ENCINO, Calif. — On a crisp March evening in 2024, the spotlight briefly illuminated the reclusive world of Bigi Jackson, the youngest child of the late pop icon Michael Jackson. Alongside his siblings Prince and Paris, Bigi stepped onto the red carpet for the opening night of MJ: The Musical in London, marking a rare public appearance for the 22-year-old who has long shunned the fame that defined his father's life. Born Prince Michael Jackson II on February 21, 2002, and once known by the unusual nickname 'Blanket,' Bigi has carved out a path of privacy amid the Jackson family's enduring legacy, recently earning acclaim for his directorial debut with the short film Rochelles, which won Best Drama at the Santa Monica Film Festival in February 2024.
The story of Bigi's introduction to the world remains one of the most infamous moments in celebrity history. On November 19, 2002, just nine months after his birth, Michael Jackson dangled the infant over the balcony of their suite at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, Germany, to show him to cheering fans below. Shielded by a towel, the baby's face was hidden from the flashing cameras, but the act sparked global outrage. Headlines decried the pop star's judgment, and the incident even inspired a plotline in a 2003 episode of Law & Order. 'I offer no excuses for what happened,' Jackson stated at the time. 'I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.'
Jackson was in Berlin to receive an award for his lifelong commitment to children's causes, adding irony to the 'Lion King'-esque display. The event amplified concerns about his parenting, but it was only the beginning of the mysteries surrounding his third child. Bigi's birth was shrouded in secrecy; Michael Jackson revealed in an interview, as recounted in J. Randy Taraborrelli's book Michael Jackson: The Madness, the Magic, the Whole Story, that he used a surrogate mother and his own sperm cells. 'She doesn't know me and I don't know her,' Jackson said. 'I didn't care what race she was so long as she was healthy and her vision was good. And her intellect—I wanted to know how intelligent she is.' The identity of the surrogate has never been disclosed.
The nickname 'Blanket' stemmed from Jackson's personal idiom for love and protection. 'It's an expression I use with my family and my employees,' he explained. 'I say, 'you should blanket me, you should blanket her with something'—meaning, like, a blanket is a blessing. It's a way of showing love and caring.' This eccentricity extended to Jackson's efforts to shield his children from public scrutiny. After his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges following a highly publicized trial in Santa Barbara, California, he became deeply distrustful of the media. His children, including Bigi, often wore masks in public to preserve their anonymity, a practice that fueled perceptions of Jackson's unconventional parenting.
Tragedy struck on June 25, 2009, when Michael Jackson died suddenly at age 50 in Los Angeles, leaving his children—Prince, then 12; Paris, 11; and Bigi, 7—thrust into a new reality. The siblings made their first major public appearance at a star-studded memorial at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Paris delivered an emotional eulogy. 'Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,' she said, her voice breaking. 'And I just wanted to say I love him so much.' Bigi, still known as Blanket, sat quietly in the front row with his siblings and grandparents, clutching a program and a Michael Jackson doll.
Following Jackson's death, the children were placed under the guardianship of their paternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson, at the family compound in Encino, known as Hayvenhurst House. They transitioned from homeschooling at Neverland Ranch to private schools, adjusting to life without their father's constant presence. Aunt La Toya Jackson told The Daily Beast in 2011 that the family immediately removed the masks. 'Michael put masks on them to protect them and to keep them safe from anyone who wanted to hurt him,' she said. 'He's gone now. The first thing my mother did was say to them, 'Today we're unmasking you. Today the masks come off.''
The siblings' bond, forged in unusual circumstances, has remained unbreakable. Prince Jackson, now 27 and engaged to Molly Schirmang since last summer, has spoken fondly of their closeness. In an interview with Good Morning Britain, he recalled their father's words: 'When we were growing up, my father would say, you know, 'We could have nothing, but you look around in this room, your brother, your sister, and me, that's all you'll ever have. And that always stuck with my siblings and I, and we have such a close relationship.'' Prince added that after their father's death, 'my siblings, honestly—they picked up the slack that I unfortunately left behind.'
