When Katherine Jackson was re-emerging after her over week long “spa vacation” at the insistence of four of her children challenging Michael’s will, she claimed that she voluntarily gave up her phone during the trip. She also took pains to say that she wasn’t taken against her will, and was perfectly happy with her children. When Katherine made that pre-written statement, she was surrounded by five people and the one journalist there wasn’t allowed to ask any questions. Well now a new version is emerging, one that people suspected for some time. In new court papers requesting that Katherine share guardianship with Tito’s son, TJ, she claims to have been tricked into the trip and to have had her cell phone, iPad, and other access to the outside world taken away, including access to a television.
Katherine Jackson has submitted a sworn declaration that says she had no cell phone, no working television or telephone in her room at the Miraval spa, and had her iPad taken away, RadarOnline.com is reporting.
The papers also state she had no idea that Prince, Paris, and Blanket had been trying to reach her.
The Jackson family matriarch says a doctor was brought to the house on July 14, 2012, and “stating he had been in contact with my longtime personal physician and was coming to check on me because my personal physician was unavailable. The doctor advised that it was better for me to fly and not drive to New Mexico. Believing that the doctor was sent at the request of my longtime personal physician, I followed what I understood to be a doctor’s orders and boarded a flight as opposed to driving in the motorhome.”
Katherine says upon arrival at Miraval Spa in Tucson, Ariz. her cell phone was taken away, and “when one of the people asked if I could communicate with my iPad and I replied yes, my iPad was taken away. While there was a telephone in my room, the telephone was not functioning and I could not dial out. In addition, there was no picture on the television in my room.
“Despite repeated requests to those with me to have it fixed, the television was never fixed. One morning I woke up to the sound of the television. While there was no picture, I heard a broadcast that stated I was missing. I was also never told that my attorney, Perry Sanders, Jr. had flown to Tucson in an attempt to meet with me in person in attempts to find out what was going on.”
Jermaine, Janet, Rebbie, and Randy Jackson were staying with their mother at the Miraval Spa.
“I was never informed that Prince, Blanket, and TJ were trying to reach me. Had I known that fact, and if I had been provided with the means to contact Prince, Paris, Blanket and TJ, I would never have gone for such a long period of time without communicating with them.
“While I was away, I had no reason to question whether the people with whom I placed trust would inform me that Prince, Paris, and Blanket were trying to reach me. The day before I was brought home from Tucson, I was finally permitted to use the phone to speak with Prince, Paris, Blanket and TJ.”
Michael’s mom supports her grandson, TJ, being named as co-guardian of the children, and asked the judge for permission to take the kids to Gary, Indiana, for a birthday celebration for the late King of Pop.
“TJ and I along with Prince, Paris, and Blanket are planning to travel out of California toward the end of August for a family function that will include a celebration involving the memory of my grandchildren’s father, and my son, Michael. It is important that security planning and travel arrangements for the trip are made soon so that the trip can go forward.”
The judge signed off on allowing the kids to travel outside the state of California, as long as Katherine and TJ Jackson both agree. The duo are expected to be appointed permanent guardians of the children on August 22.
[From Radar Online]
This explains Jermaine’s change of heart recently – he was ashamed. He should be – who does this to their own mother? Also, Miraval tried to save face when this came out earlier by claiming that Katherine had a working phone in her room, but obviously that wasn’t true.
Fox News reports that plans for a Jackson family reunion, which takes place every summer, have been scrapped in light of this fiasco.
In terms of the children’s guardianship, there’s news that Diana Ross met with them, since she was named in Michael’s will as the children’s alternate guardian. Katherine’s lawyer explained that Diana needed to sign off on the new guardian. He described the meeting as “very thoughtful and pleasant.” Another source told Radar that Ross “only wants what is best for the children,” and that she “hasn’t been a big part of their lives because she lives on the East Coast,” but “is very fond of them.” And I thought those stories about Diana being named alternate guardian weren’t true.
Also, there’s news I heard on D-Listed that La Toya got a reality show on Oprah’s network. That just goes to show that Oprah is kind of scraping bottom, doesn’t it? Not that La Toya won’t be entertaining, especially if she’s interacting with her massively dysfunctional family.
