For most of his life, Jaafar Jackson was the guy in the family photos, not the headlines.
That changed the moment a casting announcement turned him into one of the most talked-about newcomers in Hollywood. He wasn’t cast in just any role, either. He was cast as his own uncle — Michael Jackson, the King of Pop — in the biopic simply titled “Michael.”
No pressure, right?
Here’s everything worth knowing about the man now permanently linked to one of the biggest roles in recent film history.
Quick Facts: Jaafar Jackson
- Full name: Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson
- Born: July 25, 1996, in Los Angeles, California
- Age: 29 (turns 30 in July 2026)
- Parents: Jermaine Jackson (Jackson 5) and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza
- Known for: Playing Michael Jackson in the 2026 biopic “Michael”
- Profession: Singer, dancer, actor
Early Life and Family Background
Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson was born on July 25, 1996, in Los Angeles. His father is Jermaine Jackson, and his mother is Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, who was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Through both of his parents, Jaafar has eleven siblings — nine brothers and two sisters.
His mother’s history with the Jackson family runs deeper than most fans realize. Alejandra was previously in a relationship with Jermaine’s brother Randy Jackson, which makes two of Jaafar’s siblings, Genevieve and Randy Jr., his half-siblings from that earlier relationship. Family trees don’t get much more tangled than that, and yet growing up inside it seems to have given Jaafar a front-row seat to the Jackson legacy long before any casting director came calling.
That front-row seat was literal, too. Jaafar was only 12 years old when Michael Jackson died in June 2009. Before that, he grew up in Encino, California, and would regularly see Michael at family gatherings, spending time at Neverland Ranch with its private amusement park and zoo. He’s since described those visits warmly, recalling family game days and hide-and-seek at Neverland during a Today show interview.
Music Came First
Long before “Michael” hit theaters, Jaafar was building a quieter career in music.
He started singing and dancing at age 12, and at one point had aspirations of becoming a professional golfer instead of a performer. Music won out. He drew inspiration from artists like Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, covering their songs before eventually building a sound of his own.
In 2019, that groundwork paid off. Jaafar released his debut single, “Got Me Singing,” which was tied to a full-length album called Famous that ultimately went unreleased. He also stayed close to the family’s public projects, appearing in Tito Jackson’s 2021 music video “Love One Another” alongside several relatives.
Before any of that, reality TV gave the public its first real glimpse of him. Jaafar had no acting background heading into “Michael,” having only previously appeared on the 2015 reality series “The Jacksons: Next Generation” and filmed for an unaired series called “Living with the Jacksons.”
Landing the Role of a Lifetime
Casting an unknown as one of the most recognizable entertainers who ever lived is a massive bet. Here’s how it happened.
Producer Graham King actually approached Jaafar about the role back in 2020, years before the film reached audiences. The project moved forward with serious industry weight behind it: directed by Antoine Fuqua, produced by Academy Award winner Graham King, and written by three-time Academy Award nominee John Logan
The family’s blessing mattered too. According to reporting from the Michael Jackson wiki, matriarch Katherine Jackson said Jaafar “embodies” her son when the casting was announced — about as strong an endorsement as a project like this could ask for.
To prepare, Jaafar didn’t lean on impersonation tricks or archival footage alone. In a conversation with co-star Miles Teller for Interview magazine, Jaafar explained that gaining access to Michael’s personal writings — his journaling, poems, and mantras and affirmations — was a genuine breaking point in how he approached the role. That’s a detail worth sitting with. He wasn’t just studying the moonwalk. He was studying the man’s inner voice.
Inside the “Michael” Movie
“Michael” marks Jaafar’s professional acting debut, and he plays his uncle across the pop legend’s early success both as a member of the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist. The film premiered in theaters and IMAX worldwide and stars Jaafar alongside Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo.
The numbers backed up the ambition. By late June 2026, “Michael” had surpassed “Oppenheimer” to become the highest-grossing biopic ever, pulling in $977 million worldwide. That’s not a modest opening-weekend bump — that’s a genuine box office phenomenon, and it happened with a total newcomer carrying the lead role.
I’ve covered enough entertainment casting stories to know most of them fade into trivia by the time the film actually releases. This one didn’t.
What makes the Jaafar Jackson story stand out isn’t the family resemblance — plenty of relatives look like their famous kin without anyone handing them a lead role in a $900-million-plus biopic. What stands out is the five-year runway. Getting approached in 2020 and not stepping into theaters until 2026 tells you this wasn’t a rushed nepo-casting stunt dressed up as a tribute. Someone believed the resemblance needed years of craft behind it before it could carry a film.
The detail about Michael’s personal journals is the real story here, in my opinion. Anyone can study footage and mimic a moonwalk. Reading someone’s private mantras and affirmations is a different kind of preparation — it’s closer to how actors prepare for roles based on real, complicated people than how tribute performers prepare for impersonation acts. That distinction is probably why critics and family members alike have responded the way they have.
Where I’d push back a little: the “embodies him” quote from Katherine Jackson, while touching, is also exactly the kind of family endorsement that was always going to happen regardless of performance quality. It’s a nice detail, not proof of anything. The box office numbers and critical reception are doing the heavier lifting here.
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