Inside Janet and Michael Jackson’s rocky relationship: the King of Pop insulted his sister, made her weight conscious and froze her out during Scream, but she was loyal to him until the end
- Janet finally opened up about her complicated relationship with her King of Pop brother, from their childhood friendship to rivalry in the Thriller and Scream eras
- Michael had a deal with Pepsi, Janet was set to sign with Coca-Cola, and then MJ’s shock allegations came to light – but she’s remembered her brother with touching tributes since
Sibling rivalry exists in plenty of families, but imagine what it must be like when a brother and sister are also two of the biggest music icons that the world has ever seen. Needless to say, Michael and Janet Jackson’s relationship was complicated and had plenty of dramatic ups and downs over the years.
While 55-year-old Janet has remained largely tight-lipped on the topic of Michael, she’s finally given fans some insight into their sibling bond. It comes in the form of a new two-part documentary series called Janet, which was shot over the past five years and aired on January 28 on Lifetime to coincide with the 40th anniversary of her debut album.
The four-hour special includes never-before-seen footage of her childhood and, most interestingly, lifts the lid on her feelings about her superstar brother. So were they really besties? Just how intense was their rivalry?
Here’s everything you need to know about Michael and Janet’s roller coaster relationship.
A close start
As a little girl, Janet’s nickname was “Dunk” derived from “donkey”, which Michael famously coined. “A lot of his pet names had to do with my backside,” she wrote in her book, True You.
Although he is said to have meant no harm by the nickname, Janet admitted she “internalised” Michael’s body ideal and became obsessed with her size. “I embraced it, I internalised it, and, without knowing it, became tormented by it for years to come,” she wrote.
Bullying behaviour
