Paris Jackson and Janet Jackson were absent from the Los Angeles premiere of Michael biopic on Monday, April 20, as the film’s complicated relationship with key members of the Jackson family played out on the red carpet.
Michael’s siblings Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon and Jackie Jackson were all in attendance at the event, as was Paris’ brother Prince, 29.
The film, which hits theaters April 24, traces the late King of Pop’s early career and stars Jermaine’s son Jaafar Jackson, 29, as Michael, who died in 2009 at the age of 50.
Paris, 28, has been open about her objections to the project since last year. She read an early draft of the script and shared her concerns about its accuracy, but when these were not addressed, she walked away.
“Not my monkeys, not my circus. God bless and God speed,” she wrote on Instagram Stories in September 2025.
She described the finished film as “watered down” and accused it of containing “a lot of inaccuracies and a lot of full-blown lies”, while acknowledging that a certain portion of her father’s fans would probably be happy with it.
“Go enjoy it. Do what you want. Leave me out of it,” she wrote.
Janet, 59, has not publicly commented on the film and is not a character in it.
According to a Page six report last month, she clashed with her family after Jermaine privately screened the film for them, expressing reservations about almost every aspect of the production.
Jermaine allegedly told his sister she would “miss the wave” if she didn’t get on board.
Those close to Janet have since disputed reports of the feud, with her nephew Austin Brown and her longtime creative director Gil Dudulao saying the accounts were false.
Page six reported that Jermaine sees the biopic as an opportunity to restore the Jackson family’s reputation following multiple allegations of child sexual abuse made against Michael before and after his death, allegations that Michael denied throughout his life and which his family continues to reject.
“It’s not just about Michael. It’s about us. It’s about our legacy. It’s about the return that awaits us all,” a relative reportedly said after the private screening.
Michael’s youngest son Bigi, 24, was not present at the Los Angeles premiere, although he attended the film’s Berlin premiere earlier this month alongside Prince and several of their uncles.
