Who Is Michael Jackson's Nephew Jaafar Jackson?

"Michael" has taken the nation by storm. The musical biopic that has audiences singing and dancing in movie theaters and has sparked one of the biggest audience and critic divides in Rotten Tomatoes history tracks the early life and rise of music icon Michael Jackson. Tracking his lonely childhood through the height of his fame in the 1980s, the film captures Jackson's energy and essence while carefully sidestepping the more controversial aspects of his life. The result is a compilation of Michael's greatest hits and career moments that has left audiences feeling as if they've been to a Michael concert.

The biopic rose to the top of the box office amid a flurry of success, debate, and heightened interest in the Jackson family. At the center of the whirlwind is a rather elusive breakout star: Jaafar Jackson. The main reason "Michael" flourishes is because of Jaafar's performance, as he captures the mannerisms, voice, dance moves, and energy of Michael in a way that makes it feel as if you're truly watching the "Thriller" singer on-screen.

Jaafar doesn't just bring Michael to life on-screen; he also shares a connection with the singer off-screen. Michael had 27 nephews and nieces through his eight siblings, and Jaafar is one of them. While Jaafar is now a movie star who has music and film enthusiasts eager for his next move, there was a time when he didn't plan to follow in the Jackson family's entertainment footsteps. As Jaafar navigates the press around "Michael," a portrait of his life has emerged, giving insight into who he is and what his place in the Jackson family looks like.

Jaafar Jackson was born on July 25, 1996. His parents are Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza. He is related to Michael through Jermaine, who is Michael's older brother. Jermaine married Oaziaza in 1995, and they had two children together, Jaafar and his younger brother Jermajesty Jermaine Jackson. Jermaine was the original singer in the Jackson Brothers before they became The Jackson 5, when Michael joined and took over lead vocals.

It's a bit ironic that Jermaine's son would grow up to play his uncle in "Michael," given that Jermaine appeared to have a bit of jealousy regarding his brother's fame. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's book "Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness," he told reporter Simon Kinnersley in the 1980s, "Even though Michael is very talented, a lot of his success has been due to timing and a little bit of luck. It could have been him, or it could just as easily have been me. But now I'm doing a lot of things. I'm the hottest brother." While he may have felt some sibling rivalry toward Michael, Jermaine still supported his brother and staunchly defended him from abuse allegations.

Oaziaza was born in Colombia and later came to the United States, where she pursued a career in fashion. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in fashion design and marketing, she launched her own fashion line, Alejandra Jackson Designs. She also executive-produced and starred in the unreleased reality series, "Living With the Jacksons." Although Jermaine and Oaziaza divorced in 2004, they both showed up to support Jaafar at the premiere of "Michael."

While they became known as The Jackson 5, the Jacksons have grown far beyond the members at the height of the band's fame, to the point that even those inside the family have trouble keeping track of all the nieces, nephews, and cousins. Jaafar Jackson himself comes from a big family boasting 11 siblings and a number of cousins, including Michael Jackson's three kids, he can only estimate. "I don't know the exact number," he said, "because there's new babies every year. I think it's around 35 to 40 cousins. And I have nine brothers and two sisters" (via Interview Magazine).

Where Jaafar's family history gets even more complicated is with his two half-siblings, who double as his cousins. Before his mother, Alejandra Oaziaza, married Jermaine Jackson, she actually dated another Jackson brother, Randy Jackson. Randy is the youngest of the Jackson brothers, and he began dating Oazazia in 1986. The young couple had two children together, Genevieve Katherine Jackson and Steven Randall "Randy" Jackson, Jr.

Randy and Oaziaza never married and eventually split. Shortly after, Oaziaza and Jermaine began seeing each other and married, and went on to have sons Jaafar and Jermajesty Jackson. Hence, Genevieve and Randy are technically both Jaafar's half-siblings and cousins. However, they seem to keep things fairly simple, with Jaafar including them in his count of brothers and sisters, and Genevieve and Steven referring to Jaafar simply as their "brother."

"Michael" includes depictions of the famous Jackson family compound, also known as the Hayvenhurst Estate. Much of the film sees the Jackson family bonding and clashing on the sprawling, luxury estate. It also shows the Hayvenhurst Estate turning into a bit of a zoo as Michael Jackson brings in exotic animals, such as giraffes and a chimpanzee. What viewers see in the film is the real dealbecause the real-life Hayvenhurst Estate served as one of the filming locations.

