Mark Wahlberg 'stormed off' after fighting with Michael Jackson over Sony's private plane to leave NYC amid 9/11 attacks
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Few persons in and around the Big Apple had the option of leaving the area on a private jet when New York City was threatened on September 11, 2001. However, according to a tell-all book, it turned out to be quite the conundrum for Michael Jackson and Mark Wahlberg. According to a tell-all book by Randall Sullivan titled 'Untouchable', the two celebrities allegedly argued when they both appeared in White Plains a few days after the airplanes hit the Twin Towers, as reported by New York Post.
Wahlberg is one of the few individuals who would do anything for his family. Stepping away from Hollywood, Wahlberg sold his $90 million California property and relocated to Nevada with his family in 2022 to give them a "better life". In an appearance with the CBS chat show 'The Talk' in 2022, Wahlberg discussed his reasons for making the choice, saying that helping his children achieve their goals "made a lot more sense" to him. Wahlberg confessed that his family is now his top priority, leaving aside his Hollywood profession.
'Whoever is more famous, gets the private jet'
According to a rumor firmly denied by Wahlberg's camp, the two stars had a dispute over who would get to use the record label Sony's getaway aircraft to escape the mayhem after the deadly attack. Jackson apparently traveled to the area with his family—including his children and other relatives—to get transportation back to Los Angeles.
But according to Sullivan, while waiting to board the vehicle, Wahlberg and his crew confronted Jackson. Allegedly, the two got into a verbal altercation about who would get the plane before Sony executives said the King of Pop may board the plane because he was the bigger celebrity. "Whoever is more famous, gets the private jet," Sony said, as per TMZ.
The two sides got into a yelling war before Sony sent news that Jackson, the more famous of the two, had triumphed. According to the author, Wahlberg "stormed off" to wait for another jet, while Jackson changed his mind and preferred to travel to California by bus, leaving his entourage to board the plane without him. Jackson later changed his mind again and sent his mother and a few other relatives on the bus, necessitating the dispatch of a second plane with the help of Sony, as per the 'Untouchable'.
The allegations, however, were denied by sources close to Wahlberg, who told TMZ that it wouldn't be necessary because he had his own airplane.
'MJ's family used him for money'
The Jackson family apparently used the King of Pop for their financial gain, alleged Sullivan's book. On June 25, 2009, shortly after Michael's death, a legal dispute arose regarding his estate. The King of Pop was expected to be worth $2 billion, or even more. The clan's female members started a week-long siege and search of the mansion on Carolwood Drive in Los Angeles, where the King of Pop died.