It’s good that TJ being named as a co-guardian. It would make the other think twice before pulling the same thing next time.
Thank God a young person is in charge now – someone who will outlive Katherine and Diana Ross. This should’ve been implemented in the beginning. I really wonder why Michael didn’t name a younger guardian (other than him being high as a kite and unable to think clearly).
At this point they need to move away as soon as they are of legal age to get away from that family. NO ONE cares about those kids they just want the $$$. TJ is a Jackson don’t you think its possible he could just be lying to these kids knowing about the money involved.
I wouldn’t trust any of them. I really do hope that tj has there best interest @ heart.
He agreed to take responsibility for staffing and security, leaving all the cash in Katherine’s hands. That sounds to me like the grunt work, not the gravy train. Of course given she’s old and the kids are young you can’t rule out this being a calculated gamble, and he’s got an eye on their stipend after she passes away. But it’s a lot less $ than the rest are after by breaking the will, it will always be overseen by the executors and the court, and he’d have had a sympathetic hearing from the judge if he’d argued the allowance should be in his hands given Katherine’s history of trying to give it to her kids. I think there is room to give the benefit of the doubt here.
Admittedly that’s partly just because I want to believe the kids aren’t totally alone. It’s horrifying, what their uncles and aunts have shown themselves as capable of. They’re like a one-family Church of Scientology.
TJ was part of the boyband 3T in the nineties, which had a couple of hits all over the world and toured. He should definitely have made a few million of that. Hopefully he did not squander it.
If he still has it, it seems more likely he can look at those kids without thinking of the $
Well, and it’s not like TJ has to pay rent at the Calabasas house. I’m sure his food is taken care of, too.
What a Whacko bunch of doubletalkers! No wonder Michael had so much trouble getting to sleep.
Ha!!! good one!
It seems like even Katherine has changed her story from when she first got back. Because if what she is saying now is true, there could be some kidnapping charges made, including by the so-called doctor who talked her into leaving. That is, if he even exists. Wacko is the right word for all this, I think.
Maybe, even though I have no doubt the lives the children very much, if she is that feeble-minded she shouldn’t be their guardian. I think a dual appointment is a fantastic safeguard against any repeat hostage trips. The bigger question is: will the siblings ever stop with these attempts to overtake the sizable estate? The answer is no…
Terrible story. To have your own kids tricking you like this for their advantage… just awful.
Oh please, you really think she was duped? I doubt it, I’m sure she was part of the whole thing (if she weren’t she would have been making a stink to at least have a call with the kids and not just accepted oh they’re fine from someone else). I think she committed perjury because those children do not want to believe that their grandmother would be so inconsiderate of their feelings, etc.). I simply do not buy Katherine Jackson as victim and recent events make me wonder just how complicit she was in her husband’s abuse of their children
Prince tweeted the night she returned that his grandma had been lied to.I believe her, the whole thing was too strange to believe .Why would she not believe Rebbie and the doctor?
I feel like she was duped, and they used confusion to their advantage. She may have some dementia issues which wouldn’t be uncommon for somebody her age.
I wondered that too, shouldn’t Katherine have raised a big fuss about being cut off from her grandchildren? But I now suspect her kids were doping her up the whole time. Paris said her grandma was slurring her words the first time they spoke on the phone after the incident, and there were also reports that Katherine was given wine at the spa. Not to mention the seemingly disoriented state she appeared to be in at the press conference. It’s all pretty suspect. It appears her greedy children not only snatched her away but they kept her good and sedated the whole time too.
As for Katherine being complicit in the children’s abuse though… it sounds like she was aware of the physical violence, at least to a degree. In the Bashir interview MJ said she tried to intervene on at least one occasion, so she probably knew about a lot of other occasions as well.
These poor kids would be better off being raised by a pack of hyenas than living with the Jackson family.
Jerm, Randy (don’t get me started on that A-hole!!), Rebbie, and ESPECIALLY Janet should be ashamed of themselves! but they aren’t.. And won’t be… Michael KNEW what he was doing when he distanced himself from his family… And left them out of his will. They never forgave him for going solo, and having been born with more talent than all of them combined. It also says volumes that Jermy refers to Michael’s children as “the children”, rather than his neice and nephews.. SMH!
