# Who was the biological father of Michael Jackson's kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906 "2015-01-26T04:14:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/1 "2015-01-26T04:14:41Z")
[Here’s some photos.](https://www.google.com/search?q=michael+jackson%27s+kids&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4rzFVKW4Lse2yATB4IGYCw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&dpr=1) They certainly look nothing like Michael Jackson and they almost look like they have a different genetic make up. Does anyone have any idea of what’s the real story? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/2 "2015-01-26T04:55:09Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [Here’s some photos.](https://www.google.com/search?q=michael+jackson%27s+kids&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4rzFVKW4Lse2yATB4IGYCw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&dpr=1) > > They certainly look nothing like Michael Jackson and they almost look like they have a different genetic make up. > > Does anyone have any idea of what’s the real story? The story is Micheal Jackson is their father. Baring some evidence to the contrary I’m OK with it. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/3 "2015-01-26T05:29:31Z")
Lots of kids don’t look particularly like their parents and considering that the mother was Caucasian, I’m not sure what you expected them to look like. Given the amount of money involved I think someone would have challenged their inheritance by now if there was any doubt to their legitimacy. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/4 "2015-01-26T05:43:42Z")
Not really relevant. Time limits to challenge paternity are typically a few months after birth. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/5 "2015-01-26T08:06:33Z")
Could their father also be the father of Prince Harry? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/6 "2015-01-26T08:12:31Z")
IANAL. Having said that, I believe that under CA law, in a legal sense, the husband of a woman who gives birth is the father of that child. To prove he’s not the father, the husband would have to go through DNA testing and then present the results to Family Court, I guess. So, legally, Prince and Paris are MJ’s children. Biologically? There’s a theory that one of MJ’s drs, maybe the dermatologist that his wife worked for, was the sperm donor. I’m sure there was a very serious NDA involved in their conception. ---
**Author:** ![Weirofhermiston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e274bd/32.png) [@Weirofhermiston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirofhermiston)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/7 "2015-01-26T09:40:38Z")
[Oliver!](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2319650/Mark-Lester-Im-father-Michael-Jacksons-children-Ill-DNA-test-prove-it.html) It’s the Daily Mail, so who knows. Just so I’m not posting an unexplained link, Mark Lester, who played Oliver in the 1968 film claims to be the genetic father of Michael Jackson’s children. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/8 "2015-01-26T11:00:47Z")
I am surprised that no one pointed out that Michael Jackson didn’t look like Michael Jackson [![](http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11200000/Young-MJ-michael-jackson-11261444-324-477.jpg) ](http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11200000/Young-MJ-michael-jackson-11261444-324-477.jpg) [http://a3.files.biography.com/image/upload/c\_fill,dpr\_1.0,g\_face,h\_300,q\_80,w\_300/MTE1ODA0OTcxMjkwNTYwMDEz.jpg](http://a3.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_1.0,g_face,h_300,q_80,w_300/MTE1ODA0OTcxMjkwNTYwMDEz.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/9 "2015-01-26T11:46:45Z")
Micheal Jackson had so many things done to his face I dont think anyone actually would know what he would look like. Maybe look at his brothers for a better reference? Besides he married outside his race and multiracial children often look completely different from their parents. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/10 "2015-01-26T13:50:03Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I am surprised that no one pointed out that Michael Jackson didn’t look like Michael Jackson > > [http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11200000/Young-MJ-michael-jackson-11261444-324-477.jpg](http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11200000/Young-MJ-michael-jackson-11261444-324-477.jpg) > > [http://a3.files.biography.com/image/upload/c\_fill,dpr\_1.0,g\_face,h\_300,q\_80,w\_300/MTE1ODA0OTcxMjkwNTYwMDEz.jpg](http://a3.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_1.0,g_face,h_300,q_80,w_300/MTE1ODA0OTcxMjkwNTYwMDEz.jpg) This is something that most people forget about. Michael Jackson had his skin lightened. Genetically, has was a fairly dark-skinned person. I know it’s theoretically possible that all of his kids are biologically his, but I’m not buying it. Particularly with the two older children. They appear to be straight-up white kids. The younger boy looks like he might possibly be MJ’s biological son, if the mother was white. (Last I heard, the youngest child’s mother is unknown; I didn’t know you could do that, but apparaently you can.) ETA: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the kids look like they could be MJ’s, _if_ MJ’s adult appearance was his actual biological appearance, and not the result of ludicrous amounts of cosmetic surgery. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/11 "2015-01-26T13:54:58Z")
