The Tragic, True Story Of Michael Jackson's Youngest Son Blanket
The Jackson family name has made a celebrity out of every member associated with this musical legacy. Michael Jackson, of course, remains the unrivaled spearhead of the clan even 15 years after his death, followed by his vast spread of siblings and their children. But one person — inarguably among the most prominent of all Jacksons — has successfully managed to evade the spotlight and live a life shrouded in tight secrecy: Bigi Jackson. The King of Pop's youngest son — formerly known as Blanket — became a celebrity even before he learned how to walk. The media attention followed him throughout his earliest years, with the frenzy only magnifying after Jackson's unexpected death in 2009.
Then, still a boy of 7, Bigi complied with the social engagements expected of him as a child of the world's biggest pop icon. But as he advanced in years, Bigi noticeably retreated from the public eye to such a degree that his appearances were labeled "rare" in press headlines. His tendency to remain withdrawn — made even more distinct when contrasted with his media-friendly siblings — was apparently characteristic of Bigi even when he was younger. Describing Bigi as he was in his teens, an insider source told Page Six: "If you want to find Bigi, all you have to do is look around the house, find an empty room or an unoccupied corner, and there you will find him, off on his own." Here's the tragic, true story of Michael Jackson's youngest son, Bigi.
The identity of Bigi Jackson's mother has been widely theorized
Bigi Jackson was born into fame, owing to his famous last name. But, as far as public interest was concerned, his distinction of being Michael Jackson's son was just one half of the story. When the world learned that the King of Pop became a father a third time in 2002, there was mass curiosity about the identity of the child's mother. By then, Jackson had been divorced two years from his wife Debbie Rowe, with whom he shared his older children, Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson. Conspiracy theories abounded over Bigi's parentage, with Jackson coming forward to provide some clarity in the 2003 documentary "Living with Michael Jackson."
"I used a surrogate mom, my own sperm cells. She doesn't know me, I don't know her," he said, the singer said, adding that the whole matter was kept hush-hush with the help of an agreement. After Jackson's death in 2009, Mirror published an explosive report claiming that a Mexican nurse by the name of Helena birthed Bigi. Jackson apparently handpicked the surrogate from a list of women and, according to a source, "was quite specific on the gene pool he wanted to tap into." Helena was paid a sum of $20,000 as her surrogacy fee and delivered the baby at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, California. The identity of the egg donor, however, remains undisclosed, with even Bigi's birth certificate not reflecting the name of his mother.
His earliest claim to fame was being dangerously dangled over a balcony by Michael Jackson
The whole world gasped when Michael Jackson dangled a baby over a balcony back in 2002. The stunt — inexplicable and dangerous, to put it mildly — quickly became one of the most bizarre acts pulled by the pop icon, who had built up a notorious reputation for eccentricity. The child, revealed to be 9-month-old Bigi Jackson, could be seen flailing his legs as he swayed precariously from the balcony of the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, as his father gripped him with one arm. Jackson's other hand, unbelievably, held down a towel that covered Bigi's whole face. The antic lasted only some seconds but they were a few too many, with even the crowds earlier cheering for Jackson below crying out in horror.
The episode sparked outrage against Jackson, with many in the media even calling for his arrest for risking his child's life. Ironically, Jackson had been in Germany to be honored for his philanthropic work toward children's welfare. Law enforcement services notified the public against such actions, with child rights experts like Janis Spire stating: "I would tell anyone who saw an adult dangling a child out of a window to call a child protection hotline and the police" (via MTV). Jackson, meanwhile, acknowledged his mistake in a statement that read: "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."
He had to confront his father's death at a very young age
Bigi Jackson was only 7 when Michael Jackson died of a drug overdose in 2009. Around the world, people grieved the loss of one of the most influential figures in music history with media tributes, condolence messages, and public memorials. But the pop icon's youngest was far too naive to have the language to process his father's sudden death. As his brother Prince Michael Jackson described in court during a suit alleging Jackson's wrongful death, Bigi was "so young he doesn't realize what he lost" (via Today). Even so, little Bigi was hardly immune to the consequences of the tragedy and was invariably looped into the activity surrounding Jackson's death — from being named in court cases to presenting his minor self before the press.
