With the “Michael” biopic set to hit theaters Friday, two of Tito Jackson’s sons are defending the film against early critical backlash over its handling of the singer’s controversies.
The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” hasn’t opened yet and the family is already on the defensive. Two of Tito Jackson’s sons, TJ and Taj Jackson, who perform together as 3T, posted messages this week supporting the film against what they see as unfair media attacks.
Critics have been blunt. The film skips Jackson’s later legal battles and the sexual abuse allegations, ending its timeline in 1988. For many reviewers, that omission reads as evasion rather than editorial choice. The movie stars Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar as his uncle.
Taj Jackson pushed back on Twitter. “Sorry media, u don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was,” he wrote in a thread Tuesday. The post signals that the family intends to frame the film as a corrective to what they see as a distorted public record.
The question is whether audiences will accept a version of Jackson’s life that stops before the most damaging chapters. The film opens Friday.
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
