The Unraveling of Paris Jackson: Family Fears History is Repeating Itself

After five years of hard-won sobriety, Paris Jackson is exhibiting what insiders describe as “emotionally volatile” behavior. The shift has sparked fears among her inner circle that the 26-year-old is spiraling back into the darkness—and potentially retracing the tragic footsteps of her legendary father, Michael Jackson.

A Family on Edge

Paris has dominated headlines recently, not for her modeling or music, but for a high-stakes legal crusade against her father’s multi-billion-dollar estate.

On Nov. 18, she filed an objection in a Los Angeles court, accusing longtime estate executors John Branca and John McClain of abusing their power, collecting “exorbitant” fees, and misappropriating over $464 million in funds. This move followed a stinging legal defeat on Nov. 13, when a L.A. Superior Court judge dismissed the bulk of her claims and ordered her to cover the defendants’ legal costs.

But for those closest to her, the real concern isn’t the money—it’s her mental state.

“This doesn’t feel strategic. It feels emotional,” a family insider told Page Six. “And when Paris gets emotional, that’s when the family is most afraid. She’s been through hell, and sometimes old traumas carry more weight than logic.”

The Jackson clan is reportedly terrified that this litigation marks the end of her five-year streak of stability. They fear she is sliding back into the self-destructive patterns that once nearly claimed her life.

Echoes of the King of Pop

The parallels between Paris’s current behavior and Michael Jackson’s final years are chilling to those who witnessed the King of Pop’s decline. Family members recall Michael’s own instability becoming visible in 2001, marked by a frail appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a “shaky” performance at his 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden.

“He didn’t look right,” a family member recalled, noting rumors of heavy drinking mixed with prescription painkillers. “The mix of Jack Daniel’s and the meds he’d been on for years had everyone panicked.”

Now, history seems to be humming a familiar tune. Paris, who was just four years old when her father’s struggles intensified, is reportedly exhibiting the same symptoms: withdrawal, emotional outbursts, secrecy, and “disappearing acts.”

“Part of her pain comes from witnessing what her father went through,” a source explained. “He was constantly telling her, ‘They’re trying to kill me, they’re trying to take you away from me.’ He was severely paranoid, and she saw it all firsthand.”

The Darkest Days

The trauma peaked after Michael’s death in 2009. An 11-year-old Paris was caught in the middle of “vicious” family infighting at the Hayvenhurst estate. She began locking herself in her room for days, eventually vanishing for long stretches of time.

“She would just disappear. Every time, we panicked,” a relative said. “She’s Michael Jackson’s daughter; the security risks were real.”

The breaking point came in June 2013, when emergency services were called to her home for an overdose. Paris later confirmed it was a suicide attempt. During that period, she struggled with heroin and alcohol addiction—a battle she recently addressed on social media, revealing she suffered a perforated septum from years of substance abuse. “Drugs ruined my life,” she told followers.

Questioning the Crusade

While Paris frames her legal battle as a fight for transparency, some insiders wonder if she is being manipulated.

“There have always been family members who resented the estate being run by outsiders,” a source told The New York Post. “They’ve never stopped trying to sabotage it.”

Paris has specifically targeted the upcoming biopic, Michael, criticizing Branca for using estate funds to produce a film despite a lack of experience. However, industry experts point out that the executors transformed Michael’s $500 million debt into a multi-billion-dollar empire.

“To attack them now is shocking,” says a longtime family associate. “She’s being stubborn and receiving terrible advice. Everyone just wants her to stay in the light. Their greatest fear is that she’s being pulled back into the darkness that almost killed her.”

Paris Jackson has yet to publicly comment on the family’s concerns.

Paris Jackson reveals she has a perforated septum: ‘Don’t do drugs kids’

Paris Jackson got candid about her experience with addiction in a recent social media video, revealing a related health condition with which she still copes even after years of sobriety.

The only daughter of pop superstar Michael Jackson shared in a video later reposted by others on TikTok that when she breathes through her nose there is an audible whistle, something she said some may have clocked in her earlier videos. She said it is the result of what is called a “perforated septum.”

In the video, Jackson used her phone’s flashlight to better highlight the hole in the cartilage between her nostrils.

The singer explained that the hole “is from what you think it’s from,” adding “don’t do drugs, kids.”

And while she kept it somewhat light, joking that she could pass a spaghetti noodle through the hole, Jackson was also very clear that drugs “ruined my life.”

The 27-year-old said she is almost six years sober.

CNN has reached out to her representatives for additional comment.

Jackson, who is also an actress, added that she’s been living with her perforated septum since she was 20 and added that though it has made recording music challenging at times, she has opted not to have surgery to fix it because she does not want to have to take the drugs that are involved with the procedure.

Last month, Jackson shared more about her journey to sobriety while accepting the Shining Star Award at the Friendly House Awards Luncheon.

“I’m really grateful to be a part of a movement that aligns so much with my higher purpose and the essence of my daily reprieve,” she said at the time.“Getting someone to develop conscious contact has easily been the greatest action I’ve ever taken, and I pray that I can continue to help others.”

Jackson and her brothers, Prince Michael Jackson, 28, and Bigi Jackson (formerly known as Blanket), 23, are the only children of the late King of Pop.