Michael Jackson’s Son Unveils the Surprising Truth Behind Their Childhood Disguises

Ever find yourself ducking behind sunglasses and a hoodie at the grocery store, just hoping nobody recognizes you—only to realize you’re not a world-famous pop star’s kid? Imagine growing up as Prince Jackson, with Michael Jackson as your dad and the whole world playing paparazzi bingo with your every move . Seriously, how’s a kid supposed to eat an ice cream in peace when strangers are peering in just to get a glimpse? In this fascinating tell-all, Prince Jackson peels back the curtain (or, let’s face it, the bedazzled face mask) on what it was like being the “King of Pop’s” eldest and explains the real reason their childhood was a game of hide-and-seek with the public eye . Get ready for stories that are equal parts “aww” and “are you kidding me?”—plus a look at how stepping out from behind the mask shaped the Jackson kids’ futures . Curious what it’s really like to live life moonwalking in the shadows? LEARN MORE.

Michael Jackson’s eldest son has revealed why his superstar dad used to cover their faces in public when they were growing up.

Prince Jackson, now 28, is the ‘Beat It’ singer’s first son, whom he had with his second wife, Debbie Rowe.

Sister Paris Jackson, 27, later joined him, and then Prince Michael Jackson II, formerly known as ‘Blanket’, who was born via a surrogate.

As the children of the ‘King of Pop’, a lot of eyes were on them at all times; however, Jackson attempted to keep them out of the spotlight as much as possible, including concealing their faces when out and about in public.

In 2016, seven years after Jackson’s passing in 2009, Prince spoke about his ‘unconventional’ childhood with his popstar dad and revealed the reason behind the decision.

Prince Jackson with his siblings, Paris and Blanket (LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, he admitted that his dad talked to him ‘like an adult’ when explaining their masks, and that the reason for the masks was because ‘he wanted us to have our own life without him’.

Prince went on: “I don’t think I ever thought about if other kids lived like that when I was younger. But once I knew who he was, I realised it wasn’t normal.”

Recalling a time the Jackson family were in Disneyland, he said he thought it was normal for people to knock on the window and take pictures of them.

“You could say my whole life has been unconventional,” he admitted, adding: “I really love that though, and it’s all I’ve ever known. It wasn’t until I saw a video of him performing and people were fainting and passing out, when I realised the work he did meant a lot to people.”

Speaking as a teenager at the time, Prince even spoke of his desire to pursue a different route from his dad.

Prince believes he has built a life his father would be ‘very proud’ of (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“Music is a big part of my life,” Prince said. “It shaped who I am because of my family, but I’ve always wanted to go into production and directing.”

He would graduate from Loyola Marymount University in 2019 with a degree in business administration.

Prince would then co-found charity Heal Los Angeles, which focuses on improving the lives of young people in the city.

Speaking of how his father would feel about his life in 2020, he said he thinks his dad would be ‘very proud’ of his achievements.

In March this year, Prince celebrated his eighth anniversary with Molly Schirmang, who largely stays out of the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Paris entered the entertainment industry, becoming an actor, singer and model, and Jackson’s youngest son, who now goes by Bigi, is a filmmaker and YouTuber.

Bigi has kept his public appearances somewhat low-key; however, he was pictured with Prince and Paris at the premiere of MJ: The Musical in London last year.