One of the things that bugs me the most about this current era of Hollywood scandal and controversy is that I often feel like celebrities and their publicists don’t give the subject matter the respect and horror it deserves. I’ll be less cryptic, with a specific example. If Paris Jackson chooses not to believe the accusations of child abuse lodged against her father, that’s her prerogative. But treat the subject of child abuse and child molestation with the seriousness and horror it deserves. In the middle of a national conversation about whether or not Michael Jackson molested multiple children, don’t treat that subject like it’s just a minor PR issue which can be solved by cutesy counterprogramming via social media:
don’t take life too seriously, life already takes itself serious enough as it is
— Paris-Michael K. J. (@ParisJackson) March 5, 2019
— Paris-Michael K. J. (@ParisJackson) March 5, 2019
This kind of thing makes me believe The Sun’s story about how Paris Jackson is mostly concerned about how the Leaving Neverland documentary will affect her acting career. It almost feels like Paris is trying to use the Leaving Neverland conversations to remind people that she exists too, which… is not the best move, right? Anyway, TMZ has a story about how Paris doesn’t believe any of the accusers’ claims:
Paris Jackson isn’t swayed by the allegations levied against her father in “Leaving Neverland” — and firmly believes Michael Jackson was not a child molester. Sources close to Paris tell TMZ … she hasn’t seen the explosive new documentary, and contrary to reports, she was not offered the chance to see it before it premiered at Sundance.
We’re also told she’s not the least bit torn or conflicted about its content — Wade Robson and James Safechuck’s graphic description of their alleged molestation at Jackson’s hands.
The Jackson family as a whole has been outspoken about their anger over the documentary — and Tito’s son, Taj Jackson, told us he thinks Robson’s making it all up for revenge. Interestingly, Paris’ mom, Debbie Rowe, is also avoiding it. Our sources say she doesn’t see a point in watching ‘Neverland’ because Michael’s been dead for years. Fair to say, Michael’s family is taking a united stance.
Again, I understand how MJ’s family, especially his kids, don’t want to see the documentary or engage with it at all. Again, that’s their choice and honestly, I wouldn’t be able to sit down and watch a documentary about one of my family members being a child molester either. But what bugs me is the attempted counter-programming and the lack of horror. This isn’t just a minor PR kerfuffle – Michael Jackson abused children for years and years. Even if the Jackson family can’t acknowledge that, treat the subject with respect.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
The delusion is strong with this one. Honestly I don’t even blame her. Most of this is Michael’s fault and the Jackson’s family’s fault for letting her believe lies for her whole life.
Who knows, what MJ did to Paris in her brothers?!
What are the chances of a child molester molesting his own children?
(here is a former MJ fan speaking)
When Paris Jackson said she considers herself “Black” I though ok this girl is delusional. Yes her father is Black (though I don’t personally believe MJ is her biological father), she herself is White as can be. She will never deal with what Black women have to deal with. I know she doesn’t want to hear or believe the stories because she loved her dad and she and her brothers are really innocent in all this.
I will never understand why we continue to decide for others how they identify.
Paris was born of black folks, as far as we know and as far as she’s been told, and she’s been raised by black folks.
Why are people deciding for her who she is?
But as I’ve stated before, I’m incredibly sensitive to this issue because I am the biracial child of a black mother with light skinned black close relatives. And I am the mother of one light passing daughter and two brown boys of the same genetic makeup as their sister but more clearly biracial than she is.
My boys are treated as black by the society we live in. So am I. They are the same shade as I am, as most of my close relatives are (my mother is darker like her father but I’m the same skintone as my grandmother, greatgrandmother, aunts, and uncle).
@ DS9
I don’t know Paris personally so how am I “deciding” or “telling” her how to identify? I doubt she comes to this website. I don’t think her biological father is Black…I believe both her parents are White. Therefore, Paris is White. No way can she identify with the struggles of Black women. Just because she had Black aunties, and Black female cousins, doesn’t mean she can truly understand or even be able to call herself “Black”. Sorry that is my opinion. She is not biracial so your story really has no relevance with what I said. I do understand your story though and thank you for sharing it.
Are you saying that she is delusional for considering herself to be Black because she has a light complexion? Rashida Jones and Halsey are both bi-racial and both have similar complexions to Paris. I’m sure both of them would take umbrage if you called them delusional for considering themselves to be Black.
