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Paris Jackson Had a Perfectly Legitimate Reason to Skip Aunt Janet’s Big Night at the BBMAs
Do not come for Paris Jackson! The 20-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson had choice words for haters who blasted her for skipping the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday — where her aunt Janet Jackson was honored with the prestigious Icon Award.
Fans were quick to call out Paris for not being in attendance — and she took to social media to share her side of the story. “No one from my [management] reached out to me about attending Billboards or about the award, and no one from my family did either,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram story. “I had absolutely no idea until y’all spammed with hatred.”
She didn’t stop there, either. Paris seemingly hinted at family issues within the Jacksons — as the gorgeous model wrote elsewhere in her Instagram story, asking fans and followers not to judge her based on how she handles relationships with her dad’s parents and famous siblings. “As amazing and as s—-y as things can be, it is no one’s business but ours,” she explained. “I understand that some of you feel some sort of connection or need to be apart (sic) of our lives considering you watched us grow up.”
“However, I am handling my situation exactly how my father did. And I am happy keeping it that way. I will always have love and respect for my family. ALWAYS,” she continued. “Every family has their moments of trauma, heartbreak, separation, love, oneness, tribe, pain, everything. EVERY FAMILY. My family, specifically, and a good number of others — well, our drama is broadcasted worldwide through media. But that doesn’t mean our family issues are any different from yours. Ours are just made public.”
While Paris was not in attendance on Sunday to see her aunt receive such an honor, both Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson were on hand for the occasion. Paris did wind up shouting her aunt out for receiving such an honor at Sunday night’s event, and shared this sweet throwback snap of a younger version of herself with Janet. “Congrats auntie!” she wrote. “You earned it.”
Janet, as presenter Bruno Mars shared, is “the first black woman to ever receive the Billboard Icon Award,” and performed for the first time since becoming a mother to her son, Eissa, in January 2017. The act also marked the “All for You” songstress’ first televised performance in nine years.
