It could be argued that everyone has a black sheep in the family.
If you don't think yours does, then it's probably you.
And this is still the case, even if you're the most famous family
dynasty in the world of popular music for a time period at least.
If one name was uttered to any member
of the Jackson family family, the words what now?
Would evidently follow that name being LaToya constant comparisons lackluster
chart positions and ballooning tablet controversies.
This is the story of the Jackson's wayward child, her turbulent relationship with his
superstar brother Michael, as well as her extensive showbiz, family.
In this multipart documentary series,
we'll explore Latoya's attempts to break away from her family's control to echo her
brother's success and gain her own independence
a journey several decades in the making, taking her down many regretful,
often bizarre and misguided paths in the process.
Here's the detail marriage in name only.
At the dawn of a new decade, Latoya's public profile was at an alltime high.
Regardless of what anyone else thought.
Her Playboy shoot had garnered her a huge amount of nationwide media attention.
But in the closing months of the decade,
another event would occur that would fundamentally impact the next phase
of Latoya's life, whether she liked it or not.
Up until this point in their relationship,
Jack Gordon was undoubtedly one of the few people that LaToya felt was a true ally.
Having combated her father's controlling
ways, something LaToya had so long for, as well as with the increased publicity
and commercial success of the You're Gonna Get Rocked album
and appearance in Playboy, latoya's career has been notably on the up
since Jack took over towards the end of 1989.
After performing a show in Las Vegas, Jack whisked her away and promptly
announced to the star that they would be getting married.
To say this came out of the blue for LaToya would be an understatement.
Despite the new Jackson being more open
to promiscuous content, her views on marriage remained firm,
telling Gordon, quote you know what marriage means to me.
I've never been in love.
I don't even date.
And you're asking me to marry you
for reasons that have nothing to do with being in love.
It's not right.
I don't love you.
I don't have feelings for you.
However, the reasons were laid out
by Gordon quote this is the only way I can protect you.
If we're just manager and client, your family can do whatever they want to you.
If you're my wife, they can't because I'm then your legal guardian.
This reasoning having stemmed from numerous paranoid thoughts fueled
by events which convinced them both that LaToya was at risk of being kidnapped
either directly by members of her family goading her to return to the Encino home
for a familyrelated event and then keeping her there against her will or by hired
persons, whether criminals or security guards.
After leaving the building in which they
were married, LaToya stated to Jack that, quote we are not married.
Sometimes I don't even like you, but now I'm married to you in name only,
a business arrangement, a deterrent against her supposed bannock family.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But if Jack had been viewed as an ally
before, now he was the sole constant factor running Latoya's life.
The middle child of the Jackson dynasty
may have felt that the marriage signified a return to the past,
a past where she had no major autonomy of her own life and decisions,
with one central dominating figure watching and controlling her every move.
In the summer of 1990,
LaToya made headlines once again, although this time it wasn't regarding
the release of a new album or a glamorous pictorial, but that she had been severely
beaten, accompanied by photos showing her with blackened eyes whilst visiting Italy,
Jack Gordon told the press the sensational story that LaToya was beaten up by, quote,
several men brandishing metal pipes in her Rome hotel suite.
Some outlets merely accused her of having
a bout of plastic surgery, an easy goto for the tabloids.
However, both of these stories turned out to be a fallacy.
In fact, while in Rome,
LaToya had requested to Jack that they seek an annulment of their marriage.
In response, Jack hit her head against a table corner, resulting in the black
eyes before stating that he would never let her go.
It was arguably this one event that truly signified that LaToya had not progressed
away from the controlling, manipulative and abusive patterns of her
father, nearly that she was now at the mercy of another man who was more
and more exhibiting even more dangerous qualities rocking the boat.
Not only did Jack monitor Latoya's
business affairs, but he also listened in on her phone
calls, something he openly admitted to in a USA Weekend article.
I have to hear every word she says.
In the event of this horrific turn of Jack Gordon, there was no one within
her family that LaToya felt she could turn to.
With most of the Jacksons viewing her as
an outcast and troublemaker, the feeling of isolation returned hard and fast.
For LaToya,
this torment only strengthened upon the release of her 1991 autobiography,
LaToya Jackson Growing Up in the Jackson Family.