@ pantanlones en fuego
I don’t think you read or understood what I was saying correctly. Paris Jackson is not bi-racial (at least I don’t think so). It’s been said many times (though speculation) that MJ used a sperm donor (Mark Lester) for Paris and Prince. I mean we each have a right to our own opinions…there is a lot of mystery surrounding this family. Who really knows the truth.
But why shouldn’t she believe she’s black if she believes MJ and Debbie Rowe to be her biological parents?
You’re making two conflicting statements here. Of course if neither one of her biological parents is black, she isn’t black and she’d be dumb to say so. So clearly she believes them.
You are saying she’s delusional for believing them. But why shouldn’t she?
I think I understand what you are trying to say, but think on it from this perspective:
Let’s say I was adopted as a baby by a family who was Irish… and grew up hearing about family in Dublin, listening to stories of the potato famine, and lived in a home that was decorated with paintings of Irish landscapes.
But… in the mirror Ihad an appearance that others might guess is Italian or Hispanic: Would that make it wrong for me to consider myself Irish?
@DS9
Once again, I don’t think you are understanding what I’m saying. I think Paris knows her dad used a sperm donor. It’s all over the internet. She said in an interview that she still considers herself to be Black. She is delusional in the sense how on earth can she consider herself black when both her parents are White? Even if she was raised with Black family members, she still is not Black nor does she have to endure the same disadvantages Black women have in society. I don’t think there is much more I can add to this conversation so I’ll just leave it here.
Where has she said she believes her father used a white sperm donor?
@singtress, race and heritage/nationality/heritage often overlap but aren’t necessarily the same thing.
One can be Irish and black or Irish and Hispanic or black and Hispanic or Afro Latinx.
Dude – MJ aint her biological Dad. Everybody knows that right???????????????
I mean…….really?!
I thought it was like 99.9% sure that MJ is NOT her bio father and that she is 100% white? She was adopted basically?
I mean, if I was raised by a Chinese family (I’m irish mexican)…I wouldn’t walk around telling people I’m Chinese? They’d think I’m crazy!!
@me said ‘It’s all over the internet’
So is the fact the earth is flat and vaccines cause autism, doesn’t make it true. People can say what they want but without DNA tests there is no hard proof.
at the end of the day..If I were Paris, I would be HOPING that I wasn’t biologically related to MJ at this point.
I have a problematic abusive father and my sister and I had to really struggle with the fear of inheriting his abusive traits/flaws when we were becoming adults.
We both questioned if we would become monsters like him? If she was basically adopted, she can at least have that comfort that she isn’t carrying the DNA of a monster.
I don’t think she appears biracial either but don’t forget she is supposed to have waardenburg syndrome, that’s why her eyes are blue…
So, if MJ wasn’t at least Prince’s bio dad, how do we explain his rather prominent case of vitiligo? His face is also almost exactly like what MJ looked like before he started with the plastic surgery. Paris’s face shape is a lot like MJ’s, plus her figure is tall and slender like his. Blanket’s another dead ringer, save for the eye shape.
Though I suppose you couldn’t convince those who want to believe it was a sperm donor, even with DNA results.
Most of the Jacksons live off MJ’s money.
Of course they will deny, deny, deny they don’t won’t their gravy train skidding off the tracks.
@Nicole R
She doesn’t have that syndrome, she has the same eyes as her mom Debbie Rowe, that’s why her eyes are blue. People out here trying to make up the craziest stuff to and explain why she (nor her siblings) has no similar features as MJ.
MJ is not their biological Dad. No matter what she decides to consider herself, she is not biracial. That would be like allowing someone like Rachel Dozeal claim she’s black/biracial.
@Singstress: To answer your question, it would be inaccurate. Just like if you were a human raised by wolves you still wouldn’t be a wolf. Or if I, who presents as black, would go around saying i’m white because I was raised by white parents. Just because she believes it doesn’t make it true/fact.
@pantanlones en fuego: That’s an unfair comparison. Halsey and Rashida actually resemble their parents and so do their siblings, so they have no reason to doubt their heritage. None of MJ kids bear any resemblance to him at all.
I agree with @me and @millenial, she is in denial about her heritage just as much as she is about MJ’s abusing those kids. Girl is delusional about many things.
