Joe Jackson is firing back at his critics who are accusing him of beating Michael as a youngster. The patriarch of the Jackson family recently held an interview with ABC News correspondent Chris Connelly, and balked at claims that he was an abusive tyrant that physically and emotionally battered his nine children – most notably, his late son Michael.
“Michael was never beat as they call it,” Jackson says during Primetime: Family Secrets – The Jackson Family: Life After Michael, airing tonight @ 10PM on ABC.
“And everyone spanked their kids when they did wrong. But not beat. Katherine spanked Michael more than I did, ’cause I was workin’ two jobs and she was at home with him the most,” the 79-year-old former stage dad explains.
While Joe admits he may have been a tough manager – and father – he insists that has always love his son.
“I do what’s right. And I love my family. My son. And that’s about it. I try to perfect everything I do.”
“I was very demanding, but I got things done,” he added.
Joe also slams Michael’s most painful claim against his father – the belief that infamy in youth robbed him of the chance to have a normal life.
Is Joe Jackson getting ready to launch the Jackson 3?
“There was a lot of times I’ve been hearin’ on the news that Michael say he didn’t have a – a childhood. He had his brothers. He had all his sisters to perform with. You know, to play and have a good time with…”
And when asked if he has any regrets about the way he raised the late King of Pop, Joe says: “No. I don’t have any regrets. Yeah, we brought him up the right way.”
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