You guys won’t believe this—Janet Jackson isn’t the only Jackson grabbing headlines lately. Apparently, she’s been on a wild diet, something like just broccoli and water—or was it the “Olympic honey” diet? Honestly, who knows. Whatever’s happening with the Jackson family, it’s got people talking.
LaToya Jackson has also been at the center of attention, and not for the best reasons. If you’ve been following her recently, you’ve probably noticed she’s lost quite a bit of weight. But things really escalated after she shared a holiday video. In the clip, she showed off some Christmas decorations, her guitar, and a huge, glowing centerpiece in what looked like a hotel lobby. At one point, she even asked the person filming to back up for a better view of the space—and herself.
Instead of people focusing on the holiday vibes, though, the comments section lit up with concerns about her appearance. “Oh wow, what’s going on with her?” someone wrote. Another chimed in, “Can we just talk about the elephant in the room? Something feels off.”
But while some comments were harsh, others took a more compassionate approach. “Praying for her,” one fan said. “We don’t know what she’s been through. Instead of judging, we should be lifting her up in prayer.”
This whole thing really shows how tricky it can be to talk about someone’s health or appearance—especially when they’re in the public eye. There’s a fine line between genuine concern and overstepping boundaries.
Some fans couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Chadwick Boseman, who faced similar public scrutiny about his appearance before his passing in 2020. Many reminded others to be more thoughtful, with comments like, “It’s clear some of y’all didn’t learn anything from Chadwick Boseman.”
Still, that hasn’t stopped concerns about LaToya’s health from spreading. Reports suggest that even her close friends and family are alarmed by her significant weight loss. Some have expressed fears that she might be the next Jackson to pass, especially after Tito’s sudden death from a heart attack just a few months ago.
Tito’s death was a shock to everyone. His longtime friend and business partner, Terry Harvey, later shared what happened in those final moments. “We had just finished eating turkey and chicken, laughing and talking,” Terry said. “We were putting the top on the convertible because it started raining. Tito came back to the passenger side window and said, ‘My chest is hurting. Can you help Ronnie finish the car top?’ He wiped his face, took off his shirt, and it was like someone poured a bucket of water over him. About seven doctors worked on him, but it got really bad. I called his brother Marlon, and that’s when he passed.”
Understandably, Tito’s death hit the family hard, and LaToya seems to be one of those most affected. According to a source close to the family, “LaToya has been losing weight rapidly, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Her friends and family are genuinely worried. Her clothes have to be altered because she’s dropped below a size 0—a size usually meant for young girls. She looks fragile, and everyone’s concerned she could be suffering from an eating disorder.”
The source also mentioned that LaToya had been stressed after losing Tito, adding, “She was with him in Germany right before his shocking death.”
It’s hard to say what’s really going on—maybe LaToya is overreacting, or perhaps she’s dealing with something we don’t fully understand. But, as I said, she’s not the only Jackson making people worried these days.
Janet has also been getting a lot of attention lately. Her ongoing struggle with weight has been in the spotlight for years, with her body constantly changing.
In late 2017, fans noticed that Janet had lost a considerable amount of weight. Given that she had just had her first child, Eissa, less than a year before, people were curious about how she managed to slim down so quickly.
According to her trainer, Paulette Sybliss, there was no secret to Janet’s 70 lb weight loss. It came down to hard work and a strict exercise routine. Sybliss told E! News, “I started training her about six weeks after she had Eissa. We had a rigorous training schedule—training at least four times a week for 45 to 60 minutes each session. It was tough.”
Janet also tried to shed 70 lbs before her 2019 tour, but by October 2022, she had gained it all back, maybe even more. Fast forward to 2024, and reports said she had packed on another 75 lbs, weighing in at 180 lbs on her 5’3″ frame.
Then, just as quickly, she lost an incredible 40 lbs in just three months to get in shape for her North American tour. Reports say she limited herself to eating just broccoli and drinking water for months to achieve her leanest look ever.
While her recent photos show her looking slimmer, it’s not as alarming as LaToya’s drastic changes. In fact, many fans are praising Janet for how great she looks. But the speed of her weight loss still has some people worried. One insider said:
“No one thought Janet could lose so much weight in such a short time, and everyone’s worried it’s not healthy.”
Another source mentioned her restrictive diet, saying, “When people express concern that she’s not getting enough nourishment, she brushes them off and insists she’s fine. But everyone feels it’s not sustainable, and it might catch up to her in a bad way—maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.”
Janet’s fluctuating weight is taking a toll on her body. She lost nearly 80 lbs for her tour last year, only to gain it all back. And now she’s doing it all over again. It’s a dangerous cycle.
Fans are concerned, too. Some feel that while Janet’s weight loss isn’t as extreme as LaToya’s, it’s still pretty drastic and potentially harmful. Others think that the struggles the Jackson family faces may stem from deep emotional trauma they experienced as children, and it’s now showing in different ways.
When we look at the Jackson family’s history, it’s not hard to understand why their behavior seems troubling. LaToya, for example, has talked about the physical and emotional abuse they endured at the hands of their father. She even revealed that their dad continued to control and mistreat Michael and his brothers as adults. Despite their public image of living the American dream, LaToya described their home life as deeply dysfunctional.
In an interview, LaToya explained:
“Yes, of course, there was always the smile in front of the cameras. But at home, it was a different story. Our family life was nothing like the image people saw.”
When asked about what life was like at home, she said: “It was really, really tough. My father was extremely strict. He would hit us.”
Pressed for more details, she added: “He used a belt. It was pretty much constant. My brothers were grown, but my father would punch them, knocking them down the stairs all the time. Even now, they’re still scared of him. They’ll tell you. They have kids, and they’re still terrified of him.”
LaToya also claimed that Joe physically abused Michael, even during his rise to fame with Off the Wall and Thriller. While the world saw Michael smiling on stage and accepting awards, behind closed doors, LaToya says Joe was chasing him around the house, and Michael was terrified.
She also alleged that her father took advantage of her older sister Rebbie, and there were rumors that Michael suffered similar abuse. In her memoir, LaToya wrote about how their mother knew what was happening but chose to ignore it. She recalled: “When your father gets out of bed with your mother and climbs into bed with your sister, and you hear your mother say, ‘No, Joe, not tonight. Let her rest. She’s tired,’ it just drives you mad.”
LaToya said the abuse began when her sister left home, and she was only 11 years old at the time. Though she couldn’t say for sure if Janet was treated the same way, she expressed how exhausting it was to deal with the constant abuse within the family.
Michael himself spoke openly about their traumatic childhood. He once described how, if they missed a note or a step in rehearsal, Joe would punish them with a belt, an electrical cord, or even a tree branch that they had to break off themselves. Michael recalled: “You’d have to strip down first. Then he’d oil you up, and when the whip hit you, it felt like dying. It would land all over—your face, your back, everywhere. I’d hear my mother shout, ‘No, Joe, you’re going to kill him!’ But there was nothing I could do.”
Michael also shared how his father would insult him, calling him “big nose,” which likely played a part in his later obsession with plastic surgery. He admitted he once fainted just from seeing his father walk into a room, he was so afraid of him. He even remembered playing a game with Janet, where he asked her to imagine their father in a coffin. When he asked if she felt sorry for him, Janet answered, “Nope.”
This history of abuse has led many to believe that the unresolved trauma from their childhood continues to affect their adult lives. Do you think Janet and LaToya’s behavior is a cry for help? Could their family trauma be to blame? Share your thoughts in the comments.
