Paris Jackson Says Her Dad Michael Jackson Knew About Her Sexuality
Paris Jackson — the only daughter to music legend Michael Jackson — is sharing a side of her dad that the world has never seen before. On the premiere episode of the Facebook Watch series, Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, on June 30, 2020, Paris shared memories of her dad's reaction and approach to her sexuality when she was growing up. Paris candidly spoke about how lucky she was as a child to have this kind of unconditional support from her dad in ways that can be rare for LGBTQIA+ youth.
In fact, Paris confessed that Michael seemed to understand her sexuality even before she was fully able to articulate it. While Michael was supportive, not every member of her family offered the same unconditional acceptance, especially after the singer died. Those experiences left Paris with a lot of pain, which she has since dealt with and spoken about.
In the midst of these feelings of rejection, Paris recalls how she never experienced that from her dad. Keep reading to hear what Michael had to say about his daughter's identity.
Michael Jackson 'caught on pretty quick' to Paris Jackson's sexual identity
On the first episode of Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, Paris Jackson (pictured above in green) spoke about her late father Michael Jackson's unconditional support. Paris talked about feeling confused about her attraction to women as a kid, because all she had ever seen in the media were heteronormative couples.
Paris explained in the June 30, 2020 episode, "My first thoughts and experiences... I didn't know that it was a thing and so, I was a little conflicted about it because all I'd ever seen were men and women on TV together and so, these thoughts didn't really make sense to me." But Paris said her dad saw through this confusion and offered her nothing but support. "My dad caught on pretty quick," she said.
The 22-year-old explained, "I think he just felt the energy and he would like kind of tease me the same way that he would tease my brothers, like, 'Oh, you got yourself a girlfriend.' If we're staring at a magazine of a woman too hard, he'd be like, 'Oh, you like her!'"
Paris realized this was not the norm for most children and said, "I'm very lucky to have that, especially so young — I think I was like 8 or 9. Not many children have that experience." While this sounds like a nurturing environment for Paris, after Michael died, she didn't have the same unwavering support from her extended family.
Paris Jackson's sexual identity was harder to talk about after Michael Jackson died
After Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, his three children — Paris, Michael Joseph, and Prince — were put under the care of his relatives. According to ABC News, the son of Michael's brother Tito Jackson, a young man by the name of TJ, was granted joint custody along with Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson.
On her Facebook Watch show, Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, Paris spoke about this time, saying, "When [Michael] passed, I moved in with my grandmother who's Jehovah's Witness and homosexuality in general is very taboo in the Black community." She added, "That on top of the religious aspect—it was something that I did feel like I needed to withhold for a while."
In addition, Paris recalled that the first time she came out to a family member, they didn't believe her. But she did receive support from her eldest brother, Prince, who joined the Gay-Straight Alliance at his school, so that he could learn more about it.
So, where does Paris stand now in terms of sexuality? And what does her current relationship look like? Keep reading to find out.
Paris Jackson is hesitant to use any labels
On Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson spoke about her current relationship and what dating has looked like for her as an adult, especially since her partner, Gabriel Glenn, is a man. Gabriel and Paris have been dating for a couple of years and are musicians in the band, The Soundflowers, according to Pop Crush.
Paris explained on her Facebook Watch show, "Never thought I'd end up with a dude. [I] thought I'd end up marrying a chick." She added, "I've dated more women than men and been with more chicks. The public only knows about three long term relationships I've been in and they've been with men." Paris laughed and admitted, "The public doesn't know about most of the relationships I've been in."
Even so, Paris is hesitant to put a label on her sexuality: "I say I'm gay because I guess I am, but I wouldn't consider myself bisexual because I've dated more than just men and women." She further explained, "I've dated a man that had a vagina. It has nothing to do what's in your pants... it's literally like, what are you like as a person?"
Labels or not, it sounds like those who matter most to Paris — her brother Prince and her late father Michael — have accepted her for who she is and that's what matters most.