# Michael Jackson's children--what about the mother? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949 "2012-07-31T13:20:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/1 "2012-07-31T13:20:22Z")
I am hearing news about Michael Jackson’s children and there’s all this flap about who’s allowed access to them. It sounds like Michael’s mother is the guardian. But no mention at all of the children’s mother. Which is who? Or multiple whos? And why hasn’t the mother(s) sought custody? Maybe the answer is, “Hey, it’s the Jacksons. Why are you looking for a rational explanation?” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/2 "2012-07-31T14:27:30Z")
Debbie Rowe gave full custody of the children to Michael during their divorce and had all of her parental rights terminated afterwards. She had limited visitation while Michael was alive. She negotiated with Katherine Jackson after Michael’s death and now has rights to supervised visitation. ---
**Author:** ![Jenova\_Tokka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea5d25/32.png) [@Jenova\_Tokka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenova_Tokka)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/3 "2012-07-31T15:41:49Z")
Also, Debbie Rowe is only the mother of the two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris. The mother of Prince Michael II, aka Blanket, has never been revealed, although Michael said she was a surrogate who carried via artificial insemination. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/4 "2012-07-31T19:39:55Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Debbie Rowe gave full custody of the children to Michael during their divorce and had all of her parental rights terminated afterwards. She had limited visitation while Michael was alive. She negotiated with Katherine Jackson after Michael’s death and now has rights to supervised visitation. This “supervised visitation” thing was mentioned in the news, but I never saw a hint why supervision was necessary. Is she likely to pump their heads full of nonsense about what it’s like to live in the real world? Are the family worried about undue influence? Or is she a member of a cult? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/5 "2012-07-31T20:59:10Z")
They’re worried that she might try to rescue the kids from the Cult of Michael. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/6 "2012-08-01T02:14:46Z")
I don’t remember the exact source but I read an interview with **Debbie Rowe** maybe 7 or 8 years ago. She’s, ah, _odd_. She’s just completely matter-of-fact about the idea that she had two kids, both of which are genetically half her’s, for money. A lot of money. When each child was born Jackson’s ‘people’ quite literally whisked them out of the OR the second the cord was cut, and onto a plane (without her). I believe the births took place in Europe for better legal reasons. Anyway, the interview took place on Rowe’s large ranch which she bough with the money and she gleefully showed the interviewers around rather proud of the place, but in a very icky, new-money, lottery winner kind of way. She had a boyfriend or husband with her. She said she’s had very little contact with the kids, but that was stated up front as part of her deal. To each his own I guess, but it was very disconcerting to hear a mother talk about her natural-born, genetic children in such a way. At the end of the article the interviewer asked when was the last time she had seen them. She said only recently, like everyone else, because a bunch of photos of the kids had just been released. When asked how it felt to see them for the first time after a while, all she said was something like, _‘I made some good lookin’ kids, didn’t I?’_ Like I said, eww. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jacksons-children-what-about-the-mother/629949/7 "2012-08-01T03:52:44Z")
> [@Jenova\_Tokka](#): > > Also, Debbie Rowe is only the mother of the two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris. The mother of Prince Michael II, aka Blanket, has never been revealed, although Michael said she was a surrogate who carried via artificial insemination. It’s extremely unlikely that Blanket’s surrogate was also the egg doner; under CA law she’s have to parental rights toward him, neither would the egg donor. IIRC both were anonymous and didn’t know who they were carrying for/donating two. Legally Blanket never had a mother; Michael Jackson is the only parent listed on his birth certificate. > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I don’t remember the exact source but I read an interview with **Debbie Rowe** maybe 7 or 8 years ago. She’s, ah, _odd_. She’s just completely matter-of-fact about the idea that she had two kids, both of which are genetically half her’s, for money. A lot of money. When each child was born Jackson’s ‘people’ quite literally whisked them out of the OR the second the cord was cut, and onto a plane (without her). I believe the births took place in Europe for better legal reasons… Rowe was basically a highly paid surrogate mother, who happened to use her own eggs. The marriage was consumated, but did have the convienent side effect of making Jackson the legal father of any children she bore regardless of where the sperm came from. She’s admitted that she never intended to be a mother; she just wanted Jacson to be a father. The marriage was then dissolved and she was paid several million dollars for her services.