The Full Transformation Of Paris Jackson Is Head-Turning

Paris Jackson has led a rollercoaster life full of extremes. She's the daughter of Michael Jackson, one of the most iconic performers in history, yet her childhood was incredibly sheltered despite her dad's megastar fame. That is, until she decided to step into the spotlight as a teen following Michael's death in 2009. But while Jackson may fit the bill for a typical nepo baby, she's not your archetypal celebrity offspring. She's the goddaughter of the late Elizabeth Taylor, and inherited around $65 million in benefits from the King of Pop, according to E! News.

"I know there are a lot of people who would feel very blessed to be in my position, so I want to use it for important things," the actor and singer told Harper's Bazaar of her privilege in 2017. And she has. Jackson has gotten candid about her mental health and addiction journey in the hopes of being a pillar of light for others. She's also proudly taken on an ambassador role for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and spoke with Luisaviaroma about championing better vetting for mental health medication. But her full, head-turning transformation from a troubled teen to a powerful, resilient woman has to be seen to be believed.

Michael Jackson and his then-wife Debbie Rowe, a nurse, welcomed Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson in Los Angeles in 1998. Young Jackson was close with her world-famous dad but didn't have the same relationship with her mom. Rowe famously gave up her parental rights to Jackson and her older brother, Prince Jackson, in 1999. "I do not wish to share parenting responsibilities with Michael because he is doing so well without me ... I fully believe that by doing so, it is in the children's best interests," Rowe said in court (via The Guardian). Michael and Rowe ended their four-year marriage in 2000.

Jackson later told Rolling Stone that she barely had any contact with Rowe as a youngster, admitting it was as though her mother didn't exist. Rowe was just as candid about her relationship, or lack thereof, with her estranged family. Speaking to the News of the World in 2009, she claimed (via Celebitchy), "I offered [Michael] my womb – it was a gift. It was something I did to keep him happy. I got paid for it, and I've moved on. I know I will never see my children again."

Paris Jackson became a sister to a second brother, Bigi Jackson, in 2002, and Michael Jackson was determined to keep all three of his children away from the spotlight. He made that clear after welcoming Prince Jackson. "I grew up in a fishbowl and I will not allow that to happen to my child. Please respect our wishes and give my son his privacy," Michael said in a statement immediately following Prince's birth (via MTV).

Michael's strong desire for his children to have private lives included the trio being home-schooled and largely kept away from other kids. Jackson told Harper's Bazaar that she mostly spent time with her dad and brothers while growing up, so she didn't develop important social skills. Michael would often make his kids wear masks in public to keep their identities hidden, which Jackson said, on "Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn," she was grateful for. Jackson also told The Standard that her dad would only allow them access to the attractions on his notorious Neverland Ranch as a treat. "It was very clear to us that those rides and the zoo were for underprivileged children — children who were sick and couldn't go to Disneyland," she said. "If we were good, and we did our homework and we worked hard throughout the week, maybe we could go at the weekends, but we had to earn it."

Despite fame being far from Michael's intention for his offspring, though, Jackson showed an early desire to follow in his musical footsteps. "I was always singing growing up. It was cool seeing the look on my dad's face when he realized I could match pitch and harmonize," she said to The Standard.

Paris Jackson was just 11 years old when Michael Jackson died in 2009, and she made a major step into public life at his funeral. Dressed in black, she appeared on stage, alongside several Jackson family members, to address mourners; the memorial was broadcast live on TV. "I just wanted to say — ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say, I love him so much," she said through tears (via YouTube) before falling into her aunt Janet Jackson's arms. Michael's collaborator, Kenny Ortega, reflected on the deeply touching moment and their close father-daughter bond while speaking with Time. "I've never seen a girl love her daddy as much as Paris loved Michael. It wasn't planned. She was also his No. 1 fan," he said of the heartbreaking moment.

Jackson elaborated on just how much she loved and missed her late dad in a since-deleted 2017 Instagram post to acknowledge what would have been the musician's 59th birthday. "Birthday wishes to the love of my life, the one person who showed me what passion truly was, the one that gave me solid morals to live by and how to dream," she wrote (via GMA). "I will never feel love again the way i did with you. you are always with me and i am always with you," she added.

