Most of us can remember telling our parents what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some parents smile, nod and change the subject.
Michael Jackson wasn’t that kind of dad, according to his daughter.
Paris Jackson grew up to make music of her own. In July 2020, while she was talking about her songs, she sat down with ABC News’ Chris Connelly for “Good Morning America.” The conversation turned to her father, and Paris shared a memory from when she was a little girl.
It wasn’t about the stage or the movies. Her dream back then had nothing to do with show business at all. “No matter what it was we were interested in, at one point, I wanted to be an astronaut,” she said.
An astronaut. The daughter of the King of Pop wanted to fly into space.
And Michael’s answer? Paris still remembers it: “he was like, ‘Do it. Do it.'”
That was it. He said two words twice and didn’t add a lecture about how hard it would be. Paris and her brother Prince both talked with ABC News about their father around that time, and this is the interview where Paris talks with Chris Connelly about her music and the man who raised her.
Paris talks with Chris Connelly on Good Morning America
Paris said “Do it” wasn’t a one-time thing. It was how Michael answered whatever she and her brothers dreamed up. He did have one piece of advice to go with it, though.
“Educate yourself as much as possible, then go with it.”
That’s good advice for any kid, and for plenty of grown-ups too. Learn everything you can, then jump in. It sounds like something a teacher or a coach might say, and Paris clearly took it to heart.
She described him as a father who backed his children in everything. “With every aspect of life, it was just supportive … I think we were really lucky to have that,” she said.
Michael was famous around the world, but at home he was a dad with three kids asking him big questions, the same as any parent. Old home videos give you a peek at that side of him, and they’re worth a look if you’ve only ever seen Michael on stage.
Michael at home with his children
The astronaut dream wasn’t a passing comment, either. Paris brought it up again in March 2017, during her very first late-night interview, on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” So the little girl who wanted to go to space kept that dream close for a long time.
She didn’t become an astronaut. She went into music instead, and her dad’s two words seem to have covered that choice just as well.
When Paris boiled down everything Michael taught her, it came out in one simple line: “Just do what makes you happy and do it well.”
It’s easy to forget that the man in the sequined glove spent his evenings answering the same questions every parent hears. What should I be? Can I do this? Paris has spoken about her father in several interviews over the years, and this conversation with Jack Osbourne is another chance to hear her talk about him.
Paris sits down with Jack Osbourne to talk about her father
Paris was only a child when she told her dad about her big dream. She’s a grown woman now, and she still remembers exactly what he said.