Actress and singer Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson, is celebrating a major milestone after recovering from substance abuse and a past riddled with depression and self-harm.
The 26-year-old is the second child and only daughter of the late King of Pop, who was found dead in his home in July 2009, when she was just 11 years old.
By the age of 15, she was shooting up drugs, cutting herself, and had attempted suicide “multiple times,” she revealed in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone magazine after coming clean.
However, depression and substance abuse would come back to haunt her. In May 2019, TMZ reported that Jackson had been hospitalized after an attempted suicide, something she immediately denied online.
On Tuesday, Jackson shared a reel of her drinking and doing drugs.
“Hi, I’m pk and I’m an alcoholic and a heroin addict,” she wrote in the caption.
“Today marks 5 years clean & sober from all drugs and alcohol. To say that I’m thankful would be a poor euphemism. Gratitude hardly scratches the surface.”
In the video, Jackson is seen smoking cigarettes and blunts, drinking beer, wine, and whiskey straight from the bottle, crying in despair, looking beat-up and miserable.
The video progresses to show a collage of different chips and tokens, also known as “sobriety medallions,” which substance abuse recovery programs hand out to clients who progress in their sobriety.
Then, we see a different Jackson: clips of her dancing, laughing, hopeful, and courageous. We see her wall climbing, walking her dog, playing music, and kissing her new fiancé, bandmate Justin “Blue” Long.
“It’s because I’m sober that I get to smile today,” Jackson continued in the captions.
“I get to make music. I get to experience the joy of loving my dogs and cat. I get to feel heartbreak in all [its] glory. I get to grieve. I get to laugh. I get to dance. I get to trust. I feel the sun on my skin and it’s warm. I’ve found that life keeps happening regardless of whether I’m sober or not, but today I get to show up for it.”
Referring to the montage, she wrote: “Here’s a little snapshot of what has been possible because of my sobriety, and my god I can’t believe I almost missed it all. Thanks 1 • 7 • 20.”
At the end of the video, a final message is displayed: “To those that helped me on this journey, if only for just the beginning, middle, or the whole time so far, you know who you are and I owe you my life. Thank you. 5 years. THANK GOD.”
In December 2024, Jackson announced her engagement to Long in a post celebrating his birthday.
“Doing life with you these last years has been an indescribable whirlwind and i couldn’t dream of anyone more perfect for me to do it all with. thank you for letting me be yours. i love you,” she wrote on Instagram.