As the youngest of the lot, Bigi had the protective presence of siblings Prince and Paris Jackson around him. They grew into a tight three-member unit that drew strength from each other over the years. "I think with any siblings, you know, you grow up in a situation and factors that are very similar ... so I think it's only made us stronger as siblings to have that bond, to have that very real relationship and raw relationship with each other," Prince told Access Hollywood. Between his siblings, Bigi spent the least time with his father. But, as further slides will show, the impact Jackson left on his youngest child was significant.
After Michael Jackson died, Bigi was put under a global spotlight
Bigi Jackson, along with his older siblings, was thrown into the deep end of the media spotlight after Michael Jackson's death. All eyes were on the Jackson siblings, with every move they made recorded in the press for a global audience. Bigi remained a constant but silent companion to Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson during their public appearances and was exposed to more than his fair share of scrutiny far too early. One of the most unforgettable of such instances was when he attended his father's memorial service with tears in his eyes and a Michael Jackson doll in his hand, heartbreaking photos of which were widely publicized at the time.
While Bigi never got the opportunity to watch his famous father perform live, he did enjoy Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson One" production when it premiered in Las Vegas in 2013. He was spotted celebrating his father's legacy with Prince, who came to be one of his strongest support systems as he came to terms with Michael's death. That said, the magnitude and aftermath of the tragedy barely made it easy for Bigi to deal with the situation and according to insiders, he all but faded into the background at the Jackson household in later years. "This poor kid, he fends for himself ... There's no one to make sure he's even eating right," a source close to the family claimed to Page Six in 2017.
His famous nickname made him the target of bullying
In only 22 years, Bigi Jackson has lived through many identities. He was born Prince Michael Jackson II, sharing his name in varying degrees with his father and older brother. But, beyond serving as a mark of his famous bloodline, the title didn't stick. A distinct personality was instead carved out for him in the global media as Blanket. The far from usual nickname apparently came from an expression Michael Jackson admitted to using often, telling those around him to blanket a person with something. "A blanket is a blessing, it's a way of showing love and caring," he explained in an interview. And so, the pop star's youngest was iconically christened.
Though it accorded him a most unique character, Bigi himself wasn't pleased with the kind of recognition the name got him. In fact, if sources for RadarOnline are to be believed, he "resented his father for calling him that" and was apparently even bullied for it. "Growing up, his school mates have always been slightly mean to him because of their jealousy over who he is and going by Blanket made him a much easier target for ridicule," the publication quoted an insider as saying. The circumstances led him to assume yet another identity refresh and when he joined The Buckley School after his father's death, he started going by the name Bigi. Though his latest moniker is how he is often represented, his former nickname remains unforgettable.
He had a short-lived career as a film reviewer with his brother
After living through years of it as a child, Bigi Jackson has actively avoided the media spotlight for most of his grownup years. Among the only things that have been able to draw him out of his privacy are tribute events for his father and his love of films. The latter has been an especially strong catalyst in giving Bigi an outlet to speak his mind with candor that diverges from his typically reserved public image. He showcased it most memorably on Film Family, a YouTube channel he started with his brother, Prince Michael Jackson, and their cousin Taj Jackson to review films.
The channel premiered in 2019 with a review for "Avengers: Endgame" and over the course of one year, managed to publish over a hundred videos and amass over 50,000 subscribers. Bigi emerged as an especially popular member of this film-reviewing troupe, going by the hordes of fan comments under their videos that fawned over his film expertise. His older sibling Prince attested to it in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying: "My brother has a really unique talent to be able to tell you, even a movie he hasn't seen, he'll tell you what year it came out. He knows the director, the staff, the crew, everybody behind it that you wouldn't know." Though the channel went inactive in 2020, Bigi went on to quantify his passion for films in an even bigger way.
