The Michael biopic had a long list of notable stars and Jackson family members who were either not part of the story or asked not to participate in the movie's production. Lionsgate's Michael has faced major production headaches, mainly due to the costly reshoots that led to the making of a new third act that completely erased a sequence devoted to the scandal that derailed Michael Jackson's life.
That is only the tip of the iceberg, as some Jackson family members explicitly declined to be involved in the movie for various reasons. As a result of the changes, Michael's release date was delayed from April 18, 2025, to April 24, 2026. Michael Jackson is portrayed on-screen by his real-life nephew, Jafaar Jackson, and the cast also includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Laura Harrier, and many others.
Every Notable People & Jackson Family Member Who Refused To Be Involved In 'Michael'
Janet Jackson
Not every member of the Jackson family is happy about the biopic, as evidenced by the absence of some family members at the movie's Hollywood premiere, including Janet Jackson. Aside from being absent in the premiere, Janet was also absent from the film entirely, despite being Michael's youngest sister.
Speaking with Variety at the premiere, La Toya Jackson confirmed that Janet was directly asked to be portrayed on-screen in the film, but "she kindly declined:"
"I wish everybody was in the movie. She was asked and she kindly declined, so you have to respect her wishes."
This decision has ignited speculation of family tensions. Some have pointed out that Janet's absence from the film has seemingly influenced other relatives' reluctance to support the biopic.
Diana Ross
It's worth noting that Kat Graham filmed multiple scenes as Diana Ross in Michael. However, the actress shared in a statement from X that "certain legal considerations" affected the scenes she filmed and ended up on the cutting room floor.
"Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast. Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the Final Cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible."
While Ross did not publicly decline to be involved in the biopic, it's quite unfortunate that Graham's scenes portraying her were cut from the final version of the film. Ross famously costarred with Michael in 1978's The Wiz, and she was also considered to be a mentor and close friend of the artist.
Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson is the ninth youngest child in the Jackson family, the closest in age to Janet.
Given Janet's absence from the movie, it is not surprising that Randy also chose not to appear or be depicted on-screen, given the close relationship between the siblings (they co-founded Rhythm Nation Records together in 2018).
This decision effectively contributed to the broader family divide that is already making headlines.
Rebbie Jackson
Rebbie Jackson, the eldest of the Jackson siblings, is also absent from the film after declining to participate or be portrayed. Rebbie, alongside Randy and Janet, did not publicly comment on the film.
It is unknown why Rebbie chose not to appear at the premiere or grant the producers permission to portray her on-screen in Michael, but the growing theory is that she wants to show solidarity with Randy and Janet, given their close relationship.
Paris Jackson
Michael's daughter, Paris, had zero involvement in Lionsgate's biopic beyond briefly reviewing an early draft of the script. Paris was furious after Colman Domingo told People in September 2025 that she and her brother, Prince, were "very much in support of our film."
Paris took to Instagram to share her frustration, emphasizing that she had "zero percent involvement" while criticizing the script for being "dishonest," and it didn't sit right with her.
"Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had zero percent involvement in lol that is so weird. I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest / didn’t sit right with me, and when they didn’t address it, I moved on with my life. Not my monkeys, not my circus. God bless and God speed."
In a separate post, Paris didn't hold back in criticizing the film for pandering to fans living in "fantasy" about her father and skipped the premiere.
"They’re going to make whatever they’re going to make. A big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it. A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they’re gonna be happy with it. The narrative is being controlled, and there’s a lot of inaccuracy, and there’s a lot of just full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn’t really fly with me. Go enjoy it. Do whatever. Leave me out of it."
Jordan Chandler
Jordan Chandler's exclusion from Michael is considered by many to be the biggest legal roadblock. A clause in the 1994 out-of-court settlement between Michael Jackson and the Chandler family prohibits any dramatization, depiction, or even mention of Jordan Chandler (the 13-year-old boy at the center of the 1993 child molestation allegations) in any film or commercial project by the Jackson side.
What's devastating here is that the Jackson estate only discovered this clause after principal photography wrapped (via Variety). As it turned out, the original third act of Michael revolved around the Chandler storyline, and the producers had to scrap it entirely and film a new ending, removing any child-abuse allegations.
Instead of concluding with one of the controversial moments in Michael Jackson's career, Michael will end with the titular pop star at the peak of his career, enjoying fame as if he were on top of the world.
