BET Yanks Eminem Video

Jackson was so upset by the way he was portrayed in the video he has asked networks to remove the video from their rotations. BET, Black Entertainment Television, announced it is removing Eminem’s controversial video from its rotation out of respect for Jackson. The video features Eminem dressed as Jackson jumping around on a bed with little boys. Later in the video Eminem mocks Jackson’s plastic surgery and an incident in which Jackson’s hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984.

Jackson’s representative Ramone Bain said, "Michael Jackson is very angry. He feels that Eminem has crossed the line. Michael is calling upon all networks to pull the video. Bob Johnson (BET’s founder and chairman) has agreed to pull it. And that’s an important audience for Eminem’s audience." Bain continued, "Michael feels the video is disrespectful and offensive. It’s one thing to spoof someone, it’s another to be completely insensitive and disrespectful."

BET chairman Johnson said, "BET pulled the video because we feel it is inappropriate to use our network to air a video disparaging Michael’s character, or that of any other celebrity." Jackson said he was "shocked" by the video during an interview on The Steve Harvey Show and said it is his "hope that the other networks will take BET’s lead and pull it." MTV and other video channels clearly have no intentions of pulling the video. Eminem’s label, Interscope, released a statement Tuesday stating they were "sorry that BET made this decision." If the video wasn’t a big deal before this you can bet now it is on everyone’s minds. Jackson just made it a must-see video.