King Never Said Quote Criticizing Malcolm X

In 1965, Playboy magazine published an interview with Martin Luther King Jr. in which the civil rights icon shared harsh words about Malcolm X, reportedly saying he “has done himself and our people a great disservice.” That fiery quote established the conventional wisdom that the two famed activists were rivals, a perception that has been taught and passed down for the last six decades.

But it turns out King never said it. Jonathan Eig, the author of the new biography King: A Life, discovered in his research that Alex Haley, the Roots author who conducted that famous Playboy interview, had misquoted King. In fact, King said while he disagreed with some of Malcolm’s methods, he was open-minded about the differences in their views.

King: A Life, the first major biography of the civil rights activist in 40 years, is based on hundreds of interviews and thousands of newly-discovered documents. Released on May 16, it is the latest biography by Jonathan Eig, the author of New York Times bestsellers Ali: A Life, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season, and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.

In an interview with Biography.com, Eig shared how he discovered this misquotation, the historic reverberations it had, and how this new information should change our views of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.