Children find life hard and intimidating sometimes. If your parents are famous or celebrities and you are brought up in the limelight, your life becomes even more complicated. Nothing would seem more overwhelming than being Michael Jackson’s offspring. Michael was an overachiever who went to great lengths to be the best. He reportedly lost a lot of weight just to get a ‘dancers look' and is rumored to have suffered from an eating disorder even in later years.

Though Michael was plagued with lots of rumors, some of which he propagated himself to gain publicity, he was quite an artist. He gained fame and notoriety over the years, amassing a lot of wealth in the process. He would later stop disseminating the rumors after he realized that most of what he spread would be blown out of proportion with journalists trying to outdo each other by embellishing on his stories. Journalists did not give him a break though, and the various untruths continued to be spread.

Michael Jackson had three children. The firstborn of any family is usually quite confident and self-assured, the middle child tends to be lost in between, while the last child is the baby of the family. It is this child of Michael Jackson that we focus on today and here are 15 facts about Michael Jackson’s youngest son.

15 His Father Is The King Of Pop

According to Wikipedia.org, Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, and died on June 25, 2009. He was a songwriter, singer and quite a prolific dancer, popularly known as ‘The King of Pop.' Michael was married twice. First to Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley's daughter and then to Debbie Rowe with whom he had two children. His third child, Prince Michael II, nicknamed ‘Blanket,’ was born via a surrogate whom Michael claimed he did not know. Being the son of probably the best-known singer in the world has got daunting.

Michael was plagued with stories of impropriety and even though he was never indicted, he did settle the allegations outside of court and even though he emphasized that it was in no way an admission of guilt, the public largely viewed it as such. Michael’s complexion also changed in later years and according to Wikipedia.org, this was because he was afflicted with vitiligo, which causes the skin to lose pigment. He also claimed to be suffering from lupus. Michael was a wealthy man with a net worth of $500 million dollars and according to Forbes, he was able to rack in a whopping $825 million dollars in 2017, after his death. This is a tough act to follow.

14 He Was Dangled Over A Balcony At 8 Months

Celebrities have been known to do crazy things in order to entertain a crowd of fans. It is not uncommon to see them pull stunts that any sane person would find life-threatening or just plain, well, crazy. While some of us hold our newborns with tenderness and care, afraid to rock his head or do something that would lead to danger to the child, when Blanket was only 8-months old, Michael was filmed dangling the blanket covered child over the balcony of a German Hotel. This act elicited both outrage and sadness from most people who viewed it as risking the life of the baby.

Michael had leaned over a metal railing from his room four stories up, holding Blanket around the waist with only one hand in order to great his fans and show them the baby. The irony of the situation was that he was in Berlin to accept an award on philanthropic work he had been doing on behalf of children. He issued a public apology later.

13 No One Knows His Biological Mother

Michael Jackson’s two elder children were born to his second wife Debbie Rowe, who was his former dermatological nurse helping him cope with his vitiligo. He later divorced her amicably and she left the two children with him. Michael told British journalist Martin Bashir, that his third born was conceived via artificial insemination, using his swimmers. His surrogacy agreement was that he would not need to know who the surrogate was and neither could she know about him. I suppose this is a smart thing if you are a celebrity obsessed with privacy and security.

The only condition Michael had was that the surrogate had to be of good health, intelligent and with good vision. Race did not matter, but he is reported to say that the surrogate was black. All these hints, however, have not brought the secret of Blanket’s mother closer to the light and it appears she will always remain unknown.

12 The Truth Behind His Name

Michael Jackson was always obsessed with his children’s security and privacy. For this reason, he made them wear masks whenever they left the house. This ensured that not many people actually knew what his kids looked like apart from those closest to him. For the youngest of the Jackson kids, being of such a tender age, Jackson chose to cover him with a blanket. That was commendable on his part, remembering the dangling incident, we didn't expect that. That is why people thought that the name came from the blanket that was always covering his face.

Jackson did explain the meaning of the nickname and the explanation is so sweet. We tend to give our family members cuddly names like ‘teddy bear’ and ‘sweetie pie,’ but for Jackson, to show his love and affection, his endearment for his family members is ‘blanket.’ Now isn’t that adorable?

