Who's who in the Michael Jackson family drama
Ahead of HBO's upcoming documentary "Leaving Neverland," which premieres this weekend and includes allegations of sexual abuse by music legend Michael Jackson against two young boys, Jackson family members are speaking out in the late pop star's defense.
Michael Jackson's brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon, and nephew Taj sat down with "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King to dispute the allegations raised in the film.
"I know my brother," Jackie Jackson said in the interview, which airs Wednesday on "CBS This Morning." "He's my little brother. I know my brother. He's not like that."
In "Leaving Neverland," two men, James Safechuck and Wade Robson, claim Michael Jackson sexually abused them when they were children.
On Tuesday, "Leaving Neverland" director Dan Reed told "CBS This Morning," "This isn't a film about Michael Jackson."
"It's a film about Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two little boys to whom this dreadful thing happened long ago. It's the story of their coming to terms with that over two decades and the story of their families," Reed said. "As far as including other eyewitnesses to that, there was no one else in the room, I don't believe, when Wade was being molested by Michael or when James was having sex with Michael."
Members of the Jackson family have denounced Safechuck and Robson as "opportunists" and "admitted liars." His estate sued HBO last week, calling the documentary a "one-sided marathon of unvetted propaganda to shamelessly exploit an innocent man no longer here to defend himself." The documentary did not seek comment from the Jackson family or estate.
Prior to his death in June 2009, Michael Jackson faced separate allegations of child molestation in 1993 and 2003. In 1995, Jackson reached a $23 million settlement with the family of Jordan Chandler. In 2005, Jackson was acquitted by a California jury on charges of alleged abuse of a 13-year-old.
The new allegations in the documentary have now brought the spotlight back onto members of the Jackson family, who are speaking out to defend his legacy. His brothers shared stardom as members of the Jackson 5 and were inducted with Michael into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Below is a brief primer on members of the Jackson family and what they have been up to since Michael passed away nearly 10 years ago.
Jackie Jackson — brother
Jackie, 67, is the oldest of the Jackson brothers. He resides and performs in Las Vegas. According to his official website, Jackie has remained active in managing Michael's estate and in 2010 produced a reality show, "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" that was broadcast on the A&E Network for one season in late 2009.
Tito Jackson — brother
Tito, 65, is still a performer. In 2015 he starred in a reality TV program about his three sons, "The Jacksons: Next Generation," that lasted six episodes on the Lifetime Network. In 2016, he released a solo album entitled "Tito Time." He has been touring for the past year with B.B. King's Blues Band.
Jermaine Jackson — brother
Jermaine, 64, has been active in both reality television and publishing. In 2011, Jermaine released a book about his brother titled, "You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes." In August 2018, Jermaine announced plans to marry his fiancee, Maday Velazquez, who is 40 years his junior and would be the singer's fourth wife.
Marlon Jackson — brother
Unlike his siblings, Marlon, 61, Michael's older brother by one year, did not return to performing after the Jackson 5 released their last album in 1989. Marlon reportedly was involved in plans to build a tourist destination at the port of Bagadry in Nigeria, which would have doubled as a slave-port memorial and Jackson 5 museum. The project does not appear to have proceeded beyond its February 2009 announcement.
Randy Jackson — brother
Not to be confused with Randy Jackson of "American Idol," Michael's younger brother Randy, 57, is the second-youngest of the famous siblings. He did not officially join the Jackson 5 until the mid-1970s.
Taj Jackson — nephew
Tito's son Taj has sung in the pop group 3T with his brothers Taryll and TJ since the 1980s. Taj went public in 2013 with his own allegations of having suffered sexual abuse. He has spoken about how his uncle Michael Jackson supported him through the ordeal.
LaToya Jackson — sister
LaToya, 61, Michael's older sister by one year, is no stranger to the spotlight, having released several solo albums and starred in the reality television show "Life with LaToya" which aired for two seasons in 2013-2014 on the OWN Network, Oprah Winfrey's television channel.
Janet Jackson — sister
One of the best-selling recording artist of the 1990s, Janet Jackson, 52, is easily the most famous member of the Jackson music family besides Michael. She made headlines in 2004 for her "wardrobe malfunction" during a halftime performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII. In 2017, Janet gave birth to her first child, son Eissa, and in 2018 it was announced that Janet would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She's planning a Las Vegas residency for the summer of 2019.
Katherine Jackson — mother
The Jackson family matriarch is still going strong at age 88. The family said she's doing well despite reports she suffered a stroke last year. The family patriarch, Joseph "Joe" Jackson, died of pancreatic cancer in June 2018.
Michael Jackson's children — Prince, Paris and Prince Michael II
Jackson's three children were very young when the singer passed away in 2009. Since then, older son Prince Michael, 21, has involved himself in the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation, which supports children who have suffered trauma. Daughter Paris, 20, has had a successful acting and modeling career but revealed in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone that she suffered from depression and drug addiction and attempted suicide in 2013. The youngest, Prince Michael II, once known as Blanket, is now 17 and goes by Bigi. He has remained out of the public eye.
