| In early November 1996, the London tabloid, News of the World, claimed
that Debbie Rowe-Jackson had conceived Michael's child through artificial
insemination at the Los Angeles Fertility Institute and was being paid
$500,000 to have the baby. The tabloid further claimed that Rowe-Jackson
would surrender custody to Michael and would retain only visiting rights.
The New York Daily News quoted neighbors of Debbie's, Kevin Forrest and
Tonya Watts, as saying that she had told them she was having the child out
of friendship, but it was a natural conception. The News of the World
countered by publishing what they said was an interview with Debbie's
father, Gordon Rowe, in which he said she told him in a phone call that
the child was conceived by artificial insemination. The December 2, 1996
issue of People magazine quoted a neighbor and "pal", Mary Colandro, as
also saying Rowe-Jackson was "having the baby for Michael as a friend
"though it was a natural conception."
On November 4, 1996, Michael Jackson confirmed that he was indeed to
become a father, but called rumors that the mother was artificially
inseminated "completely false and irresponsible" and denied he had paid
Rowe-Jackson to have the child. Nevertheless, the tabloid stories were
picked up and repeated around the globe by mainstream news outlets until
they gained a dubious legitimacy in the mind of the public.
Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe were married on November 14, 1996, in
Sydney, Australia. Reports soon followed in the Australian tabloids that
Debbie was asking for a divorce. At length, tired of immodest speculation
in the media, Michael and Debbie issued a press release on January 6,
1997, in which they said,
"Deborah has been extremely upset by the flagrant fabrications and
utter lies that have been published about her and the false statements
attributed to her father which he never made. Deborah's father supports
her decisions 100 percent. Not inclined to respond to false and vicious
reports, Deborah is adamant about again setting the record straight that
Michael is the father of the child, the pregnancy is not the result of
artificial means, that she has not been paid to have Michael's baby, and
that she is not seeking or filing for a divorce."
In 1998, their second child, a girl was born. Her name is Paris.
On October 8, 1999, Michael and Debbie filed for divorce. |
