Lionel Richie Clears The Air On Michael Jackson Rumors

Lionel Richie Clears the Air on Michael Jackson Rumors

Lionel Richie recently set the record straight about his friendship with Michael Jackson during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. Addressing long-standing rumors, Richie explained that the nickname “Smelly” — often associated with Jackson — wasn’t about body odor at all. The moniker was actually given by legendary producer Quincy Jones as a lighthearted inside joke.

Richie shared that Jackson’s eccentric wardrobe habits stemmed from his extreme fame. Fans often took his clothing as souvenirs, leaving him constantly short on outfits. “He’d wear clothes until they ran away,” Richie joked, adding that Jackson even wore shoes two sizes too big to avoid offending people who gave them to him.

In one particularly funny revelation, Richie mentioned that Jackson was always seen in brand-new underwear — because, apparently, the old ones “never came back.”