She’s had 20 years to educate herself on race, and genetics, specially nowadays… but even if is she hasn’t got a clue about it, doesn’t mean she should be allowed to just identify however she wants (again, just because she believes it, doesn’t make it a fact.) Hopefully she will get educated eventually.
@mtam I’ll back you on most of your comments, but 20 years? She’s just now 20. Nobody at 20 is thinking in the most comprehensive way of all the things that have happened in life, especially not when it involves family. You’re trying to figure out you, and with all this other crazy media attention from who her father, forget it. Nobody, no normal anonymous person could begin to imagine the life mj lived, nor his daughter. This story is very sad, let’s stop speculating what his 20 year old daughter thinks. She hasn’t made any public claims, we don’t know. And the race baiting in this comment section makes me sick. None of us know just by looking at each other what “we are”. Yeah, it’s gross to be a Rachel dozeliel situation, but at the same time, we shouldn’t speculate on someone’s paternity. Idk, all of this is icky and the coments in general o this thread seem to add to it, all of them, not just the one I’m responding to.
@YeahIknow
I should clarify when i mentioned 20 years I don’t mean she’s had 20 years of education, but that growing up she’s had the opportunity to look into her heritage and be certain of it before she goes around saying she’s biracial, and that the reason she doesn’t look biracial is only because she “dies her hair blonde.” it’s hard to believe as children none of MJ kids never wondered why they didn’t look anything like him, or after hearing rumours of their paternity throughout their lives, or even nowadays when conversations of genetics and race are more popular and accessible, and understood more than ever before. She still chooses to stay in denial of it and claim she is biracial.
But honestly i don’t blame her for being in denial, she’s been fed lies her whole life. My issue is more with fans and other commenters who say it’s okay to claim any race/heritage you want. Or that she’s just like actual light-skinned biracial women that don’t necessarily present black. That’s just not true. And frankly, it’s offensive to actual POC.
I agree with you it is problematic to assume someone’s race based solely on their physical appearance. But it’s also problematic for her to claim she is something while willingly staying ignorant of the truth. And then for others to support that, is also wrong.
I understand your discomfort with these subjects, they are difficult ones to navigate and we’re all learning how to approach them better everyday, but just because it’s uncomfortable to discuss it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. These are important topics, it just so happens that this time Paris Jackson seems to be the catalyst for it. Next week we could be discussing this under an article about someone else.
We’re not directing these comments to her, she’ll be fine, for better or worse she is being shielded from things like this and many truths.
Also this is a gossip site, of course we should try to discuss things with sensitivity, but we get to speculate about w.e. we want. Specially on things that seem obvious to anyone who can see and use basic logic. For many reasons that I find obvious, it is my opinion MJ is not their biological father, and therefore i find it’s problematic when she claims she’s biracial, and when others support that and use illegitimate claims and examples to try and justify it.
Of course she wouldn’t believe. She’s his child.
However, the rest of his family don’t get a pass from me.
You know what? If someone came out to say that my mum, dad or brother sexually abused them, I wouldn’t believe that they’re lying. Because it’s too awful to lie about it. I wouldn’t throw my relative out of my life right away and I’d certainly wish that there was an error somewhere, but I still wouldn’t reject the claim until further investigation. I believed my mum’s cousin when he said his brother abused him for years, he had no reason to lie.
But sure, it’s conflicting for the kids. The older Jacksons don’t get a pass because they actively enabled MJ since he was and still is their provider.
Agree. I’m not holding her accountable for his actions. She has the rest of her life to sift through this stuff and see what she thinks.
I am my fathers child therefore I know him better than most people. I know my father’s flaws from living with him for 20 years and being his flesh and blood.
She should grow up and accept the hard truth of her father. There is no use in denying reality. Life is hard and bad things happen, pretending it isnt so doesn’t help anything.
The last 18 or so years of his life were filled with serious allegations and bizarre behavior. I think the family (understandably) wanted those years to evaporate once he was gone. After all, he’s still the money train.
The documentary reminds the public that the majority of his adult life was shrouded in controversy, to put it mildly.
I just watched Part 1 last night and I don’t know how anyone can come away from it still believing he is innocent. It is heartbreaking. Wade Robson and James Safechuck are so brave and I have so much respect for them talking about the horrors Michael Jackson inflicted upon them. It was really hard to watch but we need to talk about these things so that we can know how to protect children from being groomed by predators.
