The 1980s

In 1978, Michael starred alongside Diana Ross in the Motown/Universal Pictures motion picture The Wiz, an adaptation of the Broadway musical based upon L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Quincy Jones was the producer of the film's songs, and he and Michael began work on Michael’s first Epic solo album, Off the Wall, the next year. Off the Wall, released in 1979, sold 8 million copies and featured four Top 10 hit singles and two number-one singles, causing some speculation about whether Michael would leave the Jacksons.

Michael Jackson continued to perform with his brothers, Triumph in 1980, which featured the hits Lovely One and Can You Feel It. 1981 saw the release of the gold-selling The Jacksons Live!, using recordings from the Triumph tour. In 1988, Rolling Stone magazine described the Triumph tour as one of the best 25 tours from 1967 to 1987. The Triumph LP and tour were successful, but were outperformed by Michael's 1982 LP Thriller. Thriller went on to become the second most successful album ever in the United States (after the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)), and to date stands as the world's best-selling album of all time.

The Motown 25 television special, broadcast on NBC on May 16, 1983, featured a reunion performance between Jermaine and the other brothers. Outside of one 1979 appearance on the TV show Midnight Special this was the original Jackson 5's first performance in nearly seven years. The Motown 25 Jackson 5 reunion was overshadowed, however, by Michael's landmark performance of Billie Jean on the same program, which introduced his trademark moonwalk dance.

The Jacksons released the album Victory in 1984, featuring the hit single State of Shock with guest star Mick Jagger, and supported the album with the massively successful Victory World Tour. The Victory album and tour marked the official return of Jermaine to the group's lineup, making them a sextet.

Shortly after the Victory Tour, Michael left the Jacksons, as his solo career had led to the success of Thriller and its singles. His name recognition as a solo act had also grown, despite touring as part of a group. The other brothers eventually drifted apart to take on solo projects (although most of them appeared with Michael on the U.S. For Africa single We Are the World in 1985). The Jacksons reunited for one last album, 2300 Jackson Street in 1989. While every Jackson sibling except for LaToya appeared on the title track, a #9 R&B hit single, most of the album featured Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, and Randy as the line up. Michael Jackson's fame as a solo act as well as the growing fame of the group's youngest sister, Janet Jackson, had overshadowed the group entirely. A CD compilation of hits from the CBS/Epic years, The Essential Jacksons, was released in 2004, as was a separate compilation assembled by Universal/Hip-O, The Jacksons Story.