Omer Bhatti says he's not Michael Jackson's love child

Joe Jackson says he is

Well it looks like Joe Jackson’s lifelong business of exploiting his children for financial gain is not over, even in Michael’s death. Despite the fact that Hollywood Gossip reported this week that Omer Bhatti said he was only Michael Jackson’s honorary son, not his biological son, Joe Jackson said during an interview with News One that the 25-year-old Norwegian man is Michael Jackson’s son.

I’m not sure what to believe anymore. Last week reports made it sound like Omer Bhatti was sending his DNA in for testing. However, according to the Hollywood gossip article, Omer Bhatti told a close friend: “Michael Jackson is not my father. He and I were just very, very close. He was my best friend.”

The business of being Joe Jackson

Thanks to his kids, Joe Jackson never needed a cash until payday loan. Short-term loans weren’t around before the Jackson Five hit the stage. Ever since the days of “I Want You Back” and “Whose Loving You?” Joe Jackson has been able to live comfortably off of his offspring’s talent.

It feels sad and cynical to say that Joe Jackson is just making things up in order to stay in the spotlight. It feels even more sad and more cynical to say that Joe Jackson views his son’s death as a moneymaking opportunity. However, as cynical and sad as it may be, coming from a guy who used to physically punish his children for not performing well during rehearsals, it is not hard to believe.

Who is Omer Bhatti anyway?

In case you haven’t heard this story, shortly after Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles, rumors began circulating that a young man who sat in the front row between Rebbie Jackson and Blanket was Michael Jackson’s “secret son.”

The story went that Michael Jackson had a one-night stand with Norwegian woman in 1984. Many people speculated that Omer Bhatti resulted from that. Rumors that Omer Bhatti was Michael Jackson’s son had been circulating for quite some time. After all, Omer Bhatti and his parents had lived with the pop star at Neverland Ranch for a few years.

Omer Bhatti’s parents worked for Michael Jackson. His mother was a nanny in his father a chauffeur. Omer now says he and Michael Jackson were best friends. Some news organizations reported that Michael Jackson called himself Omer’s father, but just as I suspected he meant it in an honorary sense, not a biological sense, at least according to Omer Bhatti.

How did this all begin?

The first of official record of Omer Bhatti and Michael Jackson meeting was in 1996. Michael Jackson met Omer Bhatti in a hotel room in Tunisia. At that time, as far as everyone knew, Omer was simply a fan and a Michael Jackson impersonator. He was a good impersonator, in fact, leading Joe Jackson to say this, according to the Los Angeles Times:

“He looks like a Jackson, acts like a Jackson, can dance like a Jackson."

It’s been reported that Omer was at Neverland ranch during a police raid that ensued after Michael Jackson was charged with child molestation. Omer and his parents moved into Neverland ranch in 1997.

How will this end?

After poring over several articles that have come out this week, I’m still not sure whether there will be an actual DNA test. Quotations taken from Jermaine Jackson when the rumors began after the memorial service indicate that he was planning to find out for sure whether Omer Bhatti is really Michael Jackson’s son.

Personally, I do not think this issue will be laid to rest until there is evidence one way or the other. Because of that, I hope that Omer Bhatti does take a DNA test, just so we can have conclusive evidence stating who his father is. Reading speculation after speculation drives me crazy, especially when there is such a simple solution that will bring it to an end.