As for Paris, I can’t imagine being raised by that monster. I think this poor girl has many issues and is in denial about her father.
I don’t critique her as much as the older relatives.
The documentary can be hard to watch. One thing I noticed was how the timeline fits the noticeable outward deterioration of MJ, which seemed to start around the time of Bad (late 1980). I guess having a dark, secret life may have added to what the public assumed was an obsession with cosmetic procedures.
Someone also pointed out (forget where) how he often morphed into beasts in his videos…he knew…
I know his kids say he was a great father, and maybe he was, but he clearly suffered from mental illness, was addicted to prescription drugs, and was sexually abusing children in their home. I don’t know how he hid all of that darkness from his kids.
MJ’s family enabled him for decades. I’m sure they fed his kids a ton of crap about how great MJ was to make sure they never believe the truth.
@Megan: They were so young when he died. She was only 10 or 11. It’s possible Michael hid his mental illness/drug addiction well from his kids. Or maybe he was so erratic they just accepted it as normal and didn’t realize his behavior was so bizarre. Remember they walked around in public wearing masks and were so socially isolated from everyone, I don’t think they attended school when they were young so they were never properly socialized. Then once Michael died, they were thrust in the national spotlight by Michael’s hungry family at his memorial, I can’t imagine what trauma that must have been like for them. They didn’t have a normal upbringing from day one so my guess is they never realized just how far off the rails their father was. I’m sure he was loving as they described but there is a difference between being a loving parent and a capable parent. A lot of the sexual abuse predates the birth of Michael’s children, but of course we have no way of knowing if it continued once they were born.
I just watched it too. I was gutted by it. I found the two men absolutely credible and so very brave. I wanted to hug them and thank them for speaking up. MJ is a monster.
Is there an etiquette procedure for having a documentary made about your deceased father doing disgusting things to children though?
Lily Rose Depp railed against Amber Heard’s claims against her dad and if memory serves she was given a lot of courteous berth as a daughter just trying to defend her dad as she knows him. I don’t know why we’re criticizing Paris Jackson for the same thing. Her life has been so chaotic and sad and lost as it is, now she can’t even passively refuse to engage in a horrific documentary about her dad?
Miffy, I agree. The hatred towards Paris is sad and I don’t understand it. Her life growing up was extremely abnormal, and she’s still so young. She shouldn’t be held responsible for the sins of her father, not should she be forced to take a stand against him. I say let the poor girl be. She’s struggling enough, show her some compassion.
It is an acknowledged, confirmed fact that he, as an adult, slept in the same bed, in the presence of sexually graphic imagery, with minors who were unrelated to him.
HOW IS THAT NOT ENOUGH?!
That is grotesque and unacceptable. It is unquestionably inappropriate. Why does there *need* to be more to the story than that?!
This guy was a super pervert and I am so glad he is dead and cannot continue to harm people with his sickness.
because she is his child and probably doesn’t want to face it. My god some of his fans can’t face you expect his daughter too.
I feel bad for her. I suspect other leach like family members are doing a lot to influence her opinions and make sure the gravy train stays intact. I really wish she would keep these observations to herself – but given her upbringing and her age – I get it. I mean, it’s horrible for her. It’s not the same kind of horrible it is for his victims – but it’s still not easy. I can’t even imagine losing a parent who sheltered you from everything and then having to face the (deserved) public outrage while hearing about what kind of monster he actually was.
I agree. She’ll come to it herself at some point, but that’s a hard thing to hear about a late parent.
Beautifully and succinctly put. It should be the reply to every single MJ defender and the ridiculous “FACTS” meme they are spamming all over twitter.
I completely agree. One of the large problems is that you run into people who shift the blame. “Yes, that was wrong, but where were their parents? I would never let that happen, charge the parents!” Same way people defended R Kelly by not explicitly defending him.
I feel like these are the people who say that men wouldn’t cheat if there weren’t any women who would cheat with them. Always shifting the blame, never making people accountable for their actions. Those people, you will never change their minds.
Probably more understandable in her case than most, but this won’t end well for her, either way. The burden is the children’s to carry in all aspects of this case.
That social media video is immature I’m so glad social media was not around to record my obnoxious look-at-me behavior in my 20s.
