Joh’Vonnie Jackson is opening up about the complicated reality of growing up connected to one of music’s most famous families.
Jackson is the daughter of late Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson and Cheryle Ann Terrell. Joe fathered Joh’Vonnie while married to Katherine Jackson. During a recent appearance on “The Portia Show,” Joh’Vonnie discussed growing up largely separated from her famous siblings.
She also addressed being labeled the “bastard child” because of the circumstances surrounding her birth. The phrase would eventually become the title of her memoir, “Bastard Child.”
“I gave the title of the book that — bastard child,” she explained.
Joh’Vonnie began secretly writing about her experiences when she was 15. She did not complete the book until decades later. She described the memoir as a “book of grievances” and a way to release emotions she carried for years.
“It’s my experience, nobody else’s,” she said.
Learning The Truth About Her Parents
Joh’Vonnie said she eventually learned the truth about her parents’ relationship during a conversation with her mother.
“I got a little bit older, and my mother had a conversation with me and let me know the situation between Dad and her. So, that’s when I learned that my mother was a mistress to my father,” Jackson said. “I really didn’t even know what that meant.”
Understanding the situation left her angry with her mother.
“I was very angry. I was very upset. I was feeling like, how can I ever get advice from her when she’s out here doing this. It was really abnormal because I saw my father every day… he was at home with us.”
Joe remained an active presence in Joh’Vonnie’s childhood despite maintaining his marriage and family with Katherine. However, Joh’Vonnie said secrecy surrounding the relationship affected her everyday life.
She knew the Jackson children were her siblings. Still, she could not freely interact with them. That became especially difficult as the family’s fame continued growing.
“When you’re young, and you see these people who are your siblings on television, you have these expectations,” she said.
Joh’Vonnie eventually formed a close relationship with her eldest sister, Rebbie Jackson.
“She is my heart. I love her so much,” she said. “I met her when I was 15, and it was such an exciting time.”
Reclaiming Her Own Story
Joh’Vonnie’s memoir gave her an opportunity to tell a story often overshadowed by the Jackson family’s fame.
“Bastard Child” was published in 2016. The book explores her childhood, family relationships and feelings of rejection.
She previously described herself as a “daddy’s girl” and recalled having a close relationship with Joe. That experience sometimes differed significantly from accounts shared by some of her older siblings.
Joe managed the Jackson 5 during their rise to international fame. Some of his children later described him as physically abusive and extremely strict. Joh’Vonnie recently addressed that difference after watching a portrayal of her father in the Michael Jackson biopic.
“As far as the portrayal of my father, that’s not the Joe Jackson I experienced,” she said.
Joh’Vonnie has acknowledged that Joe was strict with her. However, she has also emphasized that she entered his life much later. Her story has instead focused heavily on what it meant to belong to the Jackson family while often existing outside it.
That experience also influenced how Joh’Vonnie approached motherhood. She said she intentionally sought a different emotional relationship with her own daughter. She wanted her child to feel heard and understood.
For Joh’Vonnie, publicly discussing those experiences has become a way of taking ownership of an identity once used against her. The label “bastard child” may have followed her throughout her childhood. Decades later, she made it the title of her own story.