The world knows pop star Michael Jackson and his famous siblings, but not much is known about his “secret” half-sister Joh’Vonnie Jackson.
Joh’Vonnie, who is the daughter of Joe Jackson and his longtime lover Cheryle Terrell, has shared her heartbreak at being shunned by the Jackson family for most of her life.
Michael Jackson’s father Joe and mother Katherine have six sons — Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy — and three daughters — Rebbie, La Toya and Janet.
In an interview with Daily Mail TV, the 43-year-old Los Vegas resident claimed, “I was very aware that I was in the Jackson family growing up, I saw them on TV, I listened to their music. But I was hidden away, kept secret for years, not able to become part of that family. It was hurtful.”
Although Joe Jackson’s secret daughter was eventually revealed to the rest of the family, she felt “rejected” by the family.
Joh’Vonnie explained, “I have met every single last one of them, but for some reason, there has always been something stopping them from accepting me, from being close to me.”
“Of course when I was around them there was a show of love, but once I was gone there was no phone calls asking how I’m doing or how is my daughter doing, it’s upsetting, really hurtful and I still feel rejected”
She went on to reveal how the Jacksons reacted to her mother Terrell’s passing away in 2014. She claimed to the outlet, “Even when my mother died in 2014 the first person who called me was their mother Katherine, the only sibling to call was Rebbie, she’s the only one who really cares.
“I later said to my brother Jermaine, ‘my mother died,’ he started stuttering and said, “I was gonna call.” It was a wake up call, it let me know my position in the family. As far as I’m concerned they can all kiss my a**.”
The half-sister of the Jackson family also went on to reveal that she met older brother Michael in 2003 at his Neverland ranch, but it wasn’t a meeting she had hoped for.
She recalled the Thriller hitmaker being “cold” towards her. “It was a big moment for me. But Michael was looking at me and seemed cold and standoffish, he just said hi and then he saw my daughter Yasmine, and he was just fascinated with her, in awe,” Joh’Vonnie was quoted as saying.
“He said ‘Hi Jasmine’ and I said, ‘No, Michael, her name is Yasmine with a Y,’ I had to correct him. He said “okay, Yasmine with a Y,” and then that was it.”
The Beat It singer didn’t even shook her hand, claimed Joh’Vonnie. “He never acknowledged that I was his sister, there was no hug or kiss, not even a handshake, no physical contact at all.”
“I wanted to embrace him, I thought that he would wanna go someplace quiet and sit and talk with me and ask me about my life and get to know me a little better. It was very hurtful, he wasn’t interested at all.”
The 43-year-old has also released a book titled Bastard Child wherein she has shared honest details of her complicated history with the Jackson family.