Being the daughter of Michael Jackson comes with the spotlight, but navigating that attention in the press is something with which Paris Jackson has sometimes struggled.
In the latest episode of her Facebook Watch series, “Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn,” the couple and Paris’ manager, Tom Hamilton, open up about some of the tricky interactions they’ve had with the media.
Both Paris and Hamilton specifically addressed issues they had with Rolling Stone magazine, after Jackson covered the publication in 2017. According to Hamilton, the magazine said they just wanted to know about what was going on in her life at the time — but started asking questions “they had agreed not to ask.”
Despite allegedly being told “it was never gonna be about her father,” the cover read, “Paris Spills Jackson Secrets.” Paris also claimed she was tricked into posing in front of a mural of her dad, a mural which she thought was hidden because she didn’t want to make the photoshoot about him.
Because of that experience, and likely others, Paris has changed her approach to speaking with press.
“If I am going to do an interview, it’s over text or where my words are actual, in print,” she explained. “Before I started doing that, every time I’d read an interview or article I’d be like, I didn’t say that. Even credible magazines, like Rolling Stone.”
By texting or e-mailing, Jackson said she now has “proof of what I said and you cannot manipulate my words.”
Growing up, both Paris and her brother Prince were never seen out in public without wearing masks — something Michael did to hide their identities from the world at large. It’s a move Paris appreciates now.
“When he was young, he would be in the studio and he’d look outside and he’d see kids on the studio and he couldn’t do that,” she explained. “He didn’t want that for us, so we wore masks. I appreciated it. It was nice. Because we were able to go to Chuck E. Cheese and Circus Circus and we were normal.”
Jackson said she’s weathered some “outright brutal” press in her life, including headlines calling her “Wacko Jacko 2.0” after she decided to make some silly faces at the paparazzi on a night out.
“I have to accept the fact that I do not and will not have a private life,” she added.
Paris also opened up about her anxiety when attending red carpet or charity events, revealing she’s had full blown “panic attacks” she’s “almost passed out” from in the past.
At one point in the episode, Jackson speaks with her publicist Elliott Mintz after a Twitter war with 50 Cent about her father. At the time, he made a dig about Michael’s performances back in the day, before bringing Jackson’s accusers into his back-and-forth with Paris.
“I’ve gotten myself in a lot of trouble, getting into drama and Twitter wars and people that are literally saying stuff to get attention,” Paris recalled during the series.
“There were zero insults, I was very calm,” she added, specifically referencing the 50 incident. “I handled it like an adult really.”
The rest of the episode really focused on Gabriel, as the two joined the Jackson family in Italy before a performance for fans in Rome.
“I feel like when you date any person, you’re also dating their parents. Luckily for me, the people that raised her are really sweet people,” Gabriel said of her family. “Hopefully, they can see I’m not a shit head and they love me.”
“Even though I’m well aware who my girlfriend is and what her last name is and who her father is and how much weight and responsibility that name carries, for me it kinda feels like coming home,” he added. “I’ve listened to their records my entire life, and now it feels like meeting relatives who I’ve never been to their house before. I definitely feel like I’m part of their lives.”
While they were in Rome to perform together, Jackson fell ill and was unable to join Gabriel for their Soundflowers gig. Footage showed some of the Italian press getting frustrated with Hamilton about her absence, as they only showed up because they “promised” she’d be there.
“She is The Soundflowers, you can’t pretend it’s the same,” one of the reporters was heard saying to him. “It’s not the same for us.”
The next day, there were headlines about her having a “meltdown” or being “unprofessional,” but Jackson heaped praise on Gabe for going it alone.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” she said of the headlines, “just laugh about it.”
