In a candid interview on the Trying Not to Die podcast, Paris Jackson says her relationship with her late father Michael Jackson is “no one’s business,” explaining that she no longer feels she has to share details publicly. She also reflects on the work ethic
Paris Jackson used to believe there was a kind of obligation attached to being Michael Jackson’s daughter.
On Tuesday. during a candid conversation on the Trying Not to Die podcast with Jack Osbourne. the singer-actress described how she once felt she “owed it to people” to speak openly about her music icon father. Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 in 2009. and in her telling. the years after his death carried a pressure she didn’t notice until it started changing her.
“There’s definitely a certain element where I felt I had to share everything,” she said. “And that has drastically changed in the last few years, because I don’t really feel like any of us owe anyone anything.”
She didn’t just tweak her approach—she drew a boundary.
Paris went on to say she now has “no desire” to express her love in ways that feel performative or imitative, such as posting on social media to mark Michael’s birthday or death anniversary. Instead, she described learning to keep her bond with her father private without feeling guilty.
“I’m now learning I can have my own personal relationship. and I’m allowed to be private about it. ” the 28-year-old said. “And I’m like, my relationship is the most beautiful relationship ever. I’m in a very beautiful spot with my dad and I love that and it’s no one’s business and I don’t have to share that with anybody. And there’s a lot of freedom in that, which is really cool.”.
That shift also reframes what she says she wants from her own life—something more than public commentary.
Earlier in the same conversation, Paris maintained that Michael Jackson instilled a strong work ethic in her and her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24. She described an upbringing that sometimes looks, from the outside, like it came from privilege, while still requiring effort underneath.
“There was a lot about my upbringing that was silver spoon-esque. but there was so much of it that had to be earned. ” she said. “Like there was very much a focus on developing a work ethic. and so. I did see something recently where it’s like. ‘You don’t have to work. ’ and it’s like no. I do. I really do.”.
To explain why, she turned to a blunt metaphor. “Because I’m like a shark; if I stop moving, I’ll die,” Paris said. “It makes me happy to move and work and be productive. I need it for my wellbeing.”
Her comments land as she prepares new music. Paris unveiled her latest musical project, Teenage Drama, earlier this month.
Her famous family has also remained in the public eye in recent weeks after the release of the film Michael. Paris had previously distanced herself from the project, even as the movie has kept gathering attention.
The musical biographical drama, starring her cousin Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, is the second-highest-grossing movie of the year so far.
In that backdrop—public fascination, major screen momentum, and renewed spotlight—Paris’s message sounded less like a debate and more like a decision: whatever her father means to her, she says, isn’t something she has to keep performing for strangers.
Paris Jackson Michael Jackson Trying Not to Die podcast Jack Osbourne Teenage Drama Prince Jackson Bigi Jackson Jaafar Jackson film Michael