Following Michael Jackson's death, Paris Jackson and her siblings were cared for by their paternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson. On "Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn," she got candid about the difficulties adjusting to her new normal and the dark time she experienced with food. She explained that she went from a healthier diet with her dad to less balanced eating habits while living with Katherine. "So I gained a lot of weight and food became an addiction. And then a cousin called me fat and I was like, 'Okay, so I can't do that anymore.' And that's how I fell into self-harm," she said.

But music became Jackson's outlet. At 13, she learned to play the guitar and started writing her own songs. During a 2017 interview with Harper's Bazaar, she shared how her music taste had evolved, going from heavy rock influences to a more folksy vibe. "I'd love to write rock music because that's what I dig. But I'm good at sad stuff and acoustic stuff," she said.

As Paris Jackson approached seventh grade, she began attending a private school after years of homeschooling. Sadly, the major move led her down another dark path. "[There were] a lot of older people doing a lot of crazy things. I was doing a lot of things that 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds shouldn't do. I tried to grow up too fast, and I wasn't really that nice of a person," she told Rolling Stone. She also recalled becoming a sexual assault victim when she was just 14. "It was not a good experience at all, and it was really hard for me, and, at the time, I didn't tell anybody," she said.

Also at 14, Jackson came out to her family and friends as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Jackson's sexuality wasn't publicly known until six years later, though, when she opened up about it on Instagram Stories. After a fan asked if she identified as bisexual, Jackson replied (via ET), "That's what you guys call it so I guess — but who needs labels." She then slammed outlets reporting her coming out as new news, revealing that those closest to her had known since she was a teenager.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

When Paris Jackson was 15, she reconciled with Debbie Rowe. She confirmed they'd been in contact for years on "Red Table Talk" in 2021, sharing they'd gotten to know each other and bonded over music tastes. "It's just cool having her as a friend. It's very chill, which I love," she said. But, sadly, forging a relationship with her mom didn't end her teenage troubles.

Also at 15, Jackson attempted suicide. "It was just self-hatred, low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn't do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore," she told Rolling Stone. She elaborated on her attempt to take her life on "Red Table Talk," sharing she struggled with depression and didn't truly know who she was. Jackson confirmed it wasn't her first suicide attempt and was encouraged to take part in a therapy program. "I was crazy. I was actually crazy. I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help," she recalled. Thankfully, the program worked. "I'm a completely different person," she said to Rolling Stone.

After graduating from high school, she attended community college for a year but still found the spotlight tough. In 2016, after experimenting with red streaks in her hair, Jackson opened up about being relentlessly cyberbullied. She got emotional in a video shared to Instagram Stories in which she told her followers (via Seventeen), "I've tried sticking up for myself. I've tried the whole blocking the haters thing, not reading the comments. I've tried a lot of things — ignoring it. But it's hard when there's so much of it."

Despite struggling with confidence and self-acceptance over the years, Paris Jackson officially became a model in 2017. She made her modeling debut for Chanel in her namesake city and signed with international modeling agency IMG at 18. "There's a moment when I'm modeling where I forget about my self-esteem issues and focus on what the photographer's telling me – and I feel pretty," she explained to Rolling Stone. But the rising star didn't expect special treatment because of her famous father. Speaking on Naomi Campbell's "Filter with Naomi" in 2021, Jackson revealed she still auditioned for gigs like any other model. "It's about earning it, not just being entitled to certain things or thinking, 'Oh, I got this.' It's, like, working for it, working hard for it," she said. 

Jackson's latest foray into the spotlight meant she was more in the public eye than ever, but she still wasn't totally sure about where life would take her. "I have a lot of ideas, but I'm still trying to figure out the right way to do it," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I mean, I'm 18. I can't have it all together, but I do have a plan," she added, having taken a stunning leap from long to short hair.

Part of Jackson's life plan involved acting. In 2017, she appeared in four episodes of the musical drama series "Star." The following year, she starred in her first movie after landing a role in the dark comedy "Gringo" alongside Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried. The rising actor also took a stand that year. In a now-deleted Instagram upload, Jackson proudly showed her underarm hair, reminding us that body hair is personal and not up for debate.

