Janet Jackson Says Brother Michael Called Her ‘Pig’ and Other Demeaning Names

Janet Jackson is opening up about the turbulent relationship she had with her late older brother Michael Jackson. The “Rhythm Nation” singer reveals in her upcoming documentary Janet, that the King of Pop used to call her names such as “pig” and “slaughter hog” when they were younger, despite public perception that their relationship was close.

“There were times when Mike used to tease me and call me names…. ’Pig, horse, slaughter hog, cow,’” she recalled, per The Sun. “He would laugh about it and I’d laugh too, but then there was some­where down inside that it would hurt.” Jackson, 55, continued that comments about her weight from her brother began to affect her, as she had struggled with her body image since age 10, when she was cast as Penny in Good Times.

“I’m an emotional eater,” she explained, “So when I get stressed or something is really bothering me, it comforts me. I did Good Times and that’s the beginning of having weight issues and the way I looked at myself. I was developing at a very young age and I started getting a chest and they would bind it so I would look more flat-chested.” Asked if she felt her career in the public eye led to her issues with body image, she responded, “I probably would have wound up not having a problem.”

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The Grammy winner also opened up about her brother’s child molestation allegations. In 2005, the “Beat It” artist was acquitted of seven counts of child molestation after a trial in California but was also posthumously accused of molestation by Wade Robson. Jackson shared the allegations against her brother that surfaced in 1993, profoundly affected her career. “It was frustrating for me,” she said. “We have our own separate lives and even though he’s my brother, that has nothing to do with me. But I wanted to be there for him, to support him as much as I possibly could.”

In the two-part documentary, Jackson also addresses the changing relationship with her brother that shifted around the release of his Thriller album. “I remember really loving the Thriller album but for the first time in my life I felt it was different between us, a shift was happening,” she explained. “That’s the time Mike and I started going our separate ways. He just wasn’t as fun as he used to be.” Janet is set to premiere the first of its two parts on Friday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime and A&E.