Also, he was a sick pedophile. Paris will never heal as long as she is in denial of who her father is. She is a troubled person-so obvious she has a drug problem
The social media post pretty much confirms she isn’t Michael Jackson’s biological child. She has no moves, no style, no swagger, none.
I feel sorry for her, she’s trying to live up to something she really has no place in. You can’t buy or talk your way to a career like acting if you have no natural talent. She’s being enabled by her “family” of leeches who know those kids control all the cash.
good point! she has no rhythm or creative talents. She just looks NOTHING like the jackson family and musical talent and acumen is strong in the jackson family and she got NONE of it
I get the impression this young lady is very unwell and she is surrounded by people more concerned about image and money than her well-being. I can’t manage outrage over her specifically, it’s all just too sad.
Same here. The MJ family knows it’s in their best interest to keep her believing, dependent, and under their thumbs. They want she and her brothers financially supporting them for the next fifty years just like he did.
The family AND the entire orbit of managers, agents, publicists, financial advisers, house staff, “friends”, etc. etc. etc. IF there was to be a therapist asking the hard questions and expecting the hard changes necessary, I’d doubt they’d last long in that climate. This young lady is in a black hole.
But Michael warned his kids against his family if I recall correctly, which is why his mother was thei guardian after he died and then there was all the drama surrounding who got access to her and the kids. His siblings are awful people just like he was, they are one effed up family.
I agree Paris is a vulnerable and messed up young lady, I hope she gets the help and support she needs from her siblings (who seem to avoid the limelight to live normal lives). But she wants to be famous but am not sure she knows what she wants to be famous for.
It sucks his kids have to deal with this, as if any of it is their fault. I think people should leave her alone. She’s still so young, and probably so messed up by her upbringing. Maybe with time and maturity she’ll see the truth.
Yeah, I hope for her sake she figures all this out. If she’s still this much in denial in 10~ years I’ll be less forgiving, but I kinda just feel bad for her. She needs to get away from the Jacksons.
She’s not doing her acting career any favours right now w these headlines. The entitlement here damn. Sure Michael was her father but he was a creep full stop. And by her questioning and thinking these allegations are false instills victims to be questioned over their reports or truths is dangerous for them mentally, emotionally etc
Not to state the obvious, but *what* acting career?! The woman looks twice her age and is covered with tats that look like scribbles — it’s not that attractive in a business that is, for better or worse, so often about beauty. Has she even taken an acting class? I think the one thing she inherited from her father is a complete delusion about reality.
For a minute when she was in rehab and just after, it appeared as if she was getting some good help, connecting with her birth mother, perhaps getting some perspective on the peculiar nature of her upbringing. But things have gone off the rails.
I know people who have a parent who has done a terrible thing — they spend many years in therapy dealing with it. But these are people making that choice to deal with it, usually with the support of the other family members. They have a need to make some kind of peace with their parent’s action.
Honestly, I don’t know how bad things have to get for Paris to have the agency to seek the help she needs to move out of the family shadow.
I hope this subject can now stay between Paris and her therapist, and I hope she has a therapist!! Because that is the person she needs to share her feelings with on this subject, and get help to work through this horrible reality.
I feel for her. How terrible. She’s thrown to the wind and all she believes is that fame is everything. And as she gets more mature and comes to terms with this reality she may regret her words. But I don’t blame her right now… she’s a victim in this also. Her father was a bizarre and abusive man and her life has never been stable or normal.
I don’t understand why anyone would judge her for not believing this, can you imagine having to come to terms with this about someone you loved? Especially a father.
I think she is just ignoring it and acting like everything is normal and while its not the most sensitive way to handle it and in the long run it would probably be better if she laid low, I am not going to judge or attack a young girl with issues not handling a report her father (and frankly only loving parent) was doing horrific things.
It’s also probable that she’s been brainwashed by her family from the beginning to turn a blind eye to these accusations, and to think of MJ’s victims as liars. And it’s also possible the kids are being pressured now to keep doing the same.
I watched both parts 1 and 2. I am heartbroken for wade and James…and every victim of that monsters!! Children are so innocent and anyone who would do that to a child is a literal MONSTER. The hell his victims live with still is absolutely terrifying. I honestly don’t know how they go on. This also breaks my heart for the victims that did try to tell their parents only for MJ to say they wanted his money. Plus allll the victims that we don’t even know!!!!! 💔 The hurt these men carry around still is, ugh, it’s just unfair and terrifying.
