Bigi 'Blanket' Jackson: Michael Jackson's son 'resented' him due to moniker
Over 12 years after Michael Jackson's untimely death, his youngest son, Bigi Jackson, who was formerly nicknamed Blanket and is currently19 years old, made a rare appearance in a TV interview to talk about his father's death.
After shying away from public life, Bigi appeared in a rare interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday, November 1 as he toured a room filled with this dad's memorabilia and talked about MJ's legacy. "There's a lot of really cool stuff here," Prince Jackson and Paris Jackson's younger sibling said. "I think there's a lot of history in this house and studio here. And that's what he was all about and that's just kind of what each of us want to do...make things that people hopefully enjoy, but also can benefit their lives."
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EXCLUSIVE: Bigi Jackson speaks about his father, Michael Jackson's legacy for the first time.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 1, 2021
Bigi, formerly known as Blanket, is using his voice to call on world leaders to tackle the problem of climate change as COP26 begins. pic.twitter.com/920Zlk4usK
Why did Blanket change his name to Bigi?
The teenager - whose real name is Prince Michael Jackson II - decided to change his nickname in 2014 when he started at The Buckley School in California because it made him a ''target for ridicule." ''Growing up, his school mates have always been slightly mean to him because of their jealousy over who he is and going by Blanket made him a much easier target for ridicule," a source told AZ Central.
Apparently, Bigi ''resented his father'' for giving him the "stupid" nickname Blanket. ''He always thought that the name Blanket sounded so stupid and resented his father for calling him that. When he entered Buckley he told them that his name is Bigi and that is what they call him," an insider told Radar Online. Back then, Bigi used to live with his grandmother Katherine, and cousin TJ, along with siblings Prince and Paris. He currently lives in Calabasas, California with his cousin.
Bigi's mother and father's death
Bigi was seven years old when his father died on June 25, 2009. The identity of Prince's biological mother — a surrogate — is unknown. Although it has not been confirmed, Bigi is rumored to be the only biological child of the King of Pop. Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael's other two children, has publicly denied being Bigi's biological mother. Following his birth, there was significant media speculation regarding his conception.
One of the last times he was seen in public was in January 2010 when Michael's three kids accepted a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for Michael Jackson at the Grammy Awards. They also spoke to their father's fans during his funeral in 2009. While his siblings have gone on to embrace the limelight in different capacities, Bigi has generally stayed out of the spotlight. He did, however, attend older brother Prince’s graduation from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in May 2019. It is said that Bigi had the hardest time of his siblings adjusting after his father’s death, according to Biography.