Bigi, the most private of the three, shed the 'Blanket' moniker in 2015 as he approached high school graduation, adopting 'Bigi' instead. A source told E! News at the time that the teenager was deeply into comics and movies, living a relatively normal life despite his heritage. He was 'especially tight' with Prince, though all three remained close. Paris Jackson, 26, marked Bigi's 18th birthday in 2019 with an Instagram post: 'My little brother is a legal adult today. what the f--k... proud of the handsome, intelligent, insightful, funny, and kind young man he has become. he likes privacy so that's all i gotta say. hbd lil bro.'
In November 2021, Bigi broke his silence with a rare interview on Good Morning America, touring a room of memorabilia from his father's career at the family home. 'There's a lot of really cool stuff here,' he said. 'I think there's a lot of history in this house and studio here. And that's what he was all about and that's just kind of what each of us want to do...make things that people hopefully enjoy, but also can benefit their lives.' The interview highlighted the siblings' shared commitment to their father's humanitarian ethos.
Guardianship evolved over the years. In 2012, after a family rift when Katherine Jackson was out of touch for 10 days, cousin T.J. Jackson—son of Tito Jackson—was appointed co-guardian. By October 2017, Katherine transferred full guardianship of the then-15-year-old Bigi to T.J., a married father of six. Her attorney, Ryan G. Baker, stated, 'Given her own age and the fact that the Minor Child is now 15 years old, Katherine feels that T.J. is able to assume all necessary responsibilities of the guardianship for the Minor Child.'
While Prince has focused on philanthropy, graduating from Loyola Marymount University and hosting events like the 2019 'Thriller Night' benefit for his Healing Los Angeles foundation, Paris has pursued modeling and music, once forming The Soundflowers with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Glenn. Bigi, meanwhile, has dipped into filmmaking. In May 2019, he and Prince recorded a YouTube movie review show with cousin Taj Jackson, starting with Avengers: Endgame. Prince told Entertainment Tonight that year, '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 really thinks and studies about film in a different way.'
The siblings have occasionally united for family tributes. They attended the 2011 premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour in Las Vegas and a 2013 tribute concert where they introduced a Beyoncé performance. A 2017 Christmas photo posted by Paris was the first public image of Bigi in years. At the 2019 Motown 60th anniversary in Beverly Hills, Prince and Paris represented their father. Paris reflected on their father's trials in a 2017 Rolling Stone interview: 'My dad would cry to me at night... Picture your parent crying to you about the world hating him for something he didn't do... He did not bulls--t us. You try to give kids the best childhood possible. But you also have to prepare them for the shitty world.'
Controversies have lingered, including the 2017 Lifetime biopic Searching for Neverland, which portrayed Bigi wanting to ditch 'Blanket.' The Jackson estate distanced itself, stating none of the family was involved and that the film exploited Michael's legacy. Paris reportedly declined an invitation to the set. Prince told the Los Angeles Times in 2016, 'My brother and my sister, we've all coped differently. I've gotten better the older I get.'
Today, the Jacksons navigate fame's double-edged sword. Prince emphasized their raw bond in a 2019 Access Hollywood interview: 'Just like in that situation you have a bond with them because nobody else really understands how you grew up... it's very easy to get caught up in a lot of fake personalities, so I think it's only made us stronger as siblings.' Bigi's January 2024 lunch outing with an unidentified girlfriend made headlines, underscoring his efforts to maintain normalcy. As they oversee the estate and honor their father's work, the siblings embody Michael's wish for a protected yet purposeful life. Prince noted in 2016 to the L.A. Times, 'My dad spoke to me like an adult. He told us the reason for the masks was he wanted us to have our own life without him.'
With Bigi's film pursuits gaining traction and the family gathering for events like the 2022 Thriller Night, the Jackson children continue to balance legacy and privacy. Paris told Rolling Stone, 'They always say, 'Time heals,' but it really doesn't. You just get used to it.' Nearly 15 years after their father's death, Bigi and his siblings are adults forging their paths, a testament to resilience amid extraordinary circumstances.