Joe Jackson Works the Red Carpet
Joe Jackson isn't winning any Parent of the Year awards — his reputation as the domineering, abusive patriarch behind the Jackson 5 is the stuff of legend — but to those still grieving over Michael Jackson's June 25 death, his behavior at the BET Awards was beyond the pale. Instead of mourning his son or commiserating with fans, Joe, 80, used a red-carpet interview just three days after the King of Pop's demise to plug his fledgling record company. After brushing off a series of questions about how the clan was coping