1990 photo. Credit: WENN.com
It really seems like Joe Jackson is not broken up about his son Michael’s death in the slightest. Joe went to the BET Awards a few days after Micheal’s sudden death and first told a reporter from CNN that he was doing “great” with no hint of sadness in his voice. Then when the interviewer prompted him by saying “It must be tough,” he agreed saying “Yeah, it has. It’s been really tough, remember we just lost the biggest star in the world, the biggest superstar.” There was no mention of the fact that he lost his son, only that “we” lost “the biggest star.” It’s like his son was just another famous musician to him and there was no personal attachment there. Joe also famously plugged his new record company in the interview.
In a press conference held on Monday, Joe first talked about his record company again, getting in a good sound bite in while sort-of defending mentioning it, claiming that he was asked what he was up to which wasn’t true at all, as Kaiser mentioned. He then said how grateful he was that “we” [the family] have so many fans all the world and “we” are loved around the world. He again only talked about his son’s fame and his charity work and didn’t mention that he meant anything to him at all. It was all about his son’s enormous popularity, not how he was missing his Michael or how he cherished him at all.
Along with having no apparent emotional attachment to his son, Joe may have another reason for seeming perfectly ok with the fact that Michael passed well before his time. Joe and Katherine Jackson filed for bankruptcy in 1999 and were still dealing with lawsuits from creditors as late as last year:
Michael Jackson’s parents have just recently come through their extremely complex and much-challenged bankruptcy proceeding. The couple filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on March 1, 1999, and although their debts were “discharged” on June 13, 2000, there were so many adversarial motions from creditors, there were still filings coming in as of May 22, 2008, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com.
In their initial petition, the Jacksons listed their assets in the $100,000 – $500,000 range and their estimated debts in the $10 – $50 million range.
Among the debts: $34,91602 was owed on a 1994 Mercedes Benz, $60,130.94 on a 1998 Land Rover, and $36,368.29 on a Land Rover Discovery. $32,561.06 was owed on personal income taxes to the State of California, and they were in to the IRS for $117,871.76. They owed $18 million on one lawsuit judgment and $4 million on another. They owned legal fees to several attorneys including Brian Oxman, who still works with them.
One interesting side note: the couple claimed “month to month tenancy only” on their residence in Encino, CA which they point out is owned by their son.
[From Radar Online]
Michael’s estate is estimated to be worth $200 to $500 million after the debts are paid, and you can bet that Joe is salivating at the thought of having access to that money. Jackson’s 2002 will supposedly doesn’t mention Joe at all, and leaves his estate to his mother and his children. Despite speculation that they’ve split up, Joe and Katherine still seem to be together. Given what poor money managers they are, you can bet that they’ll be squandering that money away as soon as they get their hands on it.
omg this is gettin uglier every minute.
even if half of the gossip is untrue there is so much left to wonder how these people can look at themselves in the mirror everyday.
I’ve been watching “Life with Michael Jackson” on YouTube and Joe Jackson was a horrible, terrible father from what Michael says. And he made his children call him “Joseph” and not “daddy.” No wonder he doesn’t act as if his son just died, only a superstar.
For some reason, I feel like Joe and Katherine have a hidden agenda. They want custody of those kids so bad and the only reason why they would want them is for the money. What a shame. The kids should go to Janet. She seems to be the only sane one in the whole group and she’s always made it known that she wants kids. Joe was a horrible father and Katherine let him do whatever he wanted to the kids. Imagine what kind of life Michael’s kids are going to have. From a loving family to a cold, calculating, and possibly abusive family. God help these children.
I don’t know why a court would allow either one of these people any where near Michaels children, first..they are both too old, and second, and most important, they were horrible parents, why would anyone think they would be good grandparents???
Joe Jackson only wants Michael’s money, as usual. He reminds me of greedy, estanged mother of Anna Nicole Smith, Virgie Arthur. Virgie wanted total control over Anna’s child and potential $88 mil. from Marshall family. It’s very hard to be normal when you have cold, greedy, abusive parents.
If Katherine is smart, she will take anything that Michael left her and leave Joseph-if she hasn’t already. I have a feeling that Joseph is going to try and turn Neverland into another Graceland. I’m sure Joseph saw dollar signs as soon as Michael died.
The only hope in this is that MJ’s attorney and music partner were named as executor’s which would leave the Jackson family out of managing his money, and the trust for the children secured.
Joe Jackson is one of the most unfeeling, uncaring people I’ve seen. Between Joe, his partner and Sharpton it was like watching the Three Stooges.
I hate that Mandela’s pat on Joe shoulder.
He is too great of a man to share the same space as this man.
Joe Jackson is a vile, evil man.
The more I read and see of MJ’s past life, the more I just feel sorry for him. I know how it is to be personally abused (esp. emotionally). It’s sad that so many people have taken advantage of him.
I get a creepy Josef Fritzel vibe from Joe Jackson. I hope those kids and any money are kept far away from him.