You know the character "NotMe " from Family Circus? That’s who did it! ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/12 "2015-01-26T14:00:37Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Not really relevant. Time limits to challenge paternity are typically a few months after birth. Three years in California ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/13 "2015-01-26T15:50:03Z")
Given that there is no verifiable answer to this, and it’s about a celebrity, let’s move this to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/14 "2015-01-26T16:44:45Z")
Here’s a photo of the lovely [Rashida Jones](http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1702341!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/2012-sundance-film-festival-premiere-celeste-jesse-foreve.jpg) and her no-doubt-about-them parents, Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton. Here’s a baby photo of [Lenny Kravitz](http://static.oprah.com/images/o2/20130602-master-class-lenny-kravitz-2-949x534.jpg) with his parents, Sy Kravitz and Roxie Roker. I couldn’t find a really good photo of Tyne Daly, Georg Stanford Brown and their daughters, but let’s put it this way – the less similar the parents, the more possibility of vastly different-looking offspring. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/15 "2015-01-26T16:58:10Z")
Michael was a darker skinned man, unlike Quincy Jones. Lenny Kravitz looks exactly like a mixture of his parents. The little one looks like he could be Michael’s biological child. Not the other two, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/16 "2015-01-26T17:32:44Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Michael was a darker skinned man, unlike Quincy Jones. Lenny Kravitz looks exactly like a mixture of his parents. The little one looks like he could be Michael’s biological child. Not the other two, though. Yes. Go to the other thread about the black parents who gave birth to a white baby and look at the photo. Aside from the surprising skin and hair color, the baby very clearly looks like the parents. The facial features are a dead-on match for the mother. MJ’s kids _should_ remind you of the kids from the Jackson Five, just with a lighter skin color. But at least 2 out of 3 of them look nothing like the Jacksons. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/17 "2015-01-26T22:18:18Z")
I thought I read an item during MJ’s trials and tribulations alleging the sperm donor for his wife was his dentist? There was a name that was mentioned at the time as the biological donor for Debbie. The youngest one, IIRC, is adopted and hence looks somewhat different ethnically. Regardless, the only one who could challenge is Michael himself, I would think. He wanted them to be his kids, regardless. I also recall something about his psychological problems over his severe dissatisfaction with his personal 9racial) appearance, when he was young for example others made fun of his wide nose which may explain a lot. However, given that all this is prime gossip fodder, odds are anything you read has a good chance of being incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/18 "2015-01-27T02:12:40Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > MJ’s kids _should_ remind you of the kids from the Jackson Five, just with a lighter skin color. Not necessarily. You look at pictures from my father’s family and generations between my father and his great-grandfather look like there are two different families. There’s the set that looks just like my Dad: uncle JM, half the great-uncles, half of Dad’s cousins, Dad’s paternal grandfather… and the set that looks just like Dad’s Dad: my other two uncles, the other half of the great-uncles, and the other half of Dad’s cousins. People who know a pair of different-looking brothers and that one of them looks just like his father will assume the other one takes “after your mother’s family, right?” Nope, just like the other half of the paternal line. For some reason, my generation has seen a much-greater spread in looks: some of us actually do look like the other side (I have my mother’s coloring but many of my features are from my paternal grandmother - don’t search for Dad in my looks). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/19 "2015-01-27T02:29:18Z")
So you’re saying the kid is not his son? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906/20 "2015-01-27T02:40:07Z")
That’s what Michael said, but it might’ve been in another context. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-biological-father-of-michael-jacksons-kids/710906.md?page=2)