Phoenix 24
Michael Jackson’s daughter recalled an unexpectedly calm first encounter that eventually developed into a close relationship built without traditional expectations.
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES | ENTERTAINMENT | AUGUST 2026
Paris Jackson has spoken candidly about meeting her biological mother, Debbie Rowe, for the first time at the age of 15 after spending most of her childhood without her.
During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the 28-year-old musician and actress described an encounter far less dramatic than the circumstances surrounding their family history might suggest.
Paris recalled walking downstairs and finding Rowe sitting in the living room with her grandmother, Katherine Jackson. Rather than experiencing an emotional confrontation, she simply greeted her with “Hey, Mom,” and the two spent the day talking and getting to know one another.
She said she deliberately approached the meeting without expectations. That decision allowed their relationship to develop naturally, without forcing Rowe into a conventional maternal role that had not existed during Paris’s childhood.
Rowe married Michael Jackson in 1996 and gave birth to Prince Jackson in 1997 and Paris the following year. After the couple divorced, Michael received full custody of both children, while Rowe largely remained outside their daily lives.
As a young girl, Paris did not initially question her mother’s absence. She became curious at around 10 or 11, asking her father whether she had a mother and learning that her name was Debbie.
Michael Jackson died in 2009, when Paris was 11. She and her brothers subsequently lived under the care of their grandmother and other members of the Jackson family.
The eventual meeting with Rowe revealed several similarities between mother and daughter. Paris noted that both have strong personalities and joked that their connection could partly be explained by their astrological signs: Rowe is a Sagittarius and Paris an Aries.
Their shared interest in music also became a point of connection. Rowe enjoys country and folk, styles that have influenced Paris’s work as she has developed a musical identity separate from her father’s monumental legacy.
The relationship became closer during Paris’s late teenage years. When Rowe was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, her daughter supported her throughout treatment and publicly celebrated the completion of her chemotherapy.
Paris has described their present relationship as relaxed and closer to a friendship than a traditional mother-daughter dynamic. She has occasionally shared affectionate photographs and messages featuring Rowe while continuing to protect much of their private life.
Reflecting on their first encounter, Paris said that abandoning preconceived ideas helped prevent disappointment and resentment. For her, relationships become more meaningful when they are allowed to take shape organically.
Some family bonds are inherited at birth; others must be discovered, understood and patiently built over time.