Everything you said. This family is so disgustingly greedy!
You know what? I was all damn these Jacksons, and their conspiring ways! But now that Katherine has basically said her own children pretty much kidnapped her…Forreals ya’ll she just kinda said that they kidnapped her.
Absolutely despicable. To do that to your mother and your “dear” brother’s children is so low. I’m happy to know that if i died, my broke behind would still have plenty of people willing to love and care for my daughter. i hope these kids find someone that really cares for them.
Its too bad their legal guardian can’t be a non-Jackson. I hope the youngest one turns out ok after all of this as I think Paris and Prince seem strong
The youngest is the most vulnerable because he had so much less time with his father, although they’re a tight group and the older ones obviously look out for him. Michael raised some strong and resourceful children. I still remember a photo of him and the oldest walking down the street somewhere in Europe (the veils were dumped by then-Michael actually was planning to introduce the kids on stage). The boy was gesturing as he spoke and Michael was listening, looking relaxed. I definitely got the feeling that Michael was a good father for tweens and teens, he not only loved them but treated them with respect. That makes for very resilient and strong children who grow into strong and resilient adults. The Jackson family drama won’t likely derail the older two. But the youngest was bullied by Jermaine and Randy’s kids when they were living together, so who knows what else he’s experienced from cousins and crazy aunts and uncles. The older ones can’t be around all the time.
And to think that Randy and company argued that they took Katherine away to reduce her stress! Yeah, because causing a scene in front of the world and almost making her lose guardianship/money is a real stress reducer. Idiots. The kids can be thankful that these adults can’t even come up with a scam without effing it up.
Disgusting. Positively disgusting. What WON’T this Jackson-grubbing Jackson clan do for money?
bella, I’d say the only thing this clan won’t do for money is get actual jobs and earn it themselves. Anything and everything else is on the table though.
Janet has always sort of grossed me out–with her baby voice and saccharine shy demeanor. Now I know why she acts that way: to try and hide her rotting, fetid, ugly soul.
I like this site- smart commenters- I so agree Janet is saccharin and hiding who she is and Katherine is culpable but poor thing, she’s been victimized for years– but now, she should be protected by “elder abuse” laws. Thank you to person who finally explained- old will leaves Katherine’s portion to whoever she leaves it to- rather than having it revert to his children in new will- THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING. This is the ONLY site where anyone knew that extremely significant tidbit!
Good lord.
Seriously I don’t know what to say anymore so I’ll repeat myself.
What a messed up family!
Diana Ross should be really worried..sigh. Really they should be ashamed to hell, how can you do these sort of thing to your mother? No apologize or backoff can cancel that. I hope there will be just the the kids, Katherine and TJ to the memorial ’cause if the others show up it’s would be delusional, fake and hypocritical. They should be banned from any contact wih the kids and their mother.
Also, I knew LaToya was up to something.. and here it is, a new reality show. She will use this situation to promote herself of course.
THANK YOU. I have also wondered why there isn’t a f–king restraining order in place. (Pardon my Francais.)
Lawd have mercy! Granny-napping? For shame!
These kids have the worst family crazy ass uncles, aunts and child molester for a father.
I have to wonder if she knew all along what was happening, and she willingly went along with it. Then, once the s*** hit the fan, she is denying culpability so she can maintain guardianship. Who’s to say she isn’t as greedy as the others?
I have my doubts too, how come the cops went to Rebbie’s home to do a welfare check? Cops said she was fine and playing Uno. We saw the photos and wonder how the cops showing up did not trigger a call home or does the whole family not have phones?
Not to mention that she directly contradicted her current story when she went on ABC with her kids and read that weird statement. The whole “You have to be stupid” to think this happened, and now she is claiming it happened. Shady, shady.
Me too Tami, I just don’t buy the little old lady front. I think she’s just backtracking because she would have been cut off from the $$ train. She had chances to speak out during her supposed imprisonment and didn’t. Seems to me she would have still been allowed to live and care for the kids but the money would have stopped of she didn’t regain guardianship.
Michael was like many abused kids, no matter how much abuse he put up with he always put his mother on a pedestal. That is why he gave her custody. I feel sorry for these kids since I think they too have been duped by grandmamma.