Fanfare was muted around an award-winning short he directed
Bigi Jackson has cultivated a reputation for being the most media-shy member of Michael Jackson's brood. True to form, things were kept lowkey when he won an award at the Santa Monica Film Festival for his short film "Rochelles." The 40-minute suspense drama — which marked Bigi's official directorial and screenwriting debut — follows the story of two friends competing for a restaurant job and stars actors Brandon Bales and Jesse Howland. It bagged Best Drama at the annual festival's 2024 edition, earning Bigi independent recognition in the film sphere. Even so, fanfare around his debut remained understated, save for a shoutout from his older brother Prince Michael Jackson, who shared an Instagram story writing: "Bro is killing it! Chasing his dreams and winning awards."
Though information about Bigi's life is scarce, cinema seems to be one of his more apparent interests. According to Prince, the creatively oriented Jackson siblings were acquainted with films early on, courtesy of a teacher assigned to them for this very purpose. It clearly made an impact on Bigi, who grew up to immerse himself in this domain most passionately. "He really thinks and studies about film in a different way that you would notice and that comes with his upbringing with my dad encouraging him to study film," Prince told ET Online, gushing about his younger brother's vast film knowledge. Their sister Paris Jackson has also expressed an inclination for films, albeit a more camera-facing one.
He is entangled in a legal dispute with his grandmother
After his father's death, Bigi Jackson and his siblings came under the guardianship of their grandmother, Katherine Jackson. The family appeared to have shared a tight bond, with Katherine's lawyer stating in the years that followed, she was "eager to simply enjoy her great relationship with these children" (via CNN). The situation, however, doesn't seem to be as smooth sailing as before, now that the Jackson children are adults and have grown into their own autonomies. Things are especially tense between Michael Jackson's mother and his youngest child, Bigi, who reportedly took his grandmother to court in 2024 over a dispute concerning the pop icon's estate.
The confrontation is supposedly rooted in a highly-publicized deal between Sony and Jackson's estate, wherein the music giant bought out half of the singer's catalog for $600 million. After some initial opposition against the transaction, Bigi and his siblings acquiesced to the court's decision in 2023 of letting the deal proceed. Katherine, however, was not convinced and filed an appeal against John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Jackson estate, for backing the transaction. She sought to rely on the estate for covering her legal fees, which Bigi said would be "unfair," pointing to the high costs of legal proceedings that wouldn't "benefit" the estate. Katherine, in return, has claimed that her ask isn't significant enough to dent the Jackson estate, currently estimated to be valued at $2 billion.
He keeps his public appearances to a minimum
Bigi Jackson is notoriously private — a fact that has been established well over the past decade, during which the budding filmmaker has hardly been spotted outside of family-related engagements. Most of these have been in association with his father, from the family's annual Thriller Night Halloween event to a celebration of Jackson's 65th birthday in Vegas at the Cirque du Soleil show in 2023. Bigi's casual appearances are few and far between, so when the youngest Jackson sibling steps out for a stroll — like he did in Los Angeles in 2024 — one can best believe that even such a non-event will make headlines.
While Bigi has characteristically refrained from acknowledging it, his sister Paris Jackson made his preference for confidentiality apparent in an Instagram post she uploaded for him on his 18th birthday: "proud of the handsome, intelligent, insightful, funny, and kind young man he has become. he likes privacy so that's all i gotta say" (via People). In 2021, Bigi surprised fans by showing up for an interview on "Good Morning Britain" and reminiscing about his father's legacy. "There's a lot of history in this house and the studio here," he said, referring to the Jacksons' Hayvenhurst compound, where family memorabilia is stored. "That's what each of us want to do: make things that people can enjoy and hopefully benefit their lives." He also gave an insight into his advocacy interests, talking about the importance of addressing climate change issues.