The Real Reason Janet Jackson Isn’t in the Michael Movie Amid Reports She Had ‘Something Negative to Say About Every Scene’
The highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, hit theaters in April 2026 to mostly negative reviews from critics. Some complaints derive from the film brushing aside many of the late King of Pop’s controversies, while others criticize the factual problems of Michael’s life and career, including missing family members.
Among the Jackson family members not featured in Michael are Michael’s siblings, Rebbie, Randy and Janet Jackson. She hasn’t publicly addressed her absence in the film, but her sister La Toya told Variety that the five-time Grammy winner chose not to be featured in the biopic.
Why wasn’t Janet Jackson in the Michael movie?
“She was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes,” La Toya told the outlet at the Michael premiere on Monday, April 20, adding, “I wish everybody was in the movie.”
Michael director Antoine Fuqua touched on Janet’s decision not to be featured in the biopic, saying, “I have so much respect and love for Janet, but you know it’s OK. She’s supportive of [her nephew Jaafar Jackson], and that’s what matters.”
In March 2026, Page Six reported that Janet attended a private screening of Michael and allegedly clashed with her brother Jermaine. A source claimed Janet was the only Jackson family member to brutally criticize the movie, saying, “She had something negative about almost every scene.”
“The acting, the makeup, how the actors spoke, even how they walked,” they continued. “It was Janet deciding against the room that this movie wasn’t going to meet her approval.”
Jermaine, whose son Jaafar stars as the legendary singer, reportedly called Janet “jealous” and told her to “just get on the wave.”
Janet previously opened up about her and Michael’s relationship in the 2022 Lifetime and A&E two-part documentary Janet Jackson, revealing that he allegedly made fun of her weight and called her a “pig” and “cow” growing up. “He would laugh about it and I’d laugh too, but then there was somewhere down inside that it would hurt,” she admitted. “When you have somebody say you’re too heavy, it affects you.”
She also said that she and Michael grew apart as they got older. “I remember really loving the Thriller album but for the first time in my life I felt it was different between us, a shift was happening,” she explained. “That’s the time Mike and I started going our separate ways. He just wasn’t as fun as he used to be.”