I just want to tell people: just because he didn’t rape you….doesn’t mean he isn’t a child rapist!
I think it may be too much to ask for a child to believe their loving, dead parent is a monster. Especially at her tender age (yes, I know she is an adult).
I think we are asking too much of her.
If she was raised as a conspiracy theorist- in the – can you believe all the crazy things they say about daddy- someone is always trying to get money from daddy, someone is always lying about daddy- I get where this doesn’t even register with her.
Of course, the reality is, if you watch the documentary, and the Oprah special afterwards (which I did) I don’t know how any human comes out of that not believing that Michael Jackson molested all of the boys he kept company with.
I look back and think- how did we not see it? It is so damn obvious.
What kind of world would a pedophile with astronomical community trust, and unlimited financial means create? Neverland ranch. With unlimited toys, and an out of the way bedroom in every building.
To be blunt – everyone knew. Nobody but his most delusional fans believed otherwise after the first set of allegations. There were Bryan Singer pool party level jokes getting tossed around in the 90s. What happened is that he had the money, power, and connections to make it go away. When he died a few years back, my mother was disgusted at the outpouring of sympathy for what she viewed was a monster.
I may be older than you. I was 12 when Thriller came out.
So there were several years in the 1980s where he always had a child with him, and there had been no public accusations, and for the most part, no one said anything about that. And as a teen, I don’t think I thought it was weird. It never occurred to me that he was sleeping in a bed with that kid or molesting that kid.
Of course, that changed after the first accusation (the one in the 1990s) where he settled after (reportedly) the kid accurately described skin discoloration on his penis.
Where can I find that Oprah special lots are talking about?? Is the special old, new? I was so beyond creeped out by the beds allll over the house?! In closets that were inside other closets, and hidden! Does the family still own the Neverland Ranch?
Of course she doesn’t believe the stuff said about her dad. She has been brain washed from birth! I can’t even imagine the life she has had. Absolutely sad and nobody deserves that!!
It’s on HBO.
Thanks! I looked but I’m not finding it? I’ll try again.
Well, as a prosecutor I can say that for every convicted sex offender there are family members standing behind them who refuse to believe it, even after they’ve been convicted. No surprise to me here.
I would thinks also specially family members who use the sex offender’s money and public image to fund their lifestyles and social status.
Watched part one a day two last night and I believe the victims. I used to think MJ was innocent and just a weird child-like man. I see him for what he was now.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, part 2 made me break down and cry. So much of what those boys had to process: the uncertainty, the shame, the affectionate abuse, and not having people believe them…
They are so brave for being so open and honest about it all, knowing the backlash was coming. I hope this helps with the healing.
.
Knowing the truth about MJ makes me sad, because I have very happy childhood memories about his music and music videos, but the knowing truth will make it easier for me to protect my child.
I feel compassion for Paris and all of his children.
I honestly think part of her denial has to do with how hard it would be to reconcile what she believes about her dad, with the predator that he was. But I also believe part of the denial comes from knowing that if she were to acknowledge those things about her father, it would be even more damaging to her livelihood, and same for other members of the family who still rely on MJ money. It can be both things, but either way you look at it, the denial comes from self-preservation.
Let’s leave her alone. We all have our opinions on MJ. Paris is innocent in all of this. I feel bad for her and her brothers.
Can we not bring the kids into it? They can’t help who their father was. They should not have to answer for his behavior.
Aside from the victims, Paris is the one I worry about the most. She has a history of self-harm and was just in and out of rehab—I wonder if knowing this was coming triggered that.
It was clear from the day he died that Michael groomed his children to believe he was their everything. I have no idea if he molested them but just like he groomed his victims to think what he did to them was “love’ raised his children to believe he was their be all and end all.
It sounds like the oldest boy has made a stable life, but Paris is here, there and everywhere, and this has to be painful–and I seriously doubt she has any Jackson relatives who would really support her—maybe Debbie Rowe might be able to. I have a feeling she will be acting out as long as this is the news.
While I feel sad for her, I still keep most of my support for the victims and I pray this film has helped them in their journey of recovery from what Michael did to them.