Could Michael Jackson’s kids be following in their famous family footsteps?
It seems like a strong possibility, considering a report that The King of Pops’ little ones have signed to their guardian’s talent agency – Ja-Tail Enterprises, run by Michael’s sister La Toya.
According to an inflammatory report by The New York Post, La Toya is a “gold-digging diva” who is seizing the careers of Prince (16), Paris (15) and Blanket (10). Naturally, La Toya is firing back, issuing a statement calling the career manipulation allegations “completely and unequivocally false,” and threatening a lawsuit.
According to the Post, now that the kids have signed to Ja-Tail, La Toya will earn fifteen percent off each commissioned deal for the kids. Such deals reportedly include Prince’s recent hiring as an “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent, his appearance on the “90210” remake (which, coincidentally, was recently cancelled), and a supposed reality show that she is putting together – and that Oprah’s OWN network is interested in at a cost approaching $10 million.
Not so, says La Toya. “There is no shopping of a reality show for the children,” her spokesman insisted in the statement. “Over the past year, Prince has continuously asked his Aunt for her help in starting his career because of the infrastructure she has. When she asked her nephew what he wanted for his birthday, he replied, ‘He just wanted to work,’ It was at the time that she diligently started to assist him with his career and that’s when ‘Entertainment Tonight’ was booked and then ‘90210.’”
As for La Toya herself, well, between “Celebrity Apprentice,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and managing her nieces and nephews, the 56-year-old is certainly keeping herself plenty busy. As for Ja-Tail, the company’s site says it is “the home of cutting-edge, independent entertainment. The company is comprised of an experienced team of in-house attorneys, accountants, presidents, vice-presidents, merchants and managers that oversee the day-to-day operations of all 10 divisions.”
So, who to believe? Consider this: The controversial Post article was written by Stacy Brown, who bills herself as a “longtime friend of the Jackson family” at the end of the piece, after multiple paragraphs saying things like “his big sister has claimed Jacko’s pet chimp Bubbles has spoken to her and that a psychic contacted the ‘Thriller’ singer on her behalf.” With “friends” like that, who needs enemies?
On the other hand, La Toya’s off-the-wall (pun intended) behavior has been well-documented over the years as she has done things like this, this and this. So, as the case with so many instances of debate, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle.
In the end, all we know is this: As the decades have gone by, the exploitation and abuse of the Jackson 5 has become a cautionary tale for young, talented artists everywhere. Whether Michael’s kids really want to step into the spotlight remains uncertain, but we can all agree on one thing: If they do want to become stars, let’s hope La Toya has enough sense to avoid the mistakes of her family’s previous generations.