Reports surfaced in 2019 claiming Paris Jackson had checked into a health facility for exhaustion after extensive work travel. "Paris decided that she needed to take some time off to reboot, realign and prioritize her physical and emotional health," a source told ABC News. However, Jackson hit back in a since-deleted Instagram post, accusing the outlet of exaggerating what had happened. "Yes I've taken a break from work and social media and my phone because it can be too much sometimes, and everyone deserves a break, but i am happy and healthy and feeling better than ever!" she wrote (via CNN). That year, Jackson grew out her hair, with dark roots and light auburn locks past her chest, and posed at a Versace fashion show. 

Her work break didn't last too long, though. In early 2020, she appeared on the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier. Then, as COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns took hold, Jackson focused on lifting the world's spirits via her music. She signed with Republic Records in 2020 and released "Wilted," her first solo album. "I found so much healing through creating this. And there are moments where I'll listen back to certain songs and I'm like, 'Wow I was so naïve,'" she told AP. "But for the most part, it's just like so much gratitude and joy that I get from listening to these songs and just seeing the development and the evolution," she added, noting she hoped the project would make people feel "a little less lonely" during the unprecedented time.

Thankfully, after a very difficult childhood and multiple struggles as a young woman, Paris Jackson told The Standard in 2021 that she was on a much better path. "I'm at a point in my life where it's the first time I've ever truly experienced self-love," she said, crediting her music and other creative work for helping her feel fulfilled. She was still on the music train post-COVID lockdowns and followed up her debut album with the 2022 EP "The Lost."

But this multi-hyphenate wasn't only focused on hitting the studio, as she was still exploring her acting career. In 2021, she appeared in three episodes of "American Horror Stories." She later landed roles in the comedy-drama series "Sex Appeal" and the psychological drama "Swarm." 

Paris Jackson also rocked some iconic hair looks amid her gorgeous transformation. She made a bold move at the Bonnaroo music festival in 2023 after dying her locks red with lighter ends. That came after she experimented with a dirty blond 'do at CTAOP's Night Out 2021: Fast And Furious.

By 2024, Paris Jackson had found her footing in multiple areas of life, including her style. She spoke to Fashionista about her evolving passion for fashion, explaining, "[My relationship with fashion] used to be more of a love-hate and now it's more love because I've learned how to not let the industry affect my personal life and find a good balance with it." But while Paris Jackson's style transformation had turned heads, she admitted it hadn't changed much since her teens. "I love a good bellbottom, Earth tones, Doc Martens, ripped leggings, and band T-shirts for day-to-day. It's boho grunge," Paris, who has multiple piercings, told Luisaviaroma.

Jackson clearly knew herself and her style, but that didn't mean she was done experimenting. At the 2024 Grammys, she appeared on the red carpet with her tattoos (she has over 80 pieces of ink!) covered with body makeup. "Well, I like switching things up. I love my tattoos, I love my piercings, I love all the body modification stuff, art, and also sometimes I don't want it to distract from the art that is the fashion I'm wearing. It gives the dress its own moment," she told Entertainment Tonight.

Jackson's penchant for changing things up was evident in her life plan as well. The star, who had fingers in multiple pies, told AP she was happy as long as she was creating, no matter which area of the arts she was working in. "I've kind of given my self-will up," she explained (via YouTube). Also making Paris happy at the time? Her partner, Justin Long. She confirmed her engagement to the music producer after around two years of dating in a since-deleted Instagram post.

In a very candid January 2025 Instagram post, Paris Jackson celebrated the huge milestone of being five years sober from drugs and alcohol. She shared a video of her past self smoking and drinking alongside clips of her enjoying a sober lifestyle. "To say that I'm thankful would be a poor euphemism. Gratitude hardly scratches the surface. It's because I'm sober that I get to smile today," she wrote, in part.

But just a few months later, Jackson was grappling with another tough setback. She and Justin Long called off their engagement that summer, and she was photographed by paparazzi looking deeply upset. After Daily Mail suggested the star was downcast due to the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, she clapped back on X, "those are breakup tears. y'all are fkn reaching again."

The following year, she celebrated being six years sober on Instagram alongside a montage of some of the harder moments she'd experienced. In her candid caption, she admitted her journey had been far from easy and confirmed she'd experienced Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), which can cause guilt and feelings of worthlessness, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where a person has continuous obsessive thoughts. But she included a powerful and triumphant message for anyone dealing with similar issues. "If you've got this s**t or anything of the sort, you're not alone. Hang in there, and if no one's told you they love you today, I love you," she wrote, proving she's making good on her word to use the fame thrust upon her to raise awareness of important issues.