To start savoring, the trailer about the life of the king of pop has just been released, portrayed by none other than his nephew Jaafar Jackson (29).
After a massive casting, the producers decided that Jaafar possessed the necessary qualities for his cinematic debut. When his grandmother Katherine (95) found out, she told The Hollywood Reporter that "it's wonderful to see him continue the Jackson legacy of artists and performers."
Born in Los Angeles in 1996, his parents are Jermaine Jackson (70) and his second wife, Colombian Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, from whom he divorced in 2002 and with whom he had two other children, Donte (33) and Jermajesti (25).
Interestingly, Jaafar has several half-siblings who are also Jacksons, as his mother had a relationship with his uncle Randy (64), from which Genevieve and Steven Jr. were born. On his paternal side are Jermaine La Jaune, Autumn Joi, and Jaimy Jermaine, whose grandfather is Berry Gordy (96), founder of Motown, the record label that propelled the Jackson Five.
Little by little, details about Jaafar are being revealed, who until now was a complete unknown. Although there is no record of official academic titles, U.S. media outlets claim that he received a private home education like other descendants of Hollywood stars.
An archived fact shows that at just 13 years old, he had a minor legal issue, as he had secretly purchased a stun gun online (officially known as a taser) and was accused of chasing his cousin Blanket around a mansion, one of Michael Jackson's three children (23).
In 2015, he appeared on the reality show The Jacksons: Next Generation and four years later decided to pursue a music career professionally, releasing his first music video in 2019, Got Me Singing, where people became aware of the art inherited from his family. Two years later, he appeared alongside his uncle Tito, who passed away in 2024, and Stevie Wonder (75).
Jaafar recalled for Get Balancedthe sweetest moments he had spent with his uncle Michael at Neverland Ranch where "we played hide and seek, took walks, watched movies, or simply had a good time." He also highlighted the happy days when the family gathered during different holiday periods.
The death of the king of pop caught him as a 14-year-old teenager, so if he were still alive, "I would have asked him many questions about the career I have chosen for myself," he explained in Get Balanced.
In terms of his love life, Jaafar has been quite discreet and reserved. Since 2016, he has been dating Maddie Simpson, with whom he announced their engagement on social media last February. Throughout their relationship, the couple has shown numerous displays of affection on social media, including a message Maddie wrote in 2021: "Happy 25th birthday to my best friend (...) I am very proud of you and very fortunate to be loved by you. I love you, I love you, I love you."
Two years later, when it was known that Jaafar would star in the Michael Jackson biopic, his girlfriend wrote: "Over the past year and a half, I have seen Jaafar grow in ways I didn't know were possible (...) The dedication, focus, love, and care he has put into this role are unparalleled. Not only has he shown that he is more than capable of taking on this responsibility before others, but most importantly, he has proven it to himself."