Who Is Taj Jackson? New Details On Michael Jackson's Nephew Who Denies All Allegations Against His Uncle In 'Leaving Neverland'
He's the eldest son of Tito.
Vicki L. Miller / Shutterstock.com Since the release of Leaving Neverland, a documentary by Dan Reed that focuses primarily on sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson from Wade Robson and James Safechuck, long-time fans have been divided on whether or not the pop icon’s legacy will be forever tarnished. While there are some who find the allegations credible and heartbreaking, there are those who continue to support Jackson posthumously.
And of those who support him are his family. Even when Jackson was alive and was accused of sexual abuse, they stood by him and believed he was innocent. Most recently, Jackson’s brothers Tito, Marlon, Jackie, and his nephew Taj, sat down for an interview, denying all allegations and claiming that Safechuck and Robson made up their claims to get money from Jackson’s estate.
But who is Taj Jackson and what do we know about his life, as well as the allegations against his uncle?
1. He’s the son of Tito Jackson.
Taj is the oldest child of Tito and has two brothers, Taryll and TJ.
2. He’s in a musical group.
Together, the brothers formed a pop and R&B group called 3T. They released three studio albums and performed on multiple occasions over the years.
3. He’s married.
Taj is married to Thayana Jackson, whom he wed in 2013 after dating for eight years. His wife is a triplet. They recently welcomed their first child, a daughter named Taylor Aurora.
4. He’s defended his uncle through it all.
Recently, he’s had a lot to say about the allegations against Jackson. “It would have to be the most elaborate scheme the world has ever seen,” he said, adding that the police should look into the motives of the accusers.
“I understand that when it’s an alleged victim it’s hard to investigate them in that way, but he’s not here to defend himself... and if you do a 10-minute search on these people, you would find out really the story,” he continued.
He believes his uncle was “targeted,” saying, “When your name is Michael Jackson, you’re just a target. My uncle pretty much-owned half of the music industry publishing company. We’re talking everything from the James Bond theme. He was getting paid and paid and paid. He became too powerful. He has a deal where he owned half of Sony Music’s catalog.”
5. There are reasons he believes the accusers are lying.
Since Leaving Neverland came out, Taj has appeared on numerous news outlets. During an interview with Good Morning Britain, he claimed the accusers made up lies for money.
“My uncle was one of the most scrutinized people in the world. He has a secret ten year FBI investigation going on him that no one knew about. Three hundred pages of documents, not one shred of evidence. They would have locked him up if they had something,” he said.
In a different interview with TMZ, he claimed, “Wade has changed he story about four different times. He went to my uncle’s memorial, he did tribute shows left and right for my uncle. The minute he did not get MJ1, he started writing a book on the down-low. No one wanted to buy the book and then, all of a sudden, he comes up with these allegations.”
Taj also appeared on the Breakfast Club alongside his uncle Marlon to discredit the HBO documentary.
Charlamagne tha God mentioned that Dan Reed, the director of the documentary, did not compensate either men, but Taj found no truth to that, saying, “You can turn being relevant into making money. They have an appeal going on right now with the [Michael Jackson] estate, so it’s in their best interests to get the public on their side so they can make as much money as possible.”
He also said that HBO needs the publicity, as Netflix has taken many viewers away from the platform: “I think that there is too much at stake for them. I think HBO is in a certain position where Netflix is eating their lunch and I think they need this publicity.”
6. He’s attacked others who defend the accusers.
Oprah Winfrey premiered an interview with Safechuck and Robson ahead of the documentary’s release, claiming that the talk show mogul was never a supporter of Jackson:
“She watched this on her birthday on David Geffen’s boat. David Geffen, we know, is not the biggest MJ fan. There’s more to that that I don’t want to get into now, but I think the fans are a lot smarter than people give them credit for and there’s definitely a connection in there. Oprah has never been on our team.”
He also went after Ellen Degeneres, who told her fans to watch the documentary:
The tweet is about Justin Timberlake, who worked closely with Robson, as he is a choreographer. He also mentioned his aunt, Janet Jackson, who hasn’t spoken about the allegations.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.