How Michael Jackson's Son Blanket Really Got His Nickname

Forgive the cliché, but if you want to feel old, look no further than Michael Jackson's youngest son, Prince Michael Jackson II — who is perhaps better known by the name Blanket Jackson. It seems like just yesterday that everyone was talking about Michael over-excitedly dangling a nine-month-old Blanket over a hotel balcony while fans looked on, with the backlash becoming so severe that it prompted a public apology from the the late King of Pop. But Blanket is all grown up now, and has understandably left that particular nickname behind. During his teen years, he began going by the name Bigi Jackson. But that begs the question: How did he end up with that nickname in the first place?

As it turns out, there are actually two origin stories regarding the Blanket moniker. Per Unilad, the most commonly accepted version stems from the fact that Michael used to cover his youngest son's face with a blanket whenever they were out in public together, so as to protect his privacy. (Bigi even had a blanket over his face during the aforementioned balcony incident in 2002.) Evidently, since he was always covered by a blanket, the nickname naturally materialized from there. However, Michael himself apparently had a different explanation. As reported by The Sunday Times, the singer once said that the name "Blanket" was a reference to his son being "blanketed with love."

Given that he is the son of one of the most famous people to ever live, it may be surprising to some to learn that Prince Michael "Bigi" Jackson II isn't really one for the spotlight. Bigi's public appearances are few and far between, as he largely opts to keep his head down while pursuing his passions of filmmaking and environmentalism. In 2024, the artist formerly known as Blanket made his screenwriting and directing debut with a short film titled "Rochelles." He followed it up in 2025 with another short called "Joni."

That being said, Bigi does occasionally poke his head out. Perhaps one of the most notable examples came in April 2026, when he and older brother Prince Michael Jackson I were on hand for the red-carpet premiere of "Michael," a Hollywood biopic about their late father, Michael Jackson. However, the film also caused a bit of a rift in the House of Jackson, with Prince and Bigi's sister, Paris Jackson, being among the family members to declined to be involved with its promotion.

Meanwhile, Jaafar Jackson — the older cousin of Bigi and son of Jackson 5 alum Jermaine Jackson — stars as his uncle Michael in the biopic. Notably, though, neither Bigi nor his siblings are actually depicted in the film's story, which concludes in 1988, omitting the last 21 years of Michael's life. Prince, Paris, and Bigi were born in 1997, 1998, and 2002, respectively.