NEED TO KNOW
Paris Jackson opened up about meeting mom Debbie Rowe for the first time at 15
The mother and daughter have grown closer since reconnecting during Paris’ teens
Paris said she has learned to approach their relationship without expectations
Paris Jackson is opening up about the first time she met her mother, Debbie Rowe.
The singer and actress recalled meeting Rowe for the first time during an episode of Call Her Daddy released Aug. 12, explaining that she had first asked about her mother when she was in her preteens.
“You know, eventually, I remember kind of asking about it when I was probably around like 10 or 11, and the answers I got were sufficient to me. Just like, ‘Oh, like, what’s her name?’ And I got told her name, and I’m like, ‘All right, cool,’ ” Paris said. “I moved on, and we connected when I was about 15, and then really started getting closer towards the end of my teens.”
Paris Jackson and Debbie Rowe
Credit: Paris Jackson/Instagram
When asked whether she remembered being nervous about meeting her mother for the first time, Paris described the encounter as relatively low-key.
“I remember coming downstairs and she was in the living room with my grandma. I came in. I was just like, ‘Hey, Mom,’ and she was like, ‘Hi.’ I sat down. We talked for a second. Then we went out for the day and just hung out,” Paris said.
Looking back on their relationship, Paris said she has learned that entering relationships without expectations can leave room for a more natural connection.
“She’s a Sag[ittarius], so she’s got the fire. I’m an Aries, I got the fire… We’re very similar,” Paris said. “I think what’s really cool about my process, just in general, in all things, is learning how expectations kind of f–k us up, and if I walk into a relationship with expectations, [I’m] probably gonna end up being maybe disappointed or frustrated or irritated or resentment will be born or something, you know.”
“When I walk into something and I don’t have expectations, it creates this really cool space for something organic to just blossom,” she added.
Paris, 28, is one of Michael Jackson’s three children. She and her older brother, Prince, 29, are Rowe and Jackson’s two children together, while Jackson’s youngest son, Bigi, 24, formerly known as Blanket, was born through surrogacy.
Paris Jackson at the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards 2026
Credit: Jesse Grant/WWD via Getty
Rowe, 67, married Jackson in 1996 after meeting him while she worked as an assistant at the singer’s dermatology office. She gave birth to Prince in 1997 and Paris in 1998. The couple divorced in 2000, and Rowe gave full custody of the children to Jackson.
After the divorce, Rowe settled in Palmdale, Calif., where she bred horses and maintained a private life, according to previous reporting.
In 2013, a source told PEOPLE that Paris and Rowe had begun reconciling after an on-and-off estrangement. At the time, Rowe had the support of Paris’ grandmother and legal co-guardian, Katherine Jackson.
“Paris has been going through a lot of teenage angst and feels a little bit unloved,” the source told PEOPLE at the time. “Paris reached out to her mother and told her she wanted to establish a relationship with her. Debbie was open to it, and Katherine Jackson is supportive of the developing relationship.”
Their relationship continued to grow. In 2017, Paris congratulated Rowe on Instagram after her mother completed chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis.
“My badass mom, kickin butt n takin names. Ain’t she f—in fabulous,” Paris captioned a photo of Rowe holding a sign that read, “Chemo Done!”
Paris Jackson and Debbie Rowe
Credit: Paris Jackson/Instagram
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Rowe also spoke about her daughter’s support during her cancer treatment in an October 2016 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“[Paris] is my rock, she’s amazing,” Rowe said. “She’s been with me the whole time. She was there. First phone call, [it] took her 30 seconds [to reach out] when she found out.”
More recently, Paris shared photos with Rowe on her Instagram Stories in February, including one of the pair smiling together and another of them cuddling outdoors.
“Lately ❤️,” Paris wrote.
Read the original article on People