The Moment
Paris Jackson is not quietly cashing her checks and smiling for the cameras. According to new court filings described by Page Six, Michael Jackson’s only daughter says the people running her late father’s estate are treating it like their own personal ATM.
Paris Jackson is ‘concerned’ executors of late dad Michael’s $464M estate are taking advantage of fortune: docs https://t.co/iuRIUWW4rM pic.twitter.com/74ITTyGJ1v
— Page Six (@PageSix) November 19, 2025
In documents filed in Los Angeles probate court, Paris, 27, claims co-executors John Branca and John McClain have let more than $464 million in cash sit in unproductive investments, allegedly earning less than 0.1% – when, by her team’s math, it could have brought in about $41 million if handled properly.
She also alleges the estate has become a “vehicle” for Branca to enrich himself, not protect the beneficiaries – namely Paris and her brothers, Prince and Bigi. The filings say the executors took over $10 million in compensation in 2021 alone and about $148.2 million total through the end of 2021, which Paris claims dwarfs what the kids have seen.
On top of that, Paris’ side calls out supposedly “risky” entertainment projects, including the upcoming biopic Michael, alleging the estate is behaving more like a private entertainment fund than a traditional estate focused on preserving wealth and legacy.
The estate’s camp, for its part, is pushing back hard. A source close to the Jackson estate, quoted in People via Page Six, reportedly calls this a “weak attempt” to spin a legal loss and insists all beneficiaries are well taken care of. A judge recently struck portions of Paris’ petition under California’s anti-SLAPP law, and her lawyers were ordered to pay some of the estate’s legal fees. A new hearing is set for January 2026.
The Take
I’ll be honest: the headline version – “Michael Jackson’s executors paid themselves $148 million while his kids complain” – makes your jaw drop. But under the shock, this is a familiar Hollywood story: when a star’s estate is worth a fortune, everyone swears they’re the one guarding the legacy… and somehow the lawyers keep getting richer.
Paris’ filings read like the diary of someone who’s watched her dad become a brand more than a memory. She’s not just arguing over a bigger slice of the pie; she’s accusing the executors of turning Neverland into a hedge fund with costumes. The alleged low returns on massive piles of cash, plus big bets on entertainment projects where an executor is portrayed by an A-lister? That’s the kind of optics that would make any heir twitchy.
But the estate’s response – essentially, “You’ve already gotten $65 million in benefits, and your lawyers are losing in court” – lands like a reminder of who holds the real power here. Anti-SLAPP rulings don’t mean Paris is wrong about the money; they mean the court thinks you can’t sue people just because you don’t like what they say in legal filings. It’s a process win for the estate, not a moral verdict.
The bigger question is this: Who actually gets to define Michael Jackson’s legacy now? The people who turned his once debt-buried estate into a juggernaut? Or the children who grew up behind surgical masks and hotel curtains and now feel like bystanders while their father’s name is packaged, sold, and re-sold?
To me, this whole clash feels less like a greedy-heir soap opera and more like a fight over control. Paris has her own career, her own money, and her own scars. If she’s willing to take on the legal machine that manages the King of Pop’s empire, that says she’s seeing something she really doesn’t like – even if the courts don’t end up agreeing with her every claim.
Think of it like this: Imagine your childhood home was turned into a theme park and stock portfolio, and everyone told you, “Relax, you’re getting paid.” Would that feel like honoring your parent, or monetizing them?
Receipts
Confirmed (from filings and on-record reporting):
- According to court documents described by Page Six (Nov. 19, 2025), Paris Jackson filed a petition raising concerns about how Michael Jackson’s estate is being managed by co-executors John Branca and John McClain.
- Paris’ filings claim the executors received more than $10 million in compensation from the estate in 2021 and about $148.2 million through the end of 2021.
- The same filings allege over $464 million in cash has earned under 0.1% in returns, and argue that better investments could have generated around $41 million.
- Estate filings in October, as summarized by Page Six, state that Paris has received about $65 million in benefits from Michael’s estate.
- A judge partially struck portions of Paris’ petition under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, and ordered her side to pay the estate’s attorneys’ fees in relation to those issues, with another hearing reportedly set for January 2026.
Unverified / disputed:
- Paris’ allegation that the estate has become a “private entertainment investment fund” run for the benefit of the executors and their lawyers is her claim in legal filings, not a court finding.
- Her side’s assertion that the executors’ investments are “unproductive” and overly “risky” – including criticism of the upcoming biopic Michael – reflects her legal team’s view of the estate’s strategy.
- A source close to the estate, quoted in People and relayed by Page Six, disputes Paris’ framing, insists the beneficiaries are “well taken care of,” and characterizes Paris’ latest move as an attempt to “change the narrative” after a legal setback. That’s a strongly worded opinion from an unnamed source, not sworn testimony.
Sources: Court filings as described in Page Six’s Nov. 19, 2025 report on Paris Jackson’s petition concerning Michael Jackson’s estate; remarks from a source close to the estate quoted in People and cited within the same coverage.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
Quick refresher if you haven’t kept up since the Thriller era: Michael Jackson died in 2009 at 50, leaving behind three children – Prince, Paris, and Prince Michael II (known as Bigi). His finances were a mess when he died; he had legendary assets (song catalogs, likeness rights) and staggering debt. Entertainment attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain were named co-executors of his estate, and over the last decade-plus they’ve turned that chaos into a powerhouse business with posthumous releases, shows, and licensing deals.
Michael’s kids are beneficiaries, but they don’t run the show. So every time there’s a big project – a documentary, a musical, now a biopic – there’s this tension between “celebrating Michael” and “cashing in on Michael.” Paris, who has been open about her mental health struggles and complicated relationship with her father’s fame, has now moved that tension squarely into a courtroom.
What’s Next
Legally, the next big date is that January 2026 hearing. That’s when we’ll see whether Paris can push past the anti-SLAPP roadblock and get any of her deeper claims fully aired, or whether the court keeps narrowing her case down.
Expect more filings from both sides in the meantime. The estate will likely keep highlighting how much money the heirs have already received and point to the overall growth of Michael’s empire as proof that their strategy works. Paris’ team will likely keep hammering the themes of excessive compensation, low returns on huge cash holdings, and conflicts of interest around high-profile projects like the Michael movie.
For fans, the real-time question is whether this gets messy enough to spill into public promotion of those projects. If you’re selling a feel-good biopic while the star’s daughter is in court saying the estate is being run for insiders, not the family, that’s a PR storm waiting to happen.
And then there’s the long game: Michael Jackson’s music will outlive all of these people. The fight now is over who steers the ship – and whether his children feel like true guardians of his name, or just very well-paid passengers.
Where do you land on this – do you see Paris as bravely protecting her father’s legacy, or do you think the executors have earned the benefit of the doubt after growing the estate this far?
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