Many talented individuals have been a part of the music industry, but none of them left their mark on it quite like singer Michael Jackson. His songs are some of the most recognizable tunes in the world of music, and his talent was undeniable.

According to theguardian.com, Jackson’s fame was not achieved through luck. The star spent most of his life in the spotlight since he started performing at a very young age. However, during the last few years of his life, many people talked more about what he did in his personal life than his professional career.

Many of those who worked for Jackson at Sycamore Valley Ranch, which used to be known as Neverland Ranch, have spoken out about some questionable things he did. Here are some of the strange rules he made his staff members follow.

20 His Drivers Used Four Different Limousines

Lots of people have seen countless photos of Jackson, and in many of them, he was in a limousine. According to motor1.com, the star traveled around in multiple limousines. In fact, his drivers used four different limousines to take him to various places. One of them was used in the film Driving Miss Daisy.

19 Michael’s Employees Were Not Allowed To Talk To The Public About Him

One might think that working for a celebrity would be fun, but that does not appear to be the case for those who worked for Jackson. Before anyone could start working for him, they had to agree to lots of incredibly strict rules. For example, they could not talk about him at all, according to dailymail.co.uk.

18 If There Was An Issue, They Had To Speak With His Manager Before Speaking To Authorities

To say Jackson found himself in a bit of hot water multiple times would be a vast understatement. The star was notorious for being involved in some weird things. But if an employee ever witnessed illegal activity involving Jackson, they were not allowed to alert law enforcement. According to dailymail.co.uk, they had to speak with the singer’s management.

17 Michael Had To Have Others Drive Him Around

Lots of celebrities have staff members that drive them wherever they need to go, and Jackson was no different. But part of the reason why he hired others to drive him everywhere was because he was a really bad driver. According to mj-777.com, the star’s mother and sister have both spoken out about his lack of driving skills.

16 All Employees Had To Read And Agree To Rules In A 21-Page Handbook

Jackson may have been a great musician, but some aspects of his personal life have raised many eyebrows, to say the least. So, it is really no surprise that employees had to read a 21-page handbook full of rules before they started working for him. According to 2020accessonline.com, this even helped the star win a civil case that involved five of his employees since each of them breached their contracts.

15 Stopping To Talk To Homeless People Was A Big Deal To Him

According to news24.com, Jackson was incredibly generous to homeless people. If he spotted one while he was on the go, he would have his drivers stop so he could talk to them. Jackson handed homeless people money on more than one occasion. On some occasions, Jackson handed homeless men and women over $400.

14 Some Of His Employees Were Not Allowed To Speak To Him

Usually, when someone works for another person, they have to speak to them occasionally. But that was not the case for some of the people that worked for Jackson. According to dailymail.co.uk, his bodyguards regularly reminded the rest of the staff that they were not to speak to him, or they would have to face the consequences.

13 His Drivers Had To Try Not To Use Freeways

Jackson seriously disliked freeways, so his drivers typically tried to avoid them, according to thethings.com. Apparently, Jackson felt that they were a bit dangerous. But all of that changed when he got over this fear after finding out how much more time it took to drive through Los Angeles, California, without using freeways.

12 Employees Also Had To Agree To An Employee Confidentiality Contract

Anyone who wanted to work for Jackson had to deal with a lot of paperwork. On top of having to read the 21-page handbook, his staff members were also required to read and sign a 5-page confidentiality contract, according to lipstickalley.com. Jackson wanted to be sure that no one would spill the beans about what he did behind closed doors.

11 No One Was Allowed To Take Photos Or Record Videos Of Him

Lots of people usually want to take photos and videos of celebrities when they see them in person. However, none of the men and women who worked for Jackson were allowed to do anything like that, according to hienalouca.com. However, they were allowed to do it if they got permission beforehand.

10 Drivers Needed To Know How To Drive All Of His Vehicles

One very interesting fact about Jackson is that he liked to collect cars. At one point, the musician had approximately 75 cars, but he hardly ever got behind the wheel himself. According to thethings.com, that meant each of his drivers had to be able to drive all of them just in case he wanted to use one.

9 Employees Were Instructed To Avoid Saying Anything That Might Damage His Image

The Employee Confidentiality Contract had a lot of important things for Jackson’s staff members to remember in it. One of those things was the fact that they were not allowed to say anything that could possibly damage the star’s public image, according to dailymail.co.uk. That probably was not a hard rule to follow, since they were not allowed to speak to the public about Jackson at all.

8 Staring At Him Was Against The Rules

A former employee of Jackson’s recently discussed some of the weird rules she had to abide by during the time that she worked for him. According to stuff.co.nz, Jackson’s staff members were instructed to avoid staring at him. This was probably very difficult at first since he was one of the most famous people in the world at that time.

7 Employees Were Instructed Not To Ask For Autographs

Lots of people dream of getting a chance to get their favorite celebrity’s autograph. While Jackson did not seem to have any problem with signing autographs for his fans, things were much different when it came to his staff members. According to stuff.co.nz, asking for autographs from Jackson was yet another thing they were not allowed to do.

6 Michael’s Employees Had To Do Things Without Asking Questions

Many of the things Jackson said and did during his life raised lots of questions. However, his employees were not allowed to question anything. According to lipstickalley.com, he did not tolerate any of his staff members questioning the things he said and did or the things he wanted them to do.

5 They Once Gave The Paparazzi The Wrong Directions

2005 was not a good year for Jackson, and he attracted lots of negative publicity. Jackson wanted to avoid the paparazzi, so he hid in a small village for a bit. In addition, his staff, as well as those who lived there, worked together to help him out by giving the paparazzi incorrect directions when they wanted to know where he went so that they could capture images of him, according to thethings.com.

4 He Disliked When His Employees Were Rude To His Fans

While Jackson did not seem to have much interaction with his employees, he really loved his fans. In fact, he loved them so much that he did not like it when he believed that his staff members were being unkind to them.

According to truemichaeljackson.com, he came very close to firing some of his crew members after a fan was injured when she nearly got ran over by his limousine. To make it up to her, Jackson spent the day with her, and he told her all about his life.

3 Michael Was Not Opposed To Riding Around In A Taxi To Get Ice Cream With Macaulay Culkin

Jackson was very fond of fancy cars, and he also was seen in limousines many times throughout his life. However, there were times when he chose other vehicles when he wanted to leave the house. According to thethings.com, Jackson was known for putting on a disguise and using an old taxi to take actor Macauley Culkin to go get ice cream.

2 His Staff Had To Know How To Bartend

According to ferrarichat.com, at least one of the limousines Jackson owned came with a fully-stocked bar. This means that some of the people who worked for the star needed to know how to bartend since he clearly enjoyed having a drink or two on occasion while he was on the road.

1 They Still Had To Follow Rules After Their Employment Ended

Jackson and his team were very serious about the rules employees needed to follow. Once a person was employed by the star, they had to agree to abide by the rules in the handbook and Employee Confidentiality Agreement for the rest of their lives. According to dailymail.co.uk, his staff members had to continue to refrain from filming or photographing Jackson after their employment there had ended.

References: The Guardian, Motor1, Daily Mail, MJJ-777, News You May Be Able To Use, News24, The Things, Lipstick Alley, HienaLouca, Stuff, True Michael Jackson, Ferrari Chat