Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson, born July 25, 1996, in Los Angeles, is the 30-year-old actor and singer who made one of the year’s biggest debuts by playing his uncle Michael Jackson in the Lionsgate/Universal biopic Michael.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, surpassed $1 billion globally and became the highest-grossing biopic of all time, putting Jaafar Jackson at the center of major international attention.
Jaafar Jackson Family Background
Jackson is the son of Jermaine Jackson, founder of the Jackson 5 and older brother of Michael Jackson, and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, a Colombian-born fashion designer who studied at UCLA and went on to found her own sustainable design line.
His parents married in 1995 and divorced in the mid-2000s, with the divorce finalized around 2008.
He has a full younger brother, Jermajesty Jermaine Jackson, born in 2000, and a number of half-siblings born from both parents’ previous relationships, including children from his mother’s relationship with Randy Jackson and others from his father.
The Jackson extended family is in the dozens of cousins, with Jackson estimating the number at around 35 to 40.
Childhood and Connection to Michael Jackson
Jaafar partially grew up in Encino and, for a period, at the family’s Hayvenhurst estate after his parents’ divorce.
He spent time with Michael Jackson as a child, including visiting Neverland Ranch, although the two weren’t particularly close. Jackson was 12 when his uncle died in 2009.
Before his acting breakthrough, he released a debut single, “Got Me Singing,” in 2019 and appeared in family-friendly projects like The Jacksons: Next Generation. However, he had little professional acting experience before taking on the role of Michael Jackson.
Playing Michael Jackson
The casting process for Michael was a two-year endeavor, and Jaafar kept the news private from much of his family for a year.
He trained extensively in music and dance and underwent physical transformation for the role. His authentic connection to the Jackson family and familiarity with Michael’s performance style became an important part of the story surrounding his casting.
Post-Michael, he was quickly attached to the action thriller Supermax opposite Will Smith.
Family Legacy and Future Career
Family has always been a focus for Jaafar Jackson. His grandmother Katherine Jackson has publicly endorsed the portrayal, while Jaafar has spoken about the burden of his family’s legacy but also about wanting to carve out an independent path.
The plain truth is that Jaafar’s career has moved quickly from music and a limited acting background to a major studio debut connected directly to one of the most recognizable entertainment families in the world.
With the success of Michael and follow-up studio work, Jaafar Jackson is now one of the closely watched new leading-man names of 2026.
