12 Rumors About Michael Jackson's Kids We Couldn't Ignore

From a young prodigy to global superstar, Michael Jackson was — and still is — hailed as one of the biggest acts in the music industry; however, his career wouldn't be complete without controversy — some of which spanned past his untimely death in 2009. This ultimately left Jackson's three children, Prince, Paris, and Bigi (formerly Blanket), to shoulder all of the scrutiny their father faced. In turn, they developed a specific disdain for the general public as their personal lives quickly became public knowledge. Nonetheless, the three have since maintained their own relationships with their celebrity status.

While one of Jackson's children pursued an acting career, the other dove into charity work, and so on. Even with their impressive feats, this didn't completely stop various rumors from being spread around the internet. Everything from their personal struggles to silly mishaps have been subjected to public opinion, making it hard for some of us to push aside. Today, we'll be looking at some of the wildest rumors about Prince, Paris, and Bigi that the public could not ignore.

In 1997 and 1998, respectively, Prince and Paris Jackson were born to Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe. Their younger sibling, Bigi Jackson, came just four years later. While the public praised Michael for becoming a dedicated father, others questioned the legitimacy of his relationship with his kids due to their appearance. Shortly after he died in 2009, ABC's Diane Sawyer interviewed Michael's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, as reports began to surface of him being Prince and Paris' legitimate father. "To the best of my knowledge, I am not the father of these children," he responded. "I can't answer it in any other way. I don't want to feed any of this insanity that is going around."

The rumor only heightened in 2013 when actor Mark Lester told Daily Mail that he was the father of Michael's children. As a close friend of Michael's, Mark allegedly donated his sperm to Michael and Debbie before Prince was born. Though the reasoning for his absence of involvement remained a mystery, Mark claimed that this was the truth and even offered a DNA test to prove his case. "I wouldn't have a DNA test without the children's permission, but when the children come of age, and it's not far away, and they decide they want me to do it, then I will," he stated. "It is up to them. I don't want to tell them what to do. I just want to reconnect and be the godfather that Michael made me." The Jackson family's lawyer, Londell McMillan, previously denied Lester's claim of paternity, telling People, "These are just merely claims with no legal standing whatsoever."

Bigi Jackson, born in 2002, was introduced to the world when his father, Michael Jackson, dangerously held him over a balcony in Berlin, Germany. Thanks to the infamous incident, Bigi was uniquely connected to Michael for obvious reasons. However, the same can't be said for his mother. As Michael and Debbie Rowe divorced prior to the birth of Michael's third child, she is not Bigi's mother. Bigi was instead born via a surrogate whose identity has remained publicly unknown. 

Rumors of who his mother could be eventually came to light in 2009. According to the Mirror, Bigi's mother is a Mexican nurse named Helena, who seemingly dedicated herself to a life of secrecy. A close friend of Michael's alleged that his reasoning for choosing IVF to conceive a baby was purely out of his desire for "a designer baby" with distinct features. As a result, Helena was chosen out of a lineup of women chosen as possible surrogates. "There were no dramas with her," the close source told the publication. "She knew what she had to do and got on with it." Helena's name is not featured on Bigi's birth certificate, and Bigi has neither confirmed nor denied the veracity of this claim.

While the world was rattled by the passing of Michael Jackson in 2009, numerous theories regarding his demise circulated among the public. It wouldn't take too long to get some answers, though, as his death was ruled a homicide within the same year. Since his physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, provided the medication on which Jackson overdosed, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in county jail in 2011. 

After his death, Michael's family pointed their fingers at AEG Live, the concert promoters who hired Murray as Michael's personal doctor. During their wrongful death trial in 2013, BBC reported that Prince testified, recalling conversations he had with his father in which he thought they were going to harm him. "He would say, 'They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me,'" Prince said. In Paris' 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, she shared those same sentiments, blaming both Murray and AEG Live for her father's death. "It sounds like a total conspiracy theory and it sounds like bulls***, but all real fans and everybody in the family knows it," she expressed. "It was a setup. It was bulls***."

