Paris Jackson: The Unexpected Revelation

Paris Jackson is the second child and only daughter of the late King of Pop

Michael Jackson’s daughter is keeping his memory and legacy alive.

Paris Jackson, 25, lost her dad when she was only 11 years old and famously gave a short, unplanned speech at Michael’s 2009 funeral. “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much,” she said.

In the years since, Paris has followed in her famous father’s footsteps as a musician.

“Music is like the air I breathe — it is awareness, it is being able to create something bigger than me and it is a way to express myself and externalize what I feel inside,” she told L’Officiel Italia in 2020.

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And according to her older brother Prince Michael Jackson, Paris is like their late father in so many ways.

“Basically, as a person, she is who my dad is,” he told Rolling Stone in 2017. He added that Paris is similar to their dad “in all of her strengths and almost all of her weaknesses, as well. She’s very passionate.”

Paris has a close bond with her two brothers, Prince and Bigi (formerly Blanket), whom she relied on when she was coming out.

From advocating for causes close to her heart to honoring the King of Pop, here is everything to know about Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris.

She was born in April 1998 in Los Angeles

Michael and his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, welcomed Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson in Los Angeles on April 3, 1998.

Michael and Rowe first met in 1986 when she was a dermatology nurse at a practice he was visiting and the two became good friends over the years. After Michael divorced his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1996, he and Rowe went on to wed and have their first child together, Prince, the following year.

She reconnected with her birth mom as a teen

When Paris’ parents divorced in 1999, the “Thriller” singer was given full custody of the children. Paris grew up with her older brother Prince and younger brother Bigi on her father’s Neverland Ranch in California and later reunited with her mother as a teenager.

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“It’s cool, getting to know her, seeing how similar we are, getting into what kind of music she really likes,” Paris said during a 2021 episode of Red Table Talk. “She really likes country and folk so I sent her some of the stuff I’m working on.”

Paris also supported Rowe when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. “I’m a fighter because she’s a fighter. love you mom,” Paris captioned an Instagram photo of her kissing Rowe’s head.

She is a multi-hyphenate in the entertainment industry

Originally, Paris wanted to stay out of the spotlight and “become a psychologist or a nurse at a psychiatric ward,” she told PEOPLE in 2017.

It was around the time of her high school graduation that she changed her mind about the potential profession, understanding that she could use her position to bring awareness to causes close to her heart.

“I realized it would be a shame to waste the platform I was given,” Paris explained. “Having the ability to go into the acting and fashion world, I just figured why not use that to make my platform bigger. That way, instead of helping the world one by one with patients, I could help the masses.”

Paris went on to do that and signed with IMG Models in 2017. She has graced several magazine covers, including Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Australia. She also walked in Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture spring/summer 2020 fashion show.

Simultaneously, she made her acting debut on Fox’s Star (2016). The actress then landed other roles in Gringo (2018), American Horror Stories (2021), Habit (2021), Sex Appeal (2022), Swarm (2023) and more.

She also ventured into music as part of the singer-songwriter duo The Soundflowers, with her then-boyfriend, Gabriel Glenn. The pair broke up in 2020, and Paris released her first full-length studio album, wilted, that same year. She has since released additional music, like her 2023 single, “Bandaid.”

Despite having a famous last name, she doesn’t depend on it for success.

“I’m also a full believer that I should earn everything,” she said on the YouTube show No Filter with Naomi Campbell in 2021. “I go to auditions, I work hard, I study scripts, I do my thing … even growing up it was about earning stuff.”

She’s been candid about her mental health struggles

Paris was thrust into the spotlight at a young age and revealed that the paparazzi’s fixation on her father when she was a child led her to experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I experience audio hallucinations, sometimes, with camera clicks and severe paranoia and have been going to therapy for a lot of things, but that included,” she shared on an episode of Red Table Talk. She added that she has been doing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to help with the PTSD, and it has been “very effective.”

In 2017, Paris told Rolling Stone she had attempted suicide “multiple times” by age 15. “I think it was everything,” she added on Red Table Talk. “I think a lot of it was just not knowing who I was, being a young girl and going through puberty, and probably a lot of just my situation and a lot of pressure. It was really hard, and people would tell me to kill myself every day, and I was depressed.”

Paris sought treatment for her physical and emotional health in 2019, with a source telling PEOPLE at the time, “She checked herself into a treatment facility to aid in her wellness plan and is looking forward to coming out of this revitalized and ready to tackle the exciting new projects that await her.”

She is a tattoo aficionado

Paris has garnered dozens of tattoos over the years, having amassed over 50 by age 18. As part of her collection, she has several paying homage to her father, including the cover of his 1991 album, Dangerous, and the words “Queen of My Heart” inked on her inner left wrist in her dad’s handwriting.

“He’s brought me nothing but joy,” she told Rolling Stone. “So why not have constant reminders of joy?”

The 25-year-old enjoys the craft so much that she took matters into her own hands during the COVID-19 pandemic when tattoo parlors were closed. She posted on Instagram a close-up shot of her tattooing a squiggle shape below her right pinky toe.

She is an animal lover

The musician has always had a soft place in her heart for animals, especially her dogs. Paris frequently posts her pets on social media, and in 2020, she opened up to Remix about their influence on her life.

“My dog is an emotional support animal and helps me immensely with my depression, anxiety and PTSD,” she said. “I’ve always had a deep love for animals and I’m not quite sure where it came from.”

Paris added: “Animals are so unapologetically themselves and they love unconditionally. They’re so simple and perfect and I wish humans could be more like that.”

She is an activist

Paris is a champion for many causes. In 2018, she left a Dior runway show after being concerned about how the horses were treated during the designer’s showcase event, meant to depict a women’s rodeo.

She’s also an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, founded by her late godmother.

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“If it means equality, if it means love. Just do it. No matter what the problem is, if you add love to it, that’s all you need,” she told Billboard of her philanthropic efforts in 2017.

In fact, her activism is what she wants to be remembered for, telling L’Officiel Italia in 2020, “I would like to be remembered for my commitment — until death — towards the environment, animals, and human and civil rights. In addition to someone who has always fought to change the system. Power to the people!”