The Michael Jackson biopic Michael had its defenders and detractors long before its April 24 release. But see where daughter Paris Jackson, Janet Jackson and more family have landed on the film.
Family and fans who wanted a music-forward film about Michael Jackson's thrilling rise to global fame that didn't delve into—or even mention—the scandals that shadow his legacy ultimately got the movie they wanted.
Though director Antoine Fuqua did originally have Michael, in theaters April 24, beginning with the 1993 police raid on the King of Pop's Neverland Ranch—“I shot him being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster," Fuqua told the New Yorker—then flashing back to Jackson's childhood and proceeding from there.
Fuqua, however, isn't convinced of the validity of the child molestation allegations Jackson faced, explaining, "When I hear things about us—Black people in particular, especially in a certain position—there’s always pause." (The singer was never charged in the 1993 investigation and was acquitted of charges stemming from another boy's accusations during a 2005 criminal trial.)
But Fuqua was going to go there. Only after principal photography was completed in 2024 did producer Graham King find out that, due to terms of a 1994 settlement Jackson reached with the family of the boy whose accusations triggered the raid, the late artist's estate—which collaborated on the production—couldn't participate in depictions of anything having to do with those allegations.
So, reshoots were required and Michael—starring the singer's 29-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson—ends in 1988 with Jackson taking the stage at London's Wembley Stadium, where his Bad Tour touched down for seven sold-out nights.
"Mike is a complicated person, people have complicated opinions, and that's fine," King told The Hollywood Reporter at the film's April 20 L.A. premiere. "We chose to tell the uplifting story of his triumph in the movie, and that’s what we did."
Paris Jackson, who is currently locked in a legal battle with her father's estate over financial matters, has questioned why the film was ever made in a way that rendered it unusable in the first place.
The estate fired back, according to Deadline, stating that Paris had "a complete lack of understanding about how the motion picture industry works and the role of producers in it."
"It is unfortunate that Paris’s team make false and frivolous objections, considering Paris has and will continue to benefit substantially from the tireless work of the Executors," the estate said in a March 20 court filing obtained by Deadline. "Paris has already received roughly $65 million in benefits. She stands to inherit many hundreds of millions of dollars more, just as her father intended.”
In the meantime, the 28-year-old—who did attend opening night of MJ the Musical on Broadway in 2022—has let it be known that, while her brothers Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson attended the film's Berlin premiere April 10, she is not onboard.
Find out what Paris and the rest of the Jackson family have said about Michael.
As a producer on the film, Michael Jackson's eldest child "was on set every day," lead producer Graham King told The Hollywood Reporter at the film's April 20 Los Angeles premiere.
Prince, who attended premieres in L.A. and Berlin, has also touted his cousin Jaafar Jackson's performance, writing April 11 on Instagram that watching Jermaine Jackson's son "step into the role of his uncle Michael is incredibly special for the family. With his talent, dedication and spirit, he was the only right choice to portray Michael and bring his story to the big screen."
When Colman Domingo, who plays her late grandfather Joe Jackson, said that Prince and Paris were "very much in support" of Michael, Paris begged to differ.
“Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in lol,” Michael's daughter wrote on her Instagram Story in August 2025. “That is so weird.”
Rather, she continued, "I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest / didn’t sit right with me and when they didn’t address it I moved on with my life. Not my monkeys not my circus. God bless and god speed.”
She crystalized her take the following month, saying in a series of Instagram videos, "They’re gonna make whatever they’re gonna make. The big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it" because it "panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in a fantasy."
Hollywood biopics are "sold to you as real," Paris said, but they're "sugar-coated."
Meaning, she alleged, "The narrative is being controlled. There’s a lot of inaccuracy and there’s a lot of full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn’t really fly with me. I don’t really like dishonesty."
Paris also pushed back against accusations that she "hates her dad…because I'm not, like, calling the shots on set being a big-shot producer of a movie that's filled with just inaccuracies. That's not my truth…I just prefer honesty over sales and monetary gain."
As the most private of Michael's kids, Bigi hasn't commented on the film, but he attended the April 10 premiere in Berlin.
“To have my cousins there and my other family members, that meant everything,” Jaafar told E! News April 20. “Because it is a family story, and it all started in Gary, Indiana, so it meant the world to me.”
Michael's sister, the youngest of Joe and Katherine Jackson's 10 kids, asked to be removed from this narrative.
“I wish everybody was in the movie,” sister LaToya Jackson told Variety at the L.A. premiere. But Janet "was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes.”
In response to a March Page Six report that Janet had issues with almost every scene in the film and drew Jermaine's ire during a family screening, La Toya told Entertainment Tonight, "There was absolutely no problem whatsoever, none whatsoever. Please believe it."
Director Antoine Fuqua said he has "so much respect and love for Janet," telling Variety she was "supportive of Jaafar, and that's what matters."
Jaafar was "absolutely fantastic," La Toya told E! News at the L.A. premiere. "He just embodied my brother and I'm so proud of him."
The fifth-eldest Jackson sibling considered it "very important" that her family collaborated on the movie, telling THR, "A lot of times people think they know the story and they read about things, but when the family’s involved, the family can say yay or nay."
Jaafar left Marlon "smiling inside at how great he is," the sixth-eldest Jackson sibling told E!, adding that he assured his nephew that his performance was "unbelievable."
And Marlon said he didn't spot any inaccuracies in the film, sharing, "When I first saw him on stage, when I went to the set the first time, they were shooting the [Jacksons' 1984] Victory Tour…And I said, 'Wow.' He looked just like Michael."
Jaafar's father, suffice it to say, was "extremely proud," telling E!, "He deserved the part, he worked so hard."
But before Jaafar took on the role, Jermaine explained to Fab TV at the Berlin premiere, he wanted his son to understand "what he was going up against," because those "are a tough set of shoes to fill."
Michael's nephew Taj Jackson told critics to beat it.
"Sorry, media, you don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was," the eldest son of late Jackson 5 member Tito Jackson wrote on X April 21, per Variety. "The public gets to watch this movie… they will decide for themselves. And you can’t handle that. Can’t wait until some critics have to eat crow. And yes, I will be that petty."
Tito's youngest son wrote on X April 22 that he was headed out to rewatch Michael, because he "wouldn't miss this opportunity to be masked in the electrifying energy that will be in that theater for nothing. My uncle deserves this, my cousin earned this and his loyal supporters are owed this. The world will be reminded or learn who MJ truly was and I can’t wait!"