Paris Jackson Opens Up About Secretive Childhood With Michael Jackson

Paris Jackson has offered a rare glimpse into her secretive childhood with her late father, Michael Jackson, describing a structured daily routine that balanced strict schooling and chores with weekend trips to amusement centers and public outings wearing face masks.

Speaking on an episode of the podcast Call Her Daddy released on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the 28-year-old model and actress detailed what life was really like growing up alongside her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24, according to reporting by Page Six. Paris explained that her daily routine started with waking up and heading straight to a designated classroom in their home to complete schoolwork.

I’d wake up and I’d go to … the room that was our classroom, and we would go to school, Paris told podcast host Alex Cooper, as cited by Page Six.

## Inside the Neverland Ranch Routine

While public perception often linked the children’s entire upbringing to Michael Jackson’s expansive Neverland Ranch, Paris clarified that she did not grow up there permanently, though she did spend the first few years of her life on the property. She noted that the amusement park attractions located on the ranch grounds were strictly off-limits for everyday family use.

It was made very, very clear that all of the attractions there were not for us … that did not belong to us, Paris stated, according to Page Six. That was for underprivileged children and children that were terminally ill that couldn’t go to like Disneyland.

Instead, the siblings followed a consistent structure throughout their childhood, which persisted even as the family hotel-hopped and rarely stayed in one place for more than a year. According to Paris, if she and her brothers completed their chores and homework during the week, they were rewarded with fun activities on Saturdays and Sundays, such as visiting Chuck E. Cheese or Circus Circus. A similar rule applied to television and movies, which the children were barred from watching during the week unless they were studying them for film with the sound off, or enjoying them on weekends after finishing their required tasks.

## Staying Incognito in Public

Addressing the family’s well-known practice of wearing face masks during public outings, Paris insisted that the measure was entirely practical rather than frightening. She explained that the children were told wearing the coverings would allow them to go out in public places like Chuck E. Cheese anonymously.

If you do this now, you can go to Chuck E. Cheese and be normal because no one will know who you are, Paris recalled being told, noting that the arrangement made sense at the time.

Reflecting on her relationship with her father, who died in 2009 at age 50, Paris described him as a really funny guy who served as her best friend, while also affectionately referring to herself as the King of Pop’s little princess.

## Navigating Grief and Sobriety

The interview also touched upon the challenges Paris faced following her father’s death, which she characterized as a rough transition that acted as a crash course in gaining social skills. She opened up about her long-standing struggles with substance abuse, explaining that she began reaching for things outside herself around age seven or eight, with addiction issues escalating in eighth or ninth grade to cope with feelings of restlessness and discomfort in her own skin.

Paris shared that she reached a breaking point and hit rock bottom before achieving sobriety during the first week of 2020. She acknowledged that she continues to manage her tendencies to look externally for emotional regulation, noting a current relationship with tobacco while maintaining her long-term recovery.