The book laid out in great detail
the alleged abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father,
both physically as a child and mentally as an adult.
It covered Michael in several sections, both acknowledging their close bond
throughout the years and also revealing some of his quirkier qualities.
Touching on Jack Gordon, LaToya detailed how he came into Latoya's
life and even the rocky nature of their marriage.
However, no mention was given to his
increasingly abusive or manipulative actions, with the book overall painting
him out of all mentioned in arguably the brightest light.
Naturally, LaToya would go on a grueling
promotional tour around the release of the book, in which,
during an appearance on NBC Today, she dropped another major bombshell,
declaring that her father not only physically and mentally abused her,
but sexually abused her too, alongside her older sister Rebee.
Interestingly, this wasn't written about in the book, LaToya claiming that she
didn't feel ready to write about that particular experience.
These revelations shocked both readers and insiders in the music business alike.
Whilst Joseph's volatile behavior as
a manager had been well known, with some of his short temper being
acknowledged in Michael's book, Moonwalk LaToya was the first to properly
go in depth into the kinds of abuse all the Jackson children suffered.
Joseph would issue barebone statements
and responses to the press, denying all the accusations.
The patriarch's tendency to dish out
physical abuse was later supported by Michael in various interviews.
Though the allegations of sexual abuse ultimately appeared unfounded
with speculators assuming that it had been Jack Gordon who had prompted LaToya
to make those particular claims, it was clear that Gordon's manipulation
over LaToya was strengthening, and the dynamic was clearly developing
into something even worse than what she had under the thumb of her father.
Even though by the release of the book,
LaToya had become renowned for being the controversial Jackson,
she still had a career that she was determined to succeed in,
albeit not to the same stratosphere degrees as her siblings Michael and Janet.
Continuing to perform across Europe, where her small fan base remained loyal,
she shortly was back on the front cover of Playboy.
When asked why she posed for the second
time, she claimed her mother said, quote I dare you to do that again.
I feel that I'm tired of people
controlling my life and telling me what to do.
However, years later, it was revealed that LaToya had initially
refused to pose for Playboy for a second time.
But her mind was changed after Jack Gordon continued to physically abuse her
to the point which she gave in to his demands just to keep the peace.
Ola La Toya in Paris 1991 proved to be a tumultuous year for LaToya.
However, 1992 would prove to be somewhat of a career peak upon the signing
of a very lucrative deal with a renowned Mulan Rouge in Paris.
A oneyear contract claimed by Jack Gordon to be worth around $5 million would see
LaToya perform her show formidable twice a day for six nights a week.
Given the status of the venue, which had existed for over a hundred
years, it could have been quite the daunting task for LaToya to undertake.
Some critiques blasted her for supposedly
capitalizing on both her family and the Moolon Rouge name itself,
but local French folk enjoyed the show tremendously.
Comparing LaToya to the success
that Josephine Baker had at the Mulan Rouge back in the 1920s and 30s.
Revolving in her triumph,
LaToya remarked to the press, quote everyone thought I would fail.
You have no idea how much courage it took for me to do this.
With many of the 10 available seats being sold out at $300 a pop, no less.
This residency at the Mulan Rouge could
have easily been a new springboard for LaToya in her fledgling music career.
However, ultimately, this would not end up being the case.
Halfway through the oneyear engagement, LaToya exited her contract.
The reason remains sketchy and unclear, though the decision resulted
in the starlet owing the Mulan Rouge over half a million dollars in damages,
with the venue threatening to take the Toyota Court over this dispute after
coming so close to potentially revitalizing her career as a musical
performer in the aftermath of the controversies and a best selling
book, or appearing within the pages of Playboy.
No matter what she did, it seems that LaToya just couldn't break away.
Whilst her moved to New York in 1988 had proved to spark a sort of new revitalized
persona, this had been quickly beaten down by her family's disapproval.
The everincreasing control Jack Gordon
wielded over her in constant controversies,
further intensified by the everhungry tabloid press rolling into 1993.
Matters for LaToya would continue to decline as she was forced
into something many once would have thought impossible speaking against her
closest and most famous of brothers during the most traumatic of periods.
Keep an eye open for part three as we look
at how Latoya's public image became increasingly problematic and how her
marriage with Jack Gordon would ultimately reach absolute breaking point.
Thanks for watching the detail.