Michael Jackson’s eldest son, Prince Jackson, got candid about his late father’s parenting style and “childlike” nature following the release of the highly anticipated biopic about the singer’s life.
The 29-year-old reminisced about his childhood at Michael’s Neverland Ranch in California, where he grew up alongside his younger siblings, Paris and Blanket (Bigi) Jackson. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that a lot of what I think is normal life is not normal life,” Prince shared on Sunrise.
“Growing up at Neverland with my siblings and my father, for us, it was hanging out together as a family, but with the backdrop of elephants and giraffes walking in the background.”
“We spent a lot of time playing board games together, reading books, watching movies. It truly was, and is, magical. It felt like your own personal Disneyland,” he continued. Prince added that Michael was an “awesome” dad and “really fun to just spend time with”, and would encourage others to treat his children like adults.
“But when he played with us, he played with us. You know, he got down, and he was playing with the toys and making up stories…He just had a very childlike nature that was so much fun, always playing pranks on people and stuff.”
Prince, who got engaged to his longtime love, Molly Schirmang, in August 2025, told the outlet that he wanted to emulate Michael’s parenting in his own life someday. “I would love to have kids and, you know, take notes on what he did as a father, but he was always on our level in a way,” he said.
© Getty ImagesThe film producer explained that while being the child of a mega-famous singer was difficult at times, his family was always there to wrap him in love.
See the trailer for Michael Jackson’s biopic below…
“I understand why we had to live the way that we did. And I also see a lot of effort that was put to kind of mitigate that isolation,” he said. “I grew up in a big family, and so I have 40-plus cousins, and I see them as my siblings and my friends. And so I never felt lonely. But definitely a unique way to grow up.”
Michael welcomed Prince and Paris with his second wife, Debbie Rowe, and the pair were married for four years from 1996 to 2000. The popstar welcomed his third child, Bigi, via surrogate in 2002, and never disclosed the mother’s identity.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesMichael passed away in 2009 due to acute propofol intoxication, when Prince was just 12 years old. He worked to tell his father’s story on the big screen by producing the biopic, Michael, which was released in theaters in April, and stars Prince’s cousin, Jaafar Jackson.
© Glen Wilson/LionsgatePrince detailed the “emotional shock” he experienced after seeing Jaafar transform into Michael on set with the help of the hair and makeup team.
“I had not seen my father in a long time,” he told ABC News. “Jaafar just embodied him and brought him back in that moment. It was difficult to maintain and keep composure because I really just wanted to give him a hug in that moment. But I had to tell him, ‘Jaafar, I’m proud of you. You’re going to do great. But I need to take a little step outside and get some air.'”
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