Paris Jackson is only 24 years of age, but as the second child of the legendary musician Michael Jackson, she’s been a celebrity her entire life.
Following the passing of her father, Paris has struggled with many things in her life. Now, however, the talented young woman is pursuing her own career in music.
And even though her life has been a rollercoaster, she’s now decided to speak out on her upbringing with her father, aka the “King of Pop.”
There aren’t many people, if any, who don’t know who Michael Jackson is.
Michael Jackson – “King of Pop”
I mean, you don’t get called the “The King of Pop” for nothing, right? But as much as we love his music, the late singer’s life wasn’t easy.Right from the beginning, when he sang with his brothers in the Jackson Five, Michael had problems at home not helped by a very strict father who was quick to punish his kids if they didn’t fall into line.
One could say that Michael Jackson was a product, a person who was designed to become an entertainer and singer from his earliest days. However, that isn’t something that will take away the pure brilliance to be found in his music, dancing and songwriting.
When Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, the whole world mourned the singer. He had been chased by paparazzis’ and tabloid newspapers for pretty much his entire life, but not even when he was laid to rest for the last time was he spared.
Paris Jackson – Michael’s daughter
Helicopters transporting his body from the hospital in Los Angeles were followed by other media helicopters. Still to this day, news of Michael Jackson and his family is published all over the world.
These days, it’s mostly his family members that get the attention. In particular, his children have been targeted, as many paparazzis want their share of the Jackson family.
Jackson’s second child, Paris Jackson, has lived in the spotlight her entire life. Now, she’s doing all she can to be her own person, and not just Michael Jackson’s child.
And the truth is, she’s doing really well following several years of mental illness.
Paris Jackson – early life
Paris Jackson was born on April 3, 1998 in California. She’s the second child of Michael Jackson, as well as his only daughter.
Her early life was very private – she and her brother both were home-schooled up until 6th grade. Michael Jackson was keen on letting them keep their privacy, and the children were fiercely guarded from the public. Early photos of Michael’s brood showed them either in costumes or with scarves around their heads to cover their faces.
As a result, Paris and her siblings lived a very restricted life on the Neverland Ranch. No one can say that they weren’t extremely privileged, but at the same time, it must have been tough.
Speaking with supermodel Naomi Campbell in a YouTube interview, Paris Jackson opened up about her father, and what her upbringing was like.
She said that Michael Jackson made sure that they were “cultured”.
“My dad was really good about making sure we were cultured, making sure we were educated, and not just showing us like the glitz and glam, like hotel hopping, five-star places,” Paris said.
“It was also like, we saw everything. We saw third world countries. We saw every part of the spectrum.”
Speaks out on her childhood
Paris Jackson lived all over the world during her childhood days, as her father toured across the globe to play in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
She says she was very grateful about her “privileged” childhood. But at the same time, Paris learned early on that she shouldn’t feel entitled. Her father made sure that the children understood the concept of having to put in work in order to get things.
“Even growing up it was about earning stuff,” Paris said. “If we wanted five toys from FAO Schwarz or Toys ‘R’ Us, we had to read five books.
“It’s earning it, not just being entitled to certain things or thinking ‘oh I got this’,” she added. “It’s like working for it, working hard for it, it’s something else entirely, it’s an accomplishment.”
Paris was only 11 years old when her father passed away.
Paris Jackson – life after Neverland
In November the same year, Paris appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to speak about her father, saying that he was amazing.
“I kind of felt like no one understood what a good father he was, he was the best cook ever,” she told Winfrey. “He was just a normal dad.”
“He made the best French toast in the world,” Paris added.
When Michael Jackson passed away, Paris Jackson moved into a mansion in Calabasas, California, with her grandmother Katherine Jackson, as well as other members of her family, according to The Daily Mail.
When she turned 19, she decided to move into Michael Jackson’s private studio at the family compound, which she transformed into a dorm-style bedroom.
Losing your father is hard as it is. But for Paris, it was much more than that. All of a sudden, she was expected to carry on her father’s legacy.
“I tried to grow up too fast”
Upon starting seventh grade, Paris decided to attend a private school. At this point, the only ones accepting her for who she was were the older kids, and it didn’t turn out perfect.
“I was doing a lot of things that 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds shouldn’t do. I tried to grow up too fast, and I wasn’t really that nice of a person,” she told Rolling Stone.
Around the same time, social media had become a thing, and Paris faced cyberbullying.
“The whole freedom-of-speech thing is great,” she explained. “But I don’t think that our Founding Fathers predicted social media when they created all of these amendments and stuff.”
Paris went through a lot of trauma as a teenager. She even tried taking her own life following a very serious incident, but that was also somewhat of a turning point.She spent her sophomore year, as well as half her junior year, at a therapeutic school in Utah, which was great for her.
“I’m a completely different person,” she said. “I was crazy. I was actually crazy, I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help.”