Michael Jackson's Youngest Son Bigi "Blanket" Celebrates Birthday
Michael Jackson's youngest son is all grown up—and like his dad, he's winning awards for his art.
In addition to ringing in his 22nd birthday on Feb. 21, Bigi Jackson—who the late King of Pop had nicknamed Blanket as a child—recently celebrated another major milestone: his first film award. Three weeks earlier, he won Best Drama at the Santa Monica Film Festival for his directorial and screenwriting debut, Rochelles.
And there to celebrate it all was his big brother Prince Jackson, the eldest of the King of Pop's three children, who paid tribute to Bigi on social media.
"Bro is killing it!," Prince captioned an Instagram Story of the two from the festival, with Bigi holding his award. "Chasing his dreams and winning awards. HBD yo!"
Rochelles—which stars Jesse Howland and Brandon Bales—focuses on two friends competing for a coveted job at a prestigious restaurant. The short film was shot over a five-day period around Los Angeles, according to production company 2293 Productions, and is currently available to rent on Amazon and Roku.
photosMichael Jackson: A Life
Bigi's first film accolade comes years after previously expressing he wanted to get into filmmaking.
"When I grow up I want to be a director because it's fun," he said on the 2012 documentary Jacksonology: Our Story. "I make little movies when I'm at my house with cousins and friends and different things."
He said on the program that his father supported his dream and told him, "Follow whatever you want to do."
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Bigi was 7 years old when Michael died at age 50 in 2009. He was largely kept out of the spotlight in the years following Michael's death and continued to maintain his privacy as an adult, although he has given rare interviews and is occasionally seen with his family at events: Last August, Bigi and Prince surprised fans in Las Vegas at the Michael Jackson Blue Sapphire Birthday Celebration at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, co-hosted by his estate and Cirque de Soleil.
In 2021, Bigi gave an interview to Good Morning Britain, during which he toured a room filled with his father's memorabilia and reflected on his legacy.
"There's a lot of really cool stuff here," he said. "I think there's a lot of history in this house and studio here. And that's what he was all about and that's just kind of what each of us want to do…make things that people hopefully enjoy, but also can benefit their lives."
Look back at photos of Prince, Bigi and sister Paris Jackson over the years:
