Paris Jackson: 'I was my father Michael's favourite'

Written by . Published: March 15 2017

Paris Jackson was treated as "the favorite" by her late father Michael because she was the only girl.


The 18-year-old was raised by the King of Pop after he divorced from her mother Debbie Rowe when Paris was only one year old, and she grew up with older brother Prince, born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., and younger half-brother Prince Michael Jackson II, known as Blanket.

She admits that being the only girl in the household meant she received special treatment because she could do no wrong in Michael's eyes.

"When I was a kid, I was with my dad and my two brothers. Growing up, I was treated as the favorite because I was the only girl. I was the princess; I was perfect in my dad's eyes," she revealed to Harper's Bazaar magazine.

She was homeschooled until she was 12 years old and during that time, the only interactions she had were with adults, who spoke to the children like they were adults too, so she lacked social skills, which she has spent the last six years trying to rectify.

Paris, who was 11 when her father died in 2009, admits she still finds the real world terrifying.

"Once I got introduced into the real world, I was shocked. It blew me away," she said. "Not just because it was sexist, but misogynist and racist and cruel. It was scary as hell. And it still is really scary."

The teenager launched herself into the spotlight this year (17) with an explosive cover interview with Rolling Stone, by signing with IMG Models and making her acting debut in TV series Star.

There is one downside to her new public life, she admits, saying, "All anyone wants to talk about is my father, and it makes me sad."

Paris did consider living a private life but she wants to do "something important, that actually matters". Her rising fame has caused a surge in social media followers and at times she feels too sensitive to read their comments and other times she doesn't care what the haters say.

"You're on their mind - how is that a bad thing?" she explained. "Doesn't matter if they're saying good or bad things about you. They're thinking about you enough to write about you. You just can't care."