Meanwhile, when Jaafar Jackson filmed at the estate, he was actually returning to a childhood home. In 2004, Jaafar's parents, Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Oazazia, divorced, leading to Jaafar's temporary move into the Hayvenhurst Estate to live with his grandmother, Katherine Jackson. After Michael's death, Katherine remained at the estate, where she raised Michael Jackson's children, Prince, Paris, and Bigi.

Jaafar found it helpful to return to his childhood home, where he said he lived for 15 years. He spent a lot of time at Hayvenhurst during filming and slept on the floor because there was no furniture. The "Michael" star also set up a research room at the house and rehearsed dances in the same room where Michael once danced. As he told his "Michael" co-star Miles Teller for Interview Magazine, "I started training there, and I slept in many different rooms in the house just to feel the energy. Staying there allowed that to happen without forcing it. I was so fortunate to have that as my playground. Without that, I don't think my performance would be what it is, honestly."

While Jaafar Jackson is the nephew of Michael Jackson, the pair weren't close in real life. After all, Jaafar was only 12 when Michael passed away in 2009. During Jaafar's childhood, his uncle was facing mounting legal and financial problems, as evidenced by Michael Jackson's surprising net worth at the time of his passing. As a result, Michael only occasionally visited with Jaafar and the rest of his family at Hayvenhurst. Still, the "Michael" star has a few fond memories of his uncle.

The family would have "family time" when Michael came to visit, spending time together and playing games. As Jaafar told "Today," "I remember just growing up, and we would have family time. Michael would come over to where I was growing up, and we'd have some days where we'd all get together, play family game day." He also had a few opportunities to visit his uncle at Neverland Ranch, where he recalls days filled with fun, including playing hide and seek, eating candy, watching movies, and going on rides at the ranch's private amusement park.

Jaafar supplemented his own childhood memories with Michael's personal archive, drawing on his uncle's writings and affirmations, explaining to "Today," "Accessing Michael's personal writings helped me a lot. His texts, poems, mantras, and affirmations; it was a turning point for me."

While Jaafar Jackson hails from a long line of entertainers, he almost didn't go into show business. Instead, he wanted to be a professional golfer. He even played in some junior tournaments around age 11. It wasn't just golf, but sports in general that captured Jaafar's interest. As he told DiscussingFilm, "I was into sports. I did track. I did basketball. I played tackle football. I was interested in the sports" (via Threads).

Until the age of 13, he had his sights set on golf. However, at that age, his father, Jermaine Jackson, gave him a task: to learn and perform a Jackson 5 song. He told Mogul Millennial, "Until the age of 13, I was involved with golf. I grew up playing golf and had no desire in being a musical artist. Then, at 13, it seemed to switch. My father gave me a song to practice, and it opened up a door for me. I began to fall in love with music and the creative process of making music."

Although he found his love of music as a teenager, it took a bit longer for him to step into acting. Jaafar loved and felt inspired by film but had never thought of being an actor. He also never thought he'd portray his uncle in a film. The thought of acting never really entered his mind until "Michael" producer Graham King approached him, at which point he felt a calling.

Before Jaafar Jackson felt the call to portray his uncle in "Michael," he started his music career. In 2019, he released his debut single, "Got Me Singing." The single also gave him his first taste of acting because he starred in the music video for his song and danced on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Jaafar's music video boasts 13 million views on YouTube. At the time, Jaafar said of his single in a press release, "I knew this song would be a special one and would be a great introduction to my sound and upcoming album. It gave me a feeling of wanting to dance. I can't wait to share it with the world and hope they get the same feeling" (via Okayplayer)

His music background also helped him while filming "Michael." Most viewers likely walked away wondering whether he's actually singing in the film. In reality, the voice viewers hear is a mixture of Jaafar's and Michael Jackson's. Jaafar explained to "Today," "When I was doing all the performances, I was actually singing out live in the microphone on top of Michael's track. So it's a blend of my vocal and Michael's" (via People). While Jaafar mentioned in 2019 that he had an album on the way, he has yet to release it. Additionally, since getting a taste of Hollywood with "Michael," he has suggested he may focus more on acting than music in the future.

