Quick Links
Michael Jackson's life has always been surrounded by controversy, both before and after his tragic death in 2009. Despite hiding his kids from the media and giving them a normal life, the King of Pop's fatherhood was a favorite subject of the press. For many years, tabloids kept questioning the singer's sexuality and relationship with his children's mother, Debbie Rowe. The two never had sex, making Rowe a surrogate to Jackson's two children, Michael Joseph "Prince" Jackson Jr. and Paris Katherine Jackson. Here's everything you should know about this complex ex-couple.
Who Is Debbie Rowe?
Born Deborah Jeanne Rowe, the mother of two is a dermatology assistant based in Palmdale, California. She used to work at a dermatologist's office in Los Angeles where she met Jackson who was being treated for vitiligo. The Thriller hitmaker's ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley said that Rowe "had a crush on" the music legend. "I knew Debbie Rowe was offering to do it for him while we were married, according to him," Presley told Playboy of Jackson's baby plans with Rowe. "She was a nurse who had a crush on him and offered to have his babies."
When asked if she was "leveraged into agreeing," Presley said: "Kind of. 'Debbie Rowe says she'll do it.' Ok, have Debbie Rowe do it! And it's funny, when I imagined having a child with him, all I could ever see was a custody battle nightmare." Aside from public appearances with Jackson and tabloids news about their relationship, Rowe never really shared much of her life to the public. However, she gave a bombshell interview in 2003 that spilled all the secrets of her complicated relationship with Jackson and their kids.
The Truth About Michael Jackson & Debbie Rowe's Relationship
Jackson actually married Rowe in 1996, 15 years after they first met. They had a super-secret wedding ceremony in Sydney, Australia, just a year before she gave birth to Prince. "I went to the 'office', which is what we called the medical clinic," the nurse said of conceiving her firstborn. "They impregnated me. It's just like I impregnate my mares for breeding. It was very technical. Just like I stick the sperm up my horse, this is what they did to me. I was his thoroughbred." Still, she saw it as a "gift" to Jackson.
"Michael was divorced, lonely and wanted children. I was the one who said to him, 'I will have your babies,'" Rowe explained. "I offered him my womb. It was a gift. It was something I did to keep him happy." She added that Jackson did all the parenting duties in the marriage. "I did it for him to become a father, not for me to become a mother," the nurse said of marrying Jackson and having his kids. "You earn the title parent. I have done absolutely nothing to earn that title. That is because Michael did all the parenting. I didn't do it to be a mother. I didn't change diapers. I didn't get up in the middle of the night, even when I was there, Michael did it all."
14 months after Prince's birth, Rowe and Jackson welcomed Paris. "I snatched her and just went home with all the placenta and everything all over her," said the surrogate who hated being in the public eye. In 1999, that ultimately led to her divorce from Jackson. Rowe gave the Beat It singer full custody of their kids. She also received a $8 million settlement and a house in Beverly Hills, California.
Where Is Debbie Rowe Now & Is She Close With The Kids?
In 2001, Rowe sought to have her parental rights terminated. Two years later, Jackson was charged with abuse and the nurse fought to have it reversed because she was worried that the singer's nannies and siblings were exposing Prince and Paris to Islam teachings. Court documents from 2005 stated that "[b]ecause she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association." That same year, she testified that she was given limited visits to her children — eight hours every 45 days.
Amid that case, Rowe sold her Beverly Hills home for $1.3 million and bought a ranch in Palmdale. A year later, she sued Jackson for payment of $195,000 and one payment of $50,000 to pursue a child custody case. The singer was then ordered to pay her $60,000 in legal fees.
In 2021, Paris opened up about reuniting with her mom and getting to know her. "It's cool, getting to know her, seeing how similar we are, getting into what kind of music she really likes," Paris told Willow Smith during an episode of Red Table Talk. "She really likes country and folk, so I sent her some of the stuff I'm working on." Rowe also said that "it's just cool having her as a friend."