2009 biography, Michael Jackson Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones, lifts the lid on the pop superstar’s most eccentric in‑flight orders—revealing a man as meticulous about his menu as he was about his music.

KFC for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

According to a “passenger profile” dated September 1, 2003, Jackson insisted on a fast‑food feast at every meal. Breakfast aboard his private jet routinely featured “KFC original chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits with strawberry jelly and spray butter,” alternated with “scrambled eggs with strawberry jelly.” On other days, he’d swap in lox and low‑fat bagels, but the Colonel’s chicken remained the constant.

Lunch followed a near‑identical formula—again, a full KFC spread served family‑style, with potatoes and corn on the cob. Dinner, too, came courtesy of Kentucky Fried Chicken, though Jackson’s flight crew noted that on multi‑leg journeys he might “try other forms of chicken, but would still like the KFC.”

Dessert? Skip It—Unless It’s Sunday

While Jackson “rarely eats dessert,” the logs reveal he’d indulge in a sundae “one out of 10 times.” Otherwise, his sweet fix came in the form of gum, mints or fresh fruit—especially oranges, grapes, apples and bananas. The star’s preference for simplicity extended to his cleaners and utensils: everything had to be individually wrapped or disposable.

Wine in a Coke Can: A Private Ritual

Perhaps the most curious revelation concerns Jackson’s booze of choice: white wine, always poured into a Diet Coke can. “He was a very private drinker,” recalls Cynthia Bell, a former cabin crew member interviewed by The Telegraph in 2005. Crew suggested the soft‑drink disguise to help Jackson “feel more comfortable” drinking in public settings—even at 35,000 feet. When he wanted something stronger, the logs show he’d ask for tequila, gin or Crown Royal, yet always in soft‑drink disguises.

A Window into Jackson’s World

These dietary particulars—drawn from an unpublished flight manifest of the man who brought us “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal”—offer more than just a peek at celebrity quirks. They underscore Jackson’s lifelong quest for control and privacy, even amid the trappings of superstardom. Whether savoring Colonel Sanders’s chicken or sipping wine covertly, the King of Pop’s in‑flight menu was as carefully choreographed as his signature moonwalk.