Jaafar Jackson never thought he'd portray his uncle in "Michael." However, after producer Graham King approached him, he became fixated on the idea, so much so that he spent years preparing for just the audition. Six months after he met with King, the producer set him up with an acting coach, and he began practicing speaking in Michael Jackson's voice and nailing his choreography. As Jaafar told Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," "It wasn't just a traditional audition. I definitely had to earn the role for a two-year process, really ... before I officially got the part."

Meanwhile, the two-year audition process was only the beginning of his journey to playing Michael. He watched footage of his uncle to get the voice and mannerisms right, while also going through Michael's personal archive to gain more insight into the singer.

However, the biggest challenge came from the choreography. King explained that the choreography team, Rich + Tone, suggested that Michael's dancing was "inimitable" (via NME). Jaafar was determined, though, and would spend hours and hours rehearsing just to master a single move. The intense rehearsals, performed in uncomfortable leather shoes, led to a lot of pain and complications, to the point that Jaafar's feet went numb for up to two hours.

Given Jaafar Jackson's close connection to Michael Jackson, one would assume the first people he called about booking "Michael" would be his and Michael's family. However, he chose not to tell his family about the project for an entire year. Even as he was actively preparing for the role, he kept it quiet. As he told Miles Teller for Interview, "No one in my family knew for a full year. I kept it pretty quiet until I felt comfortable enough to share it. But when my mom saw it on-screen, it blew her away. It was hard for her to connect it to me, so it was very emotional for her."

During his interview with Teller, he provides some insight into why he kept quiet about the role, explaining that it was a little strange for people like his mother, Alejandra Oaziaza, to watch moments she remembers from growing up with the Jacksons reenacted on the big screen with her son as Michael. Teller also said, "I imagine parts of it feel almost invasive to the family members because it's such a personal story."

Indeed, the "Michael" biopic has stirred controversy among critics and audiences, who question its accuracy. At one point, the film was also going to touch on the child sex abuse allegations against Michael. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, even refused involvement in the biopic and claimed it included some "full-blown lies" (E! News).

Having Michael Jackson, arguably one of the most famous people ever to live, as your uncle is bound to come with enough complexities on its own. However, there's another layer to it for Jaafar Jackson as he took on the task of wholly embodying his uncle for "Michael." While speaking with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," Jaafar admitted, "It was really a surreal [and] a spiritual moment at the same time. You know, spending all those hours in the makeup chair ... just that process of seeing me slowly transform into Michael was ... it was emotional."

Speaking with Variety on the red carpet at the "Michael" premiere, Jaafar further explained that he "absolutely" (via Instagram) felt his uncle's presence during filming. Although he didn't want to share too much about the personal moment, he explained that there was one performance in particular during which he felt inexplicably emotional, to the point he cried before performing. He soon realized he was feeling Michael's presence and described the experience as "very beautiful."

Many members of the Jackson family have also expressed how much they were touched by "Michael." Even Michael Jackson's usually private youngest son, Bigi "Blanket" Jackson, showed up to the premiere. Meanwhile, other family members, such as La Toya Jackson and Taj Jackson, have described how much "Michael" and Jaafar's performance has meant to them.

While Jaafar Jackson has been navigating a major career development, he is also experiencing some exciting developments in his personal life. He and his longtime girlfriend, singer Maddie Simpson, are engaged, having celebrated their engagement party in February 2025. The pair haven't announced a wedding date, but in December 2025, Simpson shared an Instagram collage, which included a photo of her wedding dress shopping.

Jackson and Simpson have been together for nearly a decade. On Instagram, Simpson has photos with Jackson dating back to 2016. In June 2021, she commemorated their fifth anniversary together and stated in the caption that they had "grown up together" (via Instagram). Meanwhile, she has been very supportive of Jackson's foray into "Michael," attending the Berlin and U.S. premieres with him. Alongside a photo at the U.S. premiere, she wrote on Instagram, "immensely proud."

She also commemorated the premiere with a tribute to Jackson on Instagram. Simpson posted a childhood photo of Jackson, writing, "Jaafar changes the molecules of everyone he meets. I went through life thinking I knew what it meant to be a hard worker with a great work ethic ... until I witnessed his spiritual journey becoming Michael. His dedication and determination are unlike anything I have ever seen or experienced." Simpson concluded it was the "honor" of her "life" to watch Jackson "shine his light."