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Why Janet Jackson Got Nasty In The Jackson Family Feud

janetjackson.jpg
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If you've been following the Jackson inheritance drama, you might have wondered why the relatively sane and successful baby sister of the Jackson clan decided to step into the ugly fray.This week Janet Jackson was caught on video trying to grab the cell phone of Michael Jackson's 14-year-old daughter Paris. Paris' brother Prince also tweeted out a text message exchange with Janet, that seemed to suggest she was on board with separating Prince and Paris from their guardian Katherine.

How did Janet get caught up in the family drama—and end up acting like such an awful aunt? Stacy Brown from the New York Post writes that Janet is sick of being the family's cash cow in the wake of Michael's death and her own dwindling income:

One Jackson family member tells The Post the answer is simple: It’s all about money. She's got some; Michael's estate has more — Billboard recently estimated its net worth at $1 billion — and her siblings have none. She lives in fear of supporting them.
"Janet's last three tours have failed to sell tickets, and she's cut each of them short," the sibling says. "She hasn't had a hit record in more than a decade, and she no longer has a recording contract."
This family member says that Janet’s net worth is estimated at $100 million but that "she only has money going out and nothing new coming in."

It makes us sad to hear that the woman whose career was kickstarted by an album fiercely declaring her independence from her family has gotten sucked back into their drama. Michael's will dictated that most of his fortune go to his children Paris, Prince and Blanket—not his siblings. This wouldn't be a problem for the financially secure Janet, except that her siblings (who by the way, weren't so nice to their baby sister while she was growing up) have been struggling to pay their mortgages and child support. Now she's fighting for them to get a cut of Michael Jackson's estate, so that she can stop paying their way, the Post says.

If these reports are true, it sounds like the next generation of Jacksons—Paris, Prince and Blanket—are being forced to learn the same hard lessons about taking control that Janet sang about a few decades ago.

Related:
La Toya Jackson Is Beacon of Sanity Amid Family Drama
Michael Jackson's Kids Continue Speaking Truth to Power: Prince Fires Missive at Janet
Jackson Family Descends Into Madness, Physical Altercations and Conspiracies
Katherine Jackson Reported 'Missing' Amidst Jackson Inheritance Drama

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