Prince Jackson made an infrequent admission about his upbringing as he reflected on his childhood living on the Neverland Ranch.
Before his death in 2009, the iconic singer Michael Jackson welcomed three children Prince, 26, Paris Jackson, 25 and Prince “Bigi” Jackson II, 21.
As a father, Michael went to extreme lengths to protect his children from the spotlight by covering their identities with blankets and masks during public outings.
In the years since his death, the trio has maintained their distance from the public eye while offering brief insights into Michael as a father.
During a rare interview on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin podcast, Prince spoke about his life as the son of an acclaimed superstar.
The former professional boxer posited the 25-year-old “must’ve had a pretty interesting life as a kid.”
To which Prince responded: “Very, very interesting. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate how unique and interesting it was.”
Speaking about the Neverland Valley Ranch in California, he was asked about the variety of wildlife at the ranch’s zoo.
The music video producer admitted: “That’s pretty crazy,” as he remembered there were “elephants, tigers, lions, a lot of primates like monkeys, gorillas, orangutans.”
He explained: “[My dad] loved animals when he was a kid. I think his first pets were two rats.
“As he was making more money and more music, he was able to buy more animals,” Prince added.
Fans will recall Michael’s unforgettable pet chimpanzee Bubbles, who frequently travelled with the star and drew attention from the media.
The chimp also rubbed shoulders with key figures as he joined Micheal when he drank tea with the Mayor of Osaka, Yasushi Oshima in 1987.
Elsewhere during their conversation, Prince also lifted the lid on his father’s skin disorder, Vitiligo and the insecurity he had about his appearance.
He shared: “When I was younger, he was always explaining to me, speaking about that, he had a lot of insecurity around, kind of looking blotchy in his appearance.
“So he wanted to see if he could smooth out his appearance, to help with his security on his physical appearance.”
Michael himself famously addressed the change in skin tone during his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey where he said it was “something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me.”
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