Born Prince Michael Jackson II, Bigi Jackson got his nickname, Blanket, from his father, who believed the term "blanket" was an expression of love. Alongside his public appearances, in which he was covered with blankets, the name became synonymous with his identity as Michael's child.

Unlike his siblings, Bigi kept himself out of the spotlight as he was growing up. While this may just be his nature as a private individual, rumors regarding this aspect of his life came to the forefront once he decided to change his name. Hello! Magazine revealed that Michael's third child has gone by Bigi since 2015. An insider alleged to RadarOnline, "He always thought that the name Blanket sounded so stupid and resented his father for calling him that."

Bigi reportedly had difficulty maintaining a life of normalcy after his father passed. An insider told the publication that he "had the most problems adjusting after Michael died," adding, "He acted very lost and extremely upset." While we've never heard him address this publicly, it is understandable why he may have left his nickname behind. 

Once legal guardianship of Prince, Paris, and Bigi Jackson went to their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, in 2009, the four appeared to maintain a relatively healthy family life together in California. Rumors, however, began to circulate in 2012 when their cousin, Tito Jackson Jr., was given temporary custody of the three, per his request. With Michael's estate hanging in the balance, it caused a dispute between the family, which inevitably saw Prince, Paris, and Bigi in the thick of it.

Katherine allegedly stayed in Arizona during this time, prompting allegations that she'd been "kidnapped" by her children. In a statement provided to ABC News in 2012, she explained, "There are rumors going around about me that I have been kidnapped and held against my will. I am here today to let everybody to know that I am fine."

However, Prince, who was 15 at the time, believed that his aunt and uncles had something to do with her temporary disappearance. In a series of since-deleted tweets, he addressed these issues publicly. From exposing his grandmother's misguidedness through the family, Prince also shared a screenshot of text messages between him, Rebbie, Janet, and Austin Jackson. "This is enough," he said. "I am texting you for the simple fact that we demand to speak to my grandma now!" (via The Guardian). Janet's reply — "don't let them pls" — didn't paint these family members in a good light and only escalated speculations regarding the sudden shift in guardianship from Katherine to Tito. "As long as I can remember, my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways," Prince tweeted. "If you continue with your lies, I will continue with the truth."

Since Prince and Paris Jackson's birth, their familial relationship has always been under the microscope, including their relationship with their mother, Debbie Rowe. While rumors claimed that Rowe terminated her parental rights in exchange for millions of dollars, her lawyer told ABC News, "Ms. Rowe has not and will not give up her parental rights." Nevertheless, Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, became the kids' legal guardian following Michael's death. 

In 2013, sources alleged to E! News that Paris was rebuilding her relationship with her mother. Prince, however, was reluctant to do so. "Prince has not wanted anything to do with Debbie," one source said. "He does not understand why Paris is so intent on rebuilding the relationship." In turn, sources suggested that this not only impacted Paris' relationship with her siblings but the rest of her family as well. "She's a young girl and having a female mother figure has been something she has desired for as long as she can remember, but it has caused problems in the family," the insider told the publication. "Katherine has not been overly happy about it, but she understands that this is what Paris needs and she would not want to stand in her way."

With Prince, Paris, and Bigi Jackson's personal lives on display, it became hard for the three to maintain any sense of normalcy. This undoubtedly included their dating life, which was a topic of discussion as they grew up under the public eye. For Paris, this came in a big way when her relationship with musician Michael Snoddy became public. Before long came rumors of marriage and pregnancy. 

As the public began to believe these rumors, Paris, who was 18 at the time, took to X in 2016 to assure her following that she was not pregnant nor planning to get married anytime soon. "So many marriage and pregnancy rumors just in the past 3 years, literally?" she wrote (via Entertainment Tonight). "What's next, me running for president? My boyfriend and I become super villains and try to take over the world? Come on now." In addition to poking fun at how ridiculous the stories seemed to her, she followed up with another tweet suggesting just how shocked she was hearing these rumors. "I think if I were engaged, I would be the first to know," she said. "How am I just now finding out about this?"

