# Neither Michael nor Debbie Related To Jackson's Kids **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552 "2009-07-01T04:48:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/21 "2009-07-01T14:26:52Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Genetics isn’t as simple as that. Quite a lot of mixed-race kids don’t look mixed race. Ryan Giggs is one example - especially when he was younger. No kidding–check out [this photo](http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/tvsoapwed/rowell1.jpg) of Victoria Rowell and her (bio) daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/22 "2009-07-01T14:38:40Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Side question: Is “Blanket” a not only common but also accepted nickname for the kid? I mean, I laughed when I heard it used on South Park, but yesterday I heard it used by a commentator on MSNBC, and some guest on NPR’s Talk of the Nation from their Monday show also said it, both in an apparently non-derisive fashion. Well, MJ used it himself on the Martin Bashir interview. He said the kid’s name is Prince Michael II but that he was generally referred to as Blanket. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/23 "2009-07-01T14:43:09Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > No kidding–check out [this photo](http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/tvsoapwed/rowell1.jpg) of Victoria Rowell and her (bio) daughter. Rowell herself is biracial, so her daughter, Maya, has 3/4 white ancestry. Her son by Wynton Marsalis, Jasper, presents as African-American. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/24 "2009-07-01T14:49:08Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, MJ used it himself on the Martin Bashir interview. He said the kid’s name is Prince Michael II but that he was generally referred to as Blanket. OK, that makes sense then; I haven’t seen the interview and didn’t know that was the actual origin. I thought it was just a nickname from the “hang the kid out the window” incident that had somehow caught on. My husband was shocked to hear it yesterday on the news, since his only exposure to it as well was the same South Park episode. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/25 "2009-07-01T14:49:21Z")
Does anyone remember that story from a few years back about the mixed-race fraternal twins? I think that they were born in the UK. One looked totally “white.” The other looked totally “black.” They did DNA testing, and everything was kosher. It just turned out that way. It was news only because it was so remarkable. > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Side question: Is “Blanket” a not only common but also accepted nickname for the kid? Yep. It’s just what people call him. Strangely enough, I find the fact that his kid is called “Blanket” the least weird thing about the whole story. Sometimes, people just end up with strange nicknames. ETA–forgot to say–as noted before, a mixed-race child can easily look “white,” but if MJ was indeed the bio father, the chance that all three would turn out with no visible African ancestry is infinitesimal. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/26 "2009-07-01T14:58:54Z")
Meh, my dad still calls me “Bean” on occassion. No big deal. My cousin still gets No one is saying that adoptive parents aren’t “real parents”, **StaudtCJ**. More like, if Jacko didn’t go through the legal channels to formally adopt his children, then there’s gonna be a shitload of trouble for these poor kids. (And personally, considering what a moron he was when it came to legal matters, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit.) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/27 "2009-07-01T15:00:02Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Does anyone remember that story from a few years back about the mixed-race fraternal twins? I think that they were born in the UK. One looked totally “white.” The other looked totally “black.” They did DNA testing, and everything was kosher. It just turned out that way. It was news only because it was so remarkable. [Kian & Remee Hodgson](http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mixedtwins.asp) Pretty cool pictures of the two. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/28 "2009-07-01T15:01:20Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Strangely enough, I find the fact that his kid is called “Blanket” the least weird thing about the whole story. Sometimes, people just end up with strange nicknames. Sure, that’s understandable - I instead thought it was linked to the covering of the kid’s head in public and dangling him over the balcony, which is why it surprised me to hear the nickname used casually. More anecdotes: I’ve also known two sets of siblings from interracial marriages (with one parent white, the other black) who appeared to be not of mixed race. One set was two brothers; they had very similar facial features, but one had fairly dark skin and short, closely-curly hair, while the other had a very pale complexion and his hair was black and curly in the sense of big ringlets. (He had long hair, I would have killed for a head of hair like that, being a woman whose hair never looked that nice.) The other pair is a brother and sister. The sister has a “medium to dark” brown skin tone, slim facial features (high cheekbones, somewhat narrow nose), and long black hair that is curly in small ringlets and curls (probably processed). The brother has more “coarse” facial features (a thicker nose. broader face), rough skin complexion, very pale skin, and naturally straight medium brown hair. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/29 "2009-07-01T15:37:19Z")
IF the article does pan out what I don’t get is why didn’t Jackson just use his own sperm? It’s interesting that Jackson and Debbie Rowe were married in Australia with laws that as a whole don’t really recognize [surrogacy](http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/reproductive-technology/other.asp) or rather they give much power to the birth mother over the [donors](http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23457321-5013404,00.html). Well we’ll see. I think it’s garbage for the kids. I have nothing against, surrogacy or adoption, I think it’s great that anyone wants to raise kids, but parents should be honest with the kids. “You came into this world because of X-Y-Z” The last thing to recall is also kids want to know their parent fought for them. The oldest child only has 6 more years till adulthood, court battles could easily drag on till he’s an adult, rendering it mute and a waste of everyone’s money. Remember you don’t have to win, all you have to do is drag it on long enough to get a settlement and than the person who lost could say to the kid one day, “I loved you and tried to win you back, but the Jackson’s were too powerful.” Indeed isn’t that the claim of many of Neverlands former employee, they were “hushed up”? ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/30 "2009-07-01T15:48:54Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > IF the article does pan out what I don’t get is why didn’t Jackson just use his own sperm? If he really did have body dysmorphic disorder, it’s possible that he didn’t want his kids to look like him, or to have the Jackson genes passed on. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/31 "2009-07-01T15:49:58Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > OK, that makes sense then; I haven’t seen the interview and didn’t know that was the actual origin. I thought it was just a nickname from the “hang the kid out the window” incident that had somehow caught on. My husband was shocked to hear it yesterday on the news, since his only exposure to it as well was the same South Park episode. He said that “Blanket” was a term of endearment among his family/employees. Like, “Blanket you” was a good thing or something. It’s not as bad as Jermajesty at any rate. > [@Markxxx](#): > > IF the article does pan out what I don’t get is why didn’t Jackson just use his own sperm? Maybe he wanted to make sure they’d look white? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/32 "2009-07-01T16:01:03Z")
