Tomorrow marks 25 years since America sat down for one of the biggest family reunions music has ever seen on TV. On Nov. 13, 2001, CBS aired “Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration,” a two-hour special built from two concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Those shows had happened earlier that fall, on Sept. 7 and Sept. 10. The guest list was packed with stars, but the moment fans had waited years for came when Michael’s brothers walked out to stand beside him. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy joined him for a Jacksons medley that ran through “Can You Feel It,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “I’ll Be There,” “I Want You Back” and “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground).”
Nielsen estimated that 45 million people watched all or part of the special when it aired.
One of the people in the building was a lot shorter than everybody else.
His name is Jaafar Jackson. He’s Jermaine’s son, born on July 25, 1996, so he was 5 years old when his dad and uncles took that stage. These days you probably know him from a much bigger spotlight. He plays his uncle in the 2026 movie “Michael,” and on Monday, Nov. 16, he’ll receive the Actor Award (Film) for that role at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema & Television in Los Angeles.
So what does a little boy actually remember from a night like that?
Earlier this year, Jaafar told Entertainment Tonight about it. “I was around five or six in New York for the 30th anniversary, Madison Square Garden,” he said.
His first memory isn’t a song. It’s the noise.
“I just remember it being incredibly loud, hearing all the fans screaming,” he said.
And what he did about it is exactly what any kindergartner would do. “I was covering my ears and seeing my father and uncles on stage,” Jaafar said.
That’s the picture he carried with him all these years. Thousands of grown-ups on their feet yelling for the Jacksons, and one of the youngest Jacksons in the arena sitting there with his hands pressed over his ears, trying to watch his dad through all of it.
It’s a sweet thought for any parent or grandparent who has ever taken a small child to a big event. Most of us have a story just like it. Jaafar’s just happens to involve the King of Pop.
If you want to hear what had him covering up, here’s the medley he was watching, with Michael and his brothers together on the Madison Square Garden stage.
Michael and his brothers sing their hits together at Madison Square Garden in 2001
Turn it up a little and think about hearing that from a seat in the arena, at 5 years old, with thousands of fans screaming around you.
Jaafar has said that night helped him understand how big his family’s music really was. At home, these men were Dad and his uncles. In that arena, he could see what they meant to everybody else.
Now he’s the one up on screen playing Michael. The special turns 25 tomorrow, and a few days later Jaafar will be in Los Angeles accepting an award for playing his uncle on film. There’ll be plenty of applause in that room too. We’re guessing he’ll keep his hands free for the trophy this time.