Michael Jackson‘s mother Katherine Jackson made a rare public appearance to show support for her daughter Janet Jackson‘s new Las Vegas Residency.
The proud 94-year-old matriarch was pictured sitting in a wheelchair as she watched Janet, 58, who kicked off her first of 10 performances at the Resorts World Theatre on Monday.
Katherine could be seen taking in the show from the sidelines, as she sat holding onto her bag while her legs were covered with a white blanket.
It was an extremely rare sighting of the mother-of-10, who was last pictured in August 2023 when she went to watch her son Austin Brown perform at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles.
Janet made sure to put on a show for her beloved mother and the many fans in the audience as she took to the stage in a figure-hugging fit, an embellished tie, and a corseted boning structure to snatch her in at the waist.
During her sold-out concert, Janet later slipped into a stylish white mesh corset jumpsuit and a matching blazer which featured a silver jewel embellishment.
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine Jackson made a rare public appearance to show support for her daughter Janet Jackson ‘s new Las Vegas Residency
The proud 94-year-old matriarch was pictured sitting in a wheelchair as she watched Janet, 58, who kicked off her first of 10 performances at the Resorts World Theatre on Monday
She completed the look with a pair of white lace-up boots as she put on a show-stopping performance for the crowd.
Keeping to the jumpsuit theme, Janet later took to the stage in yet another stunning jumpsuit which featured a plunging neckline, and a gold embellishment, and showcased her slender figure.
She added inches to her frame with a pair of matching knee-high boots and wore a flawless makeup palette.
The star then opted for another quick outfit change as she slipped into a stylish satin black double-breasted blazer dress.
Janet commanded attention on stage in the ensemble while her backup dancers surrounded her wearing all-black suits.
The new set of gigs comes after Janet was reportedly offered a residency in London and passed on the offer because the Vegas deal was more lucrative.
Earlier this year, Janet opened up on how she copes with the loss of her brother Michael – 15 years after his June 2009 death.
The singer-actress chatted with the BBC about their 1995 collaboration Scream, which was Michael’s first major release in the wake of the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations that had a significant impact on his life and career.
Katherine could be seen taking in the show from the sidelines, as she sat holding onto her bag while her legs were covered with a white blanket
Janet made sure to put on a show for her beloved mother and the many fans in the audience
The Grammy-winning artist, who was on her Together Again tour at the time, performed the song in concert opposite video footage of her late brother, noting that it’s an emotional feeling ‘listening to him every night, seeing him, remembering us.’
The Gary, Indiana-born entertainer looked back on creating the track with her late sibling, saying, ‘Mike and I wrote that song in New York, in his apartment.’
It was a rare sighting of the mother of ten who keeps a low profile (she’s pictured in 2011)
Janet said that she relives ‘that whole journey, listening to him sing it’ and recalling ‘what he was going through at that time’ as he sought to rebuild his reputation and career amid the damaging accusations.
‘And just me being his little sister, always by his side, and being that support system,’ Janet said. ‘That’s always been my role.’
In the track, Michael addressed his frustrations with the fallout of the allegations and the media coverage of the issue.
Lyrics included: ‘I’m tired of injustice, I’m tired of the schemes / Your lies are disgusting / So, what does it mean, damn it?’
In her self-titled 2022 Lifetime docuseries, Janet said of her late sibling, ‘Mike was going through a lot, and I think it was taking its toll on him.’
The song hit the fifth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 amid a 17-week stint on the chart, garnering the Best Music Video award at the 1996 Grammys.
Janet commanded attention with a sultry show full of her iconic songs and famous dance moves
Her backup dancers donned similar ensembles as they worked the stage alongside the singer
The black and white music video featured the famed siblings performing with one another, which Janet said in the docuseries was a complicated process as music industry executives involved looked to keep them apart.
‘It was tough – Michael shot nights, I shot days,’ Janet said in 2022. ‘His record company, they would block off his whole set so that I couldn’t see what was going on. They didn’t want me on set.
‘I felt like they were trying to make it very competitive between the two of us. That really hurt me, because I felt I was there fighting the fight with him. Not to battle him.’
Janet said that her sense of nostalgia in the collaboration with her sibling had fallen short during production of the clip.
Elsewhere, it was revealed last year that Nia Long will star as Katherine Jackson in an upcoming biopic about the King of Pop directed by Antoine Fuqua.
‘Katherine Jackson is an incredible pillar of strength and grace for the entire Jackson family,’ Nia said in a statement.
‘As a mother, she was selfless and endured forces beyond her control yet still managed to help build a legacy beyond measure.’
The director sang Nia’s praises in his own statement as he wrote: ‘Nia has delivered iconic performances throughout her career. I’ve been a fan for a long time because her characters stay with you.’
Colman Domingo, 54, who stars as Mister in The Color Purple, will tackle the role of patriarch Joe Jackson, who died in 2018.
Michael’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, 28, will portray his late uncle.
