When Jaafar landed the lead role in “Michael,” he received a vote of confidence from a core member of his family: Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
“Jaafar embodies my son,” Katherine said in a press release. “It’s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers.”
The movie’s executive producers include Michael’s eldest son, Prince Jackson, and three of his brothers: Jermaine, Jackie, and Marlon.
All four men attended the Los Angeles premiere of “Michael” at the Dolby Theatre, alongside Michael’s middle sister, LaToya Jackson — a strong show of support from the Jackson family.
“It was a process that I really had to earn, and it really proved to the filmmakers and myself and my family that I can get to that point where I can pull it off,” Jaafar told Today. “I honestly wouldn’t be able to pull this off if I didn’t have the support.”
Michael’s other three siblings — his eldest sister, Rebbie Jackson, his youngest sister, Janet Jackson, and his youngest brother, Randy — were not in attendance and will not be portrayed in the biopic. (Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, played by Colman Domingo, died in 2018. Michael’s brother Tito, played by Rhyan Hill, died in 2024.)
“I wish everybody was in the movie,” LaToya told Variety on the red carpet. On Janet’s absence specifically, LaToya added, “She was asked, and she kindly declined, so you have to respect her wishes.”
Meanwhile, Michael’s daughter, Paris Jackson, has criticized the biopic as “sugar-coated” and clarified that she had “zero percent involvement” in the production.
Paris said she was asked to read one of the first drafts of the “Michael” script and gave notes about details that she felt were “dishonest,” but she was told that her notes wouldn’t be addressed.
“I just butted out and left it alone because it’s not my project,” Paris wrote on Instagram. “They’re going to make whatever they’re going to make. A big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it.”
“A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy,” she added.
Neither Paris nor her younger brother, Bigi Jackson, joined Prince at the film’s star-studded Los Angeles premiere — although Bigi did make a rare appearance to attend the “Michael” premiere in Berlin earlier in the month.
Paris is now involved in a complicated legal battle with the Jackson estate over the movie’s financials. The estate has fired back that Paris has “a complete lack of understanding about how the motion picture industry works and the role of producers in it.”
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