Movies

Janet Jackson's reportedly called the new movie about her brother 'horrible.'

Janet Jackson has quietly distanced herself from the new biopic about her brother Michael Jackson. 

Janet Jackson ‘declined’ to be included in ‘Michael’ biopic

Michael, which opened in U.S. theaters on April 24, looks set to become a serious box office hit, despite a lackluster critical response. The film depicts the “Thriller” singer’s childhood, early days as a performer with the Jackson 5, and rise to global superstardom. 

Michael is truly a Jackson family affair. Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael’s brother Jermaine Jackson, steps into the title role, and Michael’s sons Prince and Bigi have both shown their support for the movie, along with other family members. Prince is also a producer on Michael. But the second-most-famous Jackson sibling is completely absent from both the film itself and its promotion. 

“I wish everybody was in the movie,” La Toya Jackson told Variety. “[Janet] was asked and she kindly declined, so you have to respect her wishes.” The “Control” singer also opted not to attend the movie’s premiere.

‘Rhythm Nation’ singer reportedly had negative reaction to movie about her brother

While LaToya framed Janet’s request as a matter of simply not wanting to be involved, Janet’s true feelings about Michael are apparently quite negative. She attended a private family screening, where she called the movie “horrible” and said it did “a disservice,” according to Radar Online. Insiders say Janet and Jermaine even got into an argument about the movie, which LaToya denied (via Los Angeles Times). 

But a source told Page Six that when roughly 60 members of the extended Jackson family watched the movie last month, Janet was unsparring in her criticism. 

“She had something negative about almost every scene. The acting, the makeup, how the actors spoke, even how they walked. It was Janet deciding against the room that this movie wasn’t going to meet her approval,” the source said. 

Jermaine fired back, telling his younger sister that her criticisms came from a place of jealousy. 

“You are going to miss this wave,” he said. The family reportedly hopes that Michael will help repair the “Billie Jean” performer’s damaged reputation, which has been marred by multiple allegations of child sexual abuse. The movie pointedly ends before the first public accusations against him.

“This isn’t just about Michael. It’s about us. It’s about our legacy. It’s about the comeback in store for all of us,” one Jackson family member said at the screening, according to Page Six. 

Janet isn’t the only member of the Jackson family who has reservations about Michael. His daughter Paris Jackson has also publicly criticized the project. 

“The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy,” she said in a social media video. “And they’re going to be happy with it.” 

For more​​ news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.