From his battle with a rare skin condition to his controversial friendship with child star Macaulay Culkin, certain aspects of Michael Jackson's personal life — whether good or bad — were passed down to his family after his death. All of this put them in an uncomfortable position, with some earnestly praising his legacy while others remained silent.

Once Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck decided to speak candidly about their experiences with the pop icon in the 2019 documentary, "Leaving Neverland," it apparently caused an uproar within the Jackson family, especially for Prince, Paris, and Bigi Jackson. In the documentary, Robson and Safechuck revealed they were sexually abused by Michael when they were children. This led to more questions about Michael's behavior behind the scenes. In addition to being mentioned in the documentary, a close source to Prince, Paris, and Bigi told The Sun that they were allegedly unhappy with the documentary and were considering taking legal action against Safechuck and Robson for violating their privacy. The three also questioned the alleged victims' involvement, insinuating that they were bribed to appear in the documentary (via Page Six). Aside from director Dan Reed confirming that this was not the case, Prince, Paris, and Bigi have yet to address whether this is true. 

With everything from Michael Jackson's death to his alleged history of sexual abuse flooding public media, it wouldn't be a surprise if the unwanted attention started to negatively affect Prince, Paris, and Bigi Jackson's mental health. Out of the trio, however, Paris is the only one to open up about her mental health. She did so first in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, detailing her history of self-abuse following her father's passing. Her vulnerability soon backfired, sadly, as the public used her struggles to fabricate a narrative that wasn't entirely true.

While taking a well-deserved break from social media, an insider told ABC in 2019 that Paris had checked into a mental treatment facility to "realign and prioritize her physical and emotional health." Though it is admirable for someone to take this step, it appeared to be an over-exaggeration in Paris' case. She addressed the claim publicly on X. "There's no meltdown, no 'losing [my] s***,' or being demanding of anyone," she wrote (via Vogue). "Please don't believe what you read." Her tweets didn't end there as she further added that she was actually doing well. "I said it before and I'll say it again, I'm the happiest and healthiest I've been in a long time," she confirmed.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

As co-founder of Heal Los Angeles, Prince Jackson has made it his life mission to tackle the systemic disadvantages young children face in the inner city of Los Angeles, California, since 2016. Through this, we've seen Prince develop an awareness of specific societal issues. This awareness, however, caused him to get caught in controversy when he supported the All Lives Matter movement that same year.

In 2016, footage of two black men — Alton Sterling and Philando Castile  — circulated online as they were both shot by police in separate incidences. This prompted netizens to show their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. During this time, Prince took to X to share a tweet with the hashtag "#AllLivesMatter" (via New York Daily News). His followers didn't take to his stance well, as his post was flooded with replies, deeming his opinion ignorant. Prince later explained why he specified all lives rather than Black lives. "Black lives do matter and unfortunately are being wrongfully executed," he tweeted. "But to focus on one race excludes other races. I was raised by the world and know how different races are prosecuted." In another tweet, he'd doubled down on his opinion, stating, "I understand that you want to focus on #blacklivesmatter but why only focus on one life that matters when all do?"

As Bigi Jackson grew distant from the limelight after his father's passing, stories about his way of life became a focal point. With Michael Jackson's death being as sudden and mysterious as it was, some fans turned to any form of online media for answers. This spiraled in 2014 when fans grew concerned after Bigi was credited in a grim revenge-based YouTube series.

Following similar formats of content found on independent animation platforms like Newgrounds, the series "Kill Them All" became well-known for its disturbing connection to Bigi's life. According to its description on YouTube, the series is a stick-figure animated cartoon about "a nameless boy who witnesses his father's murder and 12 years later, begins a one-man crusade to kill the people responsible for his father's demise." The cause of concern came from the gruesome nature of the animated series, as it appeared to be an amalgamation of strong emotions. Aside from psychiatrist Carl Nelson telling International Business Times that Bigi might "benefit from therapy," it remains unconfirmed if he really had a hand in the series.