There’s a night coming up in Los Angeles that Michael Jackson’s family has been looking forward to. One week from tonight, on Monday, November 16, Jaafar Jackson will walk up to collect an acting award. And the role that earned it is one nobody else in the world could have played.
Jaafar is Michael’s nephew. His father is Jermaine Jackson, one of Michael’s older brothers and a founding member of the Jackson 5. In the new Lionsgate film called “Michael,” Jaafar plays his own uncle, the King of Pop himself. It is his very first movie.
The honor comes from the Critics Choice Association at an evening called the Celebration of Black Cinema and Television. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. is hosting. As the entertainment site EURweb reported on October 20, “Jaafar Jackson will receive the Actor Award for playing Michael Jackson in Lionsgate’s “Michael,” his acting debut.” The ceremony will air later on the group’s YouTube channel in December, so fans who can’t be in the room will still get to watch.
He’ll be in fine company that night. Debbie Allen is getting an Icon Award, with other honorees including Quinta Brunson, Chris Rock and Anthony Mackie.
Now here’s the part most people don’t know.
The last time this same acting award went to a movie star, back in 2024, it went to a man whose whole family helped make his film. That man was John David Washington. If the last name rings a bell, it should.
He’s the son of Denzel Washington, the two-time Oscar winner and one of the most admired actors alive. John David got the Actor Award in December 2024 for a Netflix movie called “The Piano Lesson.” He had already played the lead, a character named Boy Willie, on Broadway, and the film let him do it again for the cameras.
And that movie was a real family affair. John David’s younger brother, Malcolm Washington, directed it. Their father Denzel produced it. Their mother, Pauletta Washington, acted in it as a character called Mama Ola. Their sister, Olivia Washington, played the same woman when she was young. Four Washingtons, one film.
So when Jaafar steps up next week, he’ll be part of the same quiet pattern. Just like “The Piano Lesson,” the “Michael” movie keeps things in the family. The young man playing Michael Jackson on screen is a Jackson himself, the son of Michael’s own brother.
For a family that has spent most of a lifetime on stages and screens together, that feels about right.
We’ve gathered real photos for you: Jaafar at a recent awards event, John David Washington at the 2024 celebration and the whole Washington family together at the premiere of their film. Have a look.