Paris Jackson issued a classy clapback to her father Michael Jackson‘s “superfans” after being harassed for not celebrating his birthday on Instagram.
The legendary singer’s 65th birthday would have been Tuesday, Aug. 29, and because Paris did not share a celebratory post about her dad, fans questioned how much she loves him.
In a video shared on her Instagram story, the 25-year-old said many were coming at her for not paying tribute to her father on social media. She explained that her father never celebrated his birthday and rarely made it a big celebratory occasion.
“He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was because he didn’t want us to like throw a party or anything like that,” she began. “That being said, social media is apparently how people express their love and affection these days and if you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means that you don’t love them, you don’t care about them.”
She added, “They’re basically measuring my love for my own father based off of what I post on Instagram.”
Paris said in the past when she shared birthday tributes to her father, she would receive death threats from his fans and others online.
But this year, the singer and actress decided to pay tribute in front of a crowd during her recent performance at the Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park in Colorado, where she opened for the band Incubus.
“He would have been 65 years old today. And he put 50 years of blood, sweat, and tears and love and passion into doing what he did so that I can stand up here on stage in front of you and scream into a microphone,” she shared. “I owe everything to him.”
The “American Horror Stories” star then ended the video by encouraging his “MJ superfans” to support or pay tribute in other ways.
“If you are an MJ superfan, get involved with raising awareness for climate change, doing stuff for the environment, animal rights, activism. I’m sure he would have loved that,” Paris said.
She continued further in her caption, writing, “Please don’t use a man you have never met as an excuse to abuse, manipulate, and harass his daughter (who you also have never met).”
Most fans seemed to side with Paris, noting the MJ fans should stop with the hateful unwarranted messages under The Shade Room’s repost of her video.
“Now this is how you shut everybody up.”
“I mean Michael Jackson was a Jehovah’s Witness, one of their beliefs is not celebrating their birthday, holidays, etc. so this sounds pretty valid to me. Let her remember her dad the way she wants too, if y’all keep saying that’s not her dad… he raised her, that’s her damn dad.”
“So these “true fans” forgot the Jackson’s were raised DEVOUT Jehovah witness! Katherine didn’t play that birthday stuff!”
“I can’t stand when people correlate posting someone with loving someone. Like I love them in real life.”
“She handled this with such grace. Good on her. These people are chronically online.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
On Jackson’s 65th birthday, his two sons, Blanket, 21 and Prince, 26, made a rare public appearance at Cirque du Soleil’s ongoing “Michael Jackson: ONE” show at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It coincided with the 10th anniversary of the “Michael Jackson: ONE” show’s residency in Vegas. The event, hosted by Jackon’s estate, blended music, acrobatics and artistry into a stunning spectacle.