The whole saga reminds me of the Lemony Snicket books, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” in which an orphaned brother and sisters are beset by similarly bizarre, melodramatic events, and survive by their own ingenuity and fortitude.
I’m so impressed by the real kids and their strength. I keep wondering, how did that happen? Who among the suspects actually helped them on that path? Something remarkable happened here.
In pictures I’ve seen, Paris looks strong and Prince looks gentle. Blanket looks fierce or looks like a genuine kid. They project a ton of character most celeb shots lack. I’m surprised that happened, but very pleased for them and I sincerely wish them the best.
wow, the similarities to Lemony Snickett are scary – hadn’t thought of that until you mentioned it.
I feel that this woman is too old and too naive/easily manipulated, maybe even somewhat out of it, and isn’t capable of being a guardian to 3 children. She should be totally removed from that role, which she clearly can’t fulfill (not being in touch with them for several days, for whatever reasons, is unacceptable).
I can’t figure it out. That photo of the family playing UNO looked staged somehow. They all drink Coke straight out of the can? A baby Ben could be inside! Yeesh!
Certainly makes you understand much better why MJ cut this greedy bunch out of his life and his will. Can you imagine the pressure he was under right from the time he was wee little to support the whole bloody clan? His many issues notwithstanding, MJ really did a remarkable job in avoiding the vultures (including Papa Joe) and raising his children to be decent, honest humans.
She needs to address why she lied in that interview. Until then, I think she’s part of a long very poorly executed con. Unless she did that interview still under the influence that gang, but the timeline is still a little iffy. In any case, I’d hope an enterprising journalist guts up to ask her about how that interview went down. There are too many inconsistencies, holes in stories, unanswered questions and whatnot … I just don’t think she’s all that innocent, no matter what her age. And seniors can and do pull cons. Granted, more often they’re the victims, but greed and all the human avarices don’t age.
Totally agree with you. She is willing to say whatever she needs to say. The police need to question her and MJ’s siblings again in light of her most recent tale. I wouldn’t trust anyone in that family.
I think it was TJ who said at or around the original hearing that when he finally talked with Katherine, she was speaking with difficulty and using odd wording, he wondered if she was speaking in code. The kids also apparently noticed slurring. The gang drove her back instead of taking that infamous private jet they told the kids they had waiting to whisk them and their passports away to “see grandma” and yet Katherine was told at the start that healthwise a plane would be safer than a car. Methinks she was deliberately muddled by some sort of drugs, and the gang had to wait for it to wear off a bit before letting anybody see her. She may still have been feeling the effects at that strange hostage interview…
I think the court statement later was most likely the truth as she knows it, even though she was careful not to name names. She hardly wants her kids, sleazy though they are, to end up in jail. The kids are better protected from the Home Invaders now, that’s all that counts.
This is going to make an interesting tv movie some day…
They were trying to help her get some much needed rest. The woman’s blood pressure was high. She needed a break. Michael’s money would automatically go to the children, so it isn’t as if they would have control over his funds. But if those handling his estate, if they forged his name, that is fraud and they need to be removed from the estate.
No, under the old will, Katherine would get a cut of the money. Where do you think the money would go after her death? The money would go to Joe and her kids.
Not only are those 3 ignorant ..they are uneducated. This case has already gone through the appeals process.It has gone to the Supreme Court..How stupid of them..This case is OVER. Randy owes 500,000 in child support..What a loser.
So this “doctor” comes to the house. I take it the kids weren’t home. So did granma just pack a bag and walk out the door? She didn’t wait to talk with the kids? She didn’t leave a note? She didn’t make babysitting arrangements? Even if she was told that necessary arrangements for the kids were already made, wouldn’t she want to say goodbye to them?
I get the impression that this woman has spent her entire life being run by others – first her husband, then her children. She’s from a different generation and was married to a controlling, abusive man for many years. She’s used to being told what to do, to submitting to authority figures. I doubt she has the backbone to stand up to her children face to face, and they, for the most part, probably handle her with kid gloves and let her think that they have her best interests in mind when they’re really manipulating her for their own benefit. I seem to recall Michael being the one that encouraged her to be stronger and more independent. She might be a little lost without his support, and the others may have taken advantage of that.