11 He Might Have Changed His Name To 'Bigi'

Most of us keep our childhood nicknames. Maybe it’s the cuddly feeling it gives or the affection associated with the name, but for most of us, those nicknames are a nostalgic tie to our past life, when life was simpler and more secure. A kids nickname, especially one whose parents have passed on is a bond between them and the past.

For Blanket, it seems the name does not elicit feelings of warmth, as according to nickiswift.com, the young Jackson has reportedly changed his adorable name to ‘Bigi.’ It is claimed that there is a school yearbook that has an entry showing Blanket Jackson alongside the name Bigi. His decision is reported to have been in response to other children teasing him over the name and being a source of embarrassment, making his life even harder. He reportedly resented his father for giving him the name.

10 He Was Teased At School

Children can be cruel and bullying in schools is a worldwide menace. Even in the high-end schools where celebrities take their kids, there is a bully or two who are bent on making the other kids suffer. It is not that the bully has lots of body strength or more intellect or good looks and that his targets are deficient in any way, much like the hunter, the bullies take advantage of those whom they perceive to be weak.

Blanket Jackson is one of those people who find themselves suffering the brunt of bullies. He is teased over his name. Being the son of Michael Jackson and the fact that he is already a teenage millionaire is enough to make any person jealous.

9 He Is The Youngest Of The Jackson Kids

Michael Jackson was born in a big family, which is probably why he was so interested in having kids of his own. It is alleged that Michael pestered his first wife, Lisa Marie Preston, who was Elvis Presley’s daughter to give him children. She felt that Michael was too immature to have kids of his own as she felt he needed a lot of mothering himself. It is for this reason that she opted not to have any with him. He, on the other hand, told her that he would have kids with Debbie Rowe as she was willing to carry them for him. Lisa Marie did not object to this arrangement, though she went ahead to divorce him citing irreconcilable differences.

Michael would go on to have kids with Debbie Rowe. The firstborn being Prince who is now 21 and Paris who is 20. Blanket is the youngest of the lot and currently 16-years old.

8 Jackson May Not Be His Biological Father

If we go by the secrecy shrouding Blanket’s mother’s identity, it would not be any wonder to find out that Michael may not be Blanket’s biological father. According to a now-deleted article published in The Sun, the story was spread that Michael’s close friend, actor Macaulay Culkin, is actually Blanket’s father. Though the actor never commented on the issue due to his loyalty to Michael, the seed of doubt was planted.

According to TMZ, this seed later sprouted when Matt Fiddes, the former bodyguard of Michael Jackson, claimed that in 2001 he donated sperm to the pop singer. The guard was even willing to take a paternity test in order to claim the guardianship for Blanket if he turned out to be the father. While this may seem like a noble and fatherly thing to do, it could be the only reason the man wanted to do this is that Blanket is a millionaire and being his legal guardian would give him access to some of this money.

7 He is Worth over $100 Million

Michael Jackson was the most popular pop singer and dancer of his time. Even in death, Michael is still very popular, with his records racking a whopping $825 million dollars in 2017 according to Forbes. This means that the Jackson estate is able to keep the three children in absolute comfort for the rest of their lives. Blanket, who attends a private school in California does not lack for anything.

Upon his death, Michael Jackson left each of his three children $33 million dollars. That money has grown to $100 million as of June 2017, according to biography.com. This figure is huge considering the fact that Blanket is still a teenager whose expenses are largely catered to by his father's estate. He is set to inherit the money at age 30, by which time this money is expected to be over $300 million. By the time this young Jackson gets to be of legal age, he will be worth more, and chances are with proper management of his assets he is set for life.

6 He Is Living Large

When your father is a millionaire, your monthly allowance is more than most people’s monthly earnings. When your father is Michael Jackson, your monthly earnings are more than most people’s lifetime earnings. According to the dailymail.co.uk, the Jackson kids are given an $8 million yearly allowance. The three teenagers are meant to use this money to pay for school tuition, vacations and spending sprees. This figure is bound to rise, as it has already risen from $5 million dollars previously. The rise is occasioned by Jackson’s posthumous album sales, which keep increasing.

