Prince Refused to Shake Michael Jackson's Hand — What Michael Said Left the Studio Frozen

Prince Refused to Shake Michael Jackson's Hand — What Michael Said Left the Studio Frozen March 1984. NBC Studios, Burbank. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson had just quietly rearranged its whole schedule to put the two biggest names in music on the same couch for the first time — without asking either one of them first. When Michael reached out his hand, Prince didn't take it. The studio went cold. What Michael asked him next, live, in front of eleven million people, turned an awkward snub into one of the most honest conversations either man ever had on camera. This is the story of what was really being said underneath a rivalry the press spent two years selling — and the ninety seconds during a commercial break that neither of them ever forgot. Watch the full story to the end. This video is a dramatized retelling inspired by the lives and careers of Michael Jackson and Prince. Dialogue and certain events have been recreated for storytelling purposes.