Before a single frame was filmed, the casting announcement carried the same weight as certain Hollywood choices. In the approved biopic Michael, which is slated for release in 2026, Jaafar Jackson—son of Jermaine Jackson and nephew of Michael Jackson—would portray his uncle. Every aspect of the decision was carefully considered, including keeping the story within the family and assigning a position that would have otherwise needed a remarkable act of external imitation to someone who shares the bloodline and possibly some physical likeness.
The similarity is not coincidental or surface-level for anyone who has seen Jaafar’s performance film. He is visually connected to the character he would play because of his movement, height, and unique attention to detail. A different question that only the completed movie can address is whether that connection translates into a performance that fulfills an audience with thirty years of emotional involvement in Michael Jackson’s story.
Key Biographical & Family Information
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson |
| Date of Birth | July 25, 1996 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Age | 29 |
| Father | Jermaine Jackson — singer, former member of The Jackson 5 |
| Mother | Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza — Colombian-born fashion designer |
| Parents’ Marriage | 1995–2003 (separated); divorce finalized 2008 |
| Sibling | Jermajesty Jackson (younger brother) |
| Additional Siblings | Multiple half-siblings from parents’ other relationships |
| Notable Family Connection | Nephew of Michael Jackson |
| Mother’s Previous Marriage | Alejandra was previously married to Randy Jackson (Jermaine’s brother) — has two children with Randy |
| Career | Singer, dancer, actor (active 2019–present) |
| Debut Single | “Got Me Singing” (2019) |
| Upcoming Film | Michael (2026) — portraying Michael Jackson |
| Reference Website |
On July 25, 1996, Jaafar was born in Los Angeles. His parents are Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza and Jermaine Jackson. As a founding member of The Jackson 5, a group that formed in Gary, Indiana, and went on to become one of the defining acts of the Motown era, Jermaine’s place in popular culture is set and familiar. He also helped launch the career of his younger brother Michael, who would go on to become the most commercially successful solo artist in recorded music history. Growing up in a family whose history was already legendary—the brothers, the tours, the Encino property, and the complex ties with Joe Jackson’s career management—meant having Jermaine Jackson as a parent. From birth, Jaafar was surrounded by that legend.
Alejandra Oaziaza, his mother, contributes a background to the family history that is less often acknowledged but adds a level of intricacy that anyone studying the Jackson family tree would immediately come upon. Alejandra, a fashion designer who was born in Colombia, was previously wed to Jermaine’s younger brother, Randy Jackson, with whom she had two children.
A year after her divorce from Randy, in 1995, she and Jermaine tied the knot in a family dynamic that caused further strain in an already complex home. They were married until 2003, when they separated, and their divorce was formalized in 2008. Even if the surnames involved are anything but typical, Jaafar and his younger brother Jermajesty were born during the marriage and grew up with half-siblings from both parents’ past marriages.
Jaafar’s acting career has been developing gradually and on its own schedule. His 2019 debut single, “Got Me Singing,” demonstrated an artist discovering his own voice rather than merely capitalizing on the Jackson name, which is a valid worry for anyone joining the music business as a second-generation member of the most well-known musical family in American history. It was inevitable that there would be comparisons, which could be devastating.
He has handled them with enough individuality to imply that the skill is not borrowed but rather his own. There’s no denying the dance training. There is a genuine performing instinct. Without the Michael biopic announcement, the music industry surely knows the answer to the question of whether the career would have developed into what it is today, but they aren’t publicly asking it.
Beyond Jaafar in particular, the Michael movie’s familial setting adds depth. The Michael Jackson Estate, which owns the rights to the music, the images, and the storyline of the movie, has approved the project. Every authorized biopic negotiates this tension to varied degrees of transparency. While this authorization guarantees access, it also entails editorial restrictions that a more independent biographical effort wouldn’t bear.
Although the relationship between Jermaine and Michael’s legacy has had its own complexities over the years, as anyone following the family’s public statements in the period following Michael’s 2009 death is aware, Jermaine Jackson’s presence as Jaafar’s father gives the film a specific kind of institutional endorsement from inside the family that goes beyond the Estate’s formal approval.
In this generation of biopics, it’s difficult to ignore how much importance is being placed on a twenty-nine-year-old taking on the most watched and scrutinized role. No outside casting could match Jaafar’s connection to the story because of his parents. The 2026 release will ultimately decide whether that relationship results in anything remarkable or just something inevitable.