The kids are given between $15,000 and $20,000 in pocket money a month to be split among the three of them. Blanket’s karate lessons cost $200 dollars an hour and he spends $500 dollars for dinner with his cousins. This is a whole family’s budget for a month. I guess this is what having money means.

5 His Guardianship Is A Big Mess

While most of us leave our kids with a guardian or a family member who is willing to take them in, in Michael Jackson’s will, the legal guardian for his three children is Katherine Jackson, his mother. She is not expected to do it for free of course, and she is paid $1 million every year as compensation for taking care of her three grandchildren, Prince, Paris, and Blanket.

While this should be a straightforward affair, TJ Jackson (Michael’s nephew) who had taken over custody of the three kids following Katherine Jackson’s supposed kidnapping, laid claim to the kids leading to a joint custody arrangement between him and Katherine. TMZ also reports that Anthony Jackson (an uncle) had also petitioned for custody of the three kids.

Though Debbie Rowe had come to an agreement with Katherine earlier on regarding the custody of the kids, she is reportedly having second thoughts and wants to petition for their custody, saying Kathleen is now too advanced in age to properly care for the kids.

4 He Has A Black Belt In Karate

To earn $200 dollars an hour requires you to do something exemplary, like being Blanket Jackson’s karate trainer. This is the kind of money most doctors dream about, but this teenager seems to have no qualms about paying his trainer such a huge amount of dough. The fee is paying dividends though, as the kid has supposedly earned himself a black belt in karate. This may be speculative only though because it is based on the fact that he was filmed coming out of martial arts gym wearing a black and white belt.

The kid has been bullied and having a black belt may mean that this may be a thing of the past as he will now be able to fight his own battles. Having worn a blanket to keep off paparazzi and his fans, it must be liberating to know that he does not need that anymore and he can hit someone where it hurts if need be.

3 He Is Straight

This may not be a newsworthy fact for most people, but when it comes to Blanket, this news is worth stating, seeing as he is Michael Jackson's son. While Michael’s orientation was mainly speculative, he was accused was accused of being gay since his teenage years, but he continued to deny this throughout his life, probably because he came from a family that would be against it. According to the Telegraph, the King of Pop allegedly had two male lovers in his early years. Blanket Jackson is reportedly straight with a teenage interest in girls. He enjoys going out to dinner with his cousins and watching movies, as well as his all-time passion of karate. 

Blanket Jackson is now 16-years old and his grandmother, who is his legal co-guardian is 87-years old. As previously stated, she shared custody of Blanket with TJ Jackson since her alleged kidnapping. Over the years, this custody arrangement has been questioned, with Paris, who is now 20, claiming that her brother is basically on his own in the Calabasas family home, as Katherine and TJ are away much of the time, leaving the teenager alone.

According to abcnews.go.com, Katherine has filed an affidavit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court relinquishing custody of her nephew. According to her, she is advanced in age and Blanket does not need her now that he is a teenager over 15. She feels that he now requires TJ more than he does her. She will still play her grandmother role to the kids, but she will not be their legal guardian. She stands to lose the $1 million yearly fee for being a guardian but the Jackson family doesn’t seem to be lacking financial success.

1  He Might Follow In His Father's Footsteps

Blanket’s worth is not only in hard cold cash. The young Jackson is set to inherit the rest of Michael’s estate at age 40. At the moment though, the teenager is the proud the owner of various assets including an Audi. While this wealth is enough to make one a spoilt brat with a lot of friends and hangers-on, he is said to prefer his own company and when he is not in the martial arts studio practicing his karate moves, he is in the house playing video games.

The kid, according to his uncle Tito, has the potential to be the next Michael Jackson because he has demonstrated immense commitment and talent. He has been known to show some really cool dance moves akin to his father’s and his proficiency in front of people is that of a rising star. We truly hope that Michael Jackson will be reborn in this young man, as he was quite a loss to the world.

References: Wikipedia, NickiSwift, MTV, ABCNews, DailyMail