Criminy. If I were one of those kids I would like to know who my biological parents are, even if I didn’t have or want a relationship with them. I bet that Rowe woman comes out of this looking really bad, whatever she did. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/33 "2009-07-01T16:02:04Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Criminy. If I were one of those kids I would like to know who my biological parents are, even if I didn’t have or want a relationship with them. > > I bet that Rowe woman comes out of this looking really bad, whatever she did. You mean she doesn’t already? I saw a clip of her in that other MJ special, the response to the Bashir one, where she came off as scary. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/34 "2009-07-01T16:06:32Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > You mean she doesn’t already? I saw a clip of her in that other MJ special, the response to the Bashir one, where she came off as scary. Yup. I mean, it already didn’t look good even way back when. She’s his dermatologist’s (a man who probably wanted to kill himself knowing that Michael Jackson was his most famous walking billboard) assistant, who was obviously paid off to marry him and have his babies (supposedly). ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/35 "2009-07-01T16:20:31Z")
I remember her from the Bashir special (there was more than one?) and I remember her as being kind of funny and fun, with an actual personality and thinking, “Okay, I can’t imagine getting involved with MJ or bearing a child as a kind of a favor and signing away my parental rights, but I can’t understand people being sperm or egg donors either.” Maybe she’s just a dear old friend of his and loves him in her way (I mean, they _were_ married to each other). Maybe she’s good for him – kind of grounded and, well, _normal._ Then I saw a clip of her last night and she seemed fairly bitchy and grouchy. She goes on TV to say, “It’s none of your business – leave me alone”? You want to be left alone? Then don’t consent to do TV interviews! I just don’t get the kids growing up with their 80-year-old grandparents, even if they do have a good relationship with Grandma and their aunts and uncles and cousins. I don’t want them near Grandpa, but I suppose he can’t do anything to them nowadays. Better they stay with family members who are familiar to them than send them to biological parents they don’t know. I just wonder how ugly the fight over the money is going to get, and how that will affect those kids. Worst case scenario, I’m imagining some kind of “we’re just taking care of you because we want a cut of that money” garbage. But then I read too much Dickens. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/36 "2009-07-01T16:39:32Z")
There is a (now) retired reporter here in the Detroit area, [Amyre Makeupson](http://www.covenanthousemi.org/board/amyre-makupson) who I grew up watching. When I found out she was black, I goggled. Same thing for Lena Horne. I have no idea of if there are any caucasian genes floating around in either of these women, but I thought I would toss it out there for another Genetics bit. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/37 "2009-07-01T17:09:06Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > There is a (now) retired reporter here in the Detroit area, [Amyre Makeupson](http://www.covenanthousemi.org/board/amyre-makupson) who I grew up watching. When I found out she was black, I goggled. > > Same thing for Lena Horne. > > I have no idea of if there are any caucasian genes floating around in either of these women, but I thought I would toss it out there for another Genetics bit. Seeing as how there have been blacks in North America since 1619 and whites brought them here, the unequal power structure of slavery, and that mixed race people were almost always defined as black until the last couple decades, I’d say it’s almost certain that Amyre Makeupson has lots of white ancestors. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/38 "2009-07-01T17:32:55Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > I remember her from the Bashir special (there was more than one?) and I remember her as being kind of funny and fun, with an actual personality and thinking, “Okay, I can’t imagine getting involved with MJ or bearing a child as a kind of a favor and signing away my parental rights, but I can’t understand people being sperm or egg donors either.” Maybe she’s just a dear old friend of his and loves him in her way (I mean, they _were_ married to each other). Maybe she’s good for him – kind of grounded and, well, _normal._ There was just one Bashir special. And then there was a response to that hosted by Maury Povich and put out by Jackson and his people to try to clean up the fallout from the Martin Bashir interview. As for her being a dear old friend, she was his dermatology nurse. And I’m pretty sure they never actually lived together. And she was okay with him taking the second child out of the hospital right after she was born. I kind of get the feeling no one else would have agreed to do this. Even Lisa Marie never actually had kids with him. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/39 "2009-07-01T17:37:12Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > Seeing as how there have been blacks in North America since 1619 and whites brought them here, the unequal power structure of slavery, and that mixed race people were almost always defined as black until the last couple decades, I’d say it’s almost certain that Amyre Makeupson has lots of white ancestors. And quite possibly some Native American genes, as well. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552/40 "2009-07-01T18:17:43Z")
Now what is the whole legal status of a baby when you are pregnant and married? I know there is some thing about the husband being considered the legal father, no matter what, right? A friend of mine was asked at her divorce proceedings if she was or could be pregnant, and told that it didn’t matter who the father was, because she was still legally married (she wasn’t pregnant). I’ve heard things like that before. I’ve also heard conflicting stories about what happens if you don’t list a father on a birth certificate at all (presumably you’d have to list a mother, but apparantly Blanket’s doesn’t!). What are the rules/laws about not listing a father? I’m pretty sure my niece doesn’t have one listed on her bc, so what happens if her step-dad wants to adopt her or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-michael-nor-debbie-related-to-jacksons-kids/501552.md?page=3)