Why is Janet Jackson not in the Michael Jackson movie?
23 April 2026, 13:25
Janet Jackson doesn’t feature in the Michael Jackson film, starring Jaafar Jackson, despite their close relationship. So why was Janet not in the Michael Jackson biopic? Here are all the details.
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The Michael Jackson movie starring Jaafar Jackson has premiered after much anticipation; however, Janet Jackson isn’t in the film – but why?
The biopic debuted on April 22nd to some mixed reviews, with one of the fans' biggest takeaways being that the icon's infamous sister did not appear.
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The film stars Michael’s nephew, Jarfaar Jackson, who is the son of Jermaine, who was a key member of the Jackson 5.
With clear influence and contribution from the ‘Beat It’ star’s surviving family, fans pointed out that it was strange to not see the star’s close sister appear in the film.
Janet has revealed that she was asked to feature in the movie, but she declined.
LaToya Jackson, the Grammy-winning older sister, spoke with Variety to discuss the missing sister.
She said: “I wish everybody were in the movie. [Janet] was asked, and she kindly declined, so you have to respect her wishes.”
Michael was approved by the late singer’s estate, and made careful consideration to make sure the film was respectful of the family’s wishes.
The production is one of the more expensive films this year, with a total production cost of around $150 million.
The same company that made Michael also made the infamous Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, which grossed over $900 million (£666 million) worldwide.
As fans flock to the cinema to see the movie, its creators predict the movie to gross around $700 million (£518.5 million).