Joe Jackson scares the heck out of me, so I can imagine how those kids must feel. I hope Katherine will keep the kids far away from this monster.
Bankruptcy of this two vampires?! What a surprise, lol.
At this point, i wish i was MJ’s parents too.
I wish people would stop assuming “Janet should get the kids”. She doesn’t seem all that stable herself, and I still see nowhere where she wants children, but have heard for over ten years or so she did have a child and another family member has the child.
We do not know the Jackson family. They could ALL be bad choices for parents for all the public knows. Don’t be so quick to assume.
Katherine Jackson did let Joe abuse the kids and rob Michael of his childhood, so she is no saint since she let the shit happen in the first place and likely participated in it. Joe should hook up with Virgie, they are vampires. The kids should be raised the nanny, if she was the primary caregiver all along and if she is good to them and loves them. They would be better off with a regular life than as a tool for money grubbing weasels.
@ Jazz: YES! That’s what it is, I’ve been trying to put my finger on who Joe Jackson reminds me of. Josef Fritzel is it. Ugh. I shudder at all the implications.
You know a couple of years back my cat died. I had her for 18 years and there is no way in hell I could have walked a red carpet and joked with reporters 3 days after my CAT died, let alone my son or any other family member. I was totally struck by this and truly what a scumbag Joe Jackson is. Everyone has different ways to deal with grief, but this is unheard of. I hope that those kids are OK. Rebbie would be a good choice to care for them too.
“I wish people would stop assuming “Janet should get the kids”. She doesn’t seem all that stable herself”
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She isn’t. The only two relatively sane siblings in that whole fcuked-up menage are Rebbie and Marlon, both of whom have stable, long-lasting marriages (Marlon for 33 years and Rebbie for 42 years) and both have grown children. But neither Rebbie nor Marlon has come forward as a resource for the kids, and given the amount of pathology in the Jackson clan they may not want to get involved in the mess. If that’s the case, I can’t blame them.
I believe this and you can clearly see why Michael Jackson wanted nothing to do with his father and rightly so. Why the hell is Joe Jackson so damn greedy, I mean the man is in a very old age now and I can imagine only has a few years left to live, so he should cherish what is really important in his life and that is his family not going after money and new stupid business ventures. Poor Michael, he never had a chance for normality and now neither will his children if Joe Jackson in has anything to do with it.
This situation just keeps getting worse from the standpoint of those children.
They may have been loved by MJ, but they didn’t have a stable life, constantly moving from one place to another, having to wear costume masks in public, being incubated, birthed and abandoned by mothers. The only real mother that they have known has been there nanny who has been fired and rehired by MJ at least a few times over the years. Now, they’ll be left in the care of their 80-year-old grandmother who failed to protect and adequately nurture their father and they will be exposed to his tormentor at least until they reach adulthood at which point their inheritance will probably be just a rumor.
Michael Jackson’s will is set to have appointed Diana Ross as a second guardian of his children after MJ’s mother. The will says if Katherine died before him or couldn’t serve as guardian, he nominated Diana Ross. At least this is some good news for the kids.
Yeah, moral bankruptcy.
Joe should not be allowed anywhere near those kids, nor should Katherine be allowed to have much to do with them. They were rotten parents, and will be even worse grandparents, cos apart from their cruelty, they are just too damn old! Speaking of old, Diana Ross is no spring chicken, and as neurotic as an inbred cat. Debbie has no interest in them, nor should she even be considered as ‘parent’ material. She has consistently chosen money over her own children! Some mother!! One of the more stable, and younger Jackson siblings, would be a prefered choice, IMO. Just don’t let that horrid money grubbing old child abuser, Joe Jackson, get his hands on them!
MJ the more i read and find out what a crazy abusive cow pile joe jackson is, i shutter to think Micheal’s kids are right now in the same house with him. If anyone is the spun of the devil it is joe jackson. I fully believe if you flung Holy Water on the chit-head he would go up in flames, I have very little respect for mj mother as she is still with this chit-head joe jackson knowing he was pure abusive to her children, yet you still see her today with him. fool. chit head joe when interviewed only talks about his son as though he was a fan talking about him verses a Father, but then he was not a father, just a jackoff that supplied the sperm. boy i cannot stand this monster jj. May he meet head to head with the large angry bull he stold the chit from so the bull can rip him a new one.
You guys are all right. I grew up watching every move that the Jackson family made. I have always said that things were not as they seemed. I am glad that Michael can finally be at peace now. He doesn’t have to worry about carrying the weight of his family on his shoulders anymore. RIP Michael
but what about michael jackson kids will joe jackson be that bad to those kids and if so then they should give the childern to janet jackson she was more like michael was and these kids need someone to love and i know that katherine and joe love the kids but love the money too much
well heres one for ya all out there i think the nanny grace should get the kids as she has helped raise them mj was a wonderful dad to those kids and the nanny i heard was great to they seem to love her and shes young so why not let her have them if this is what the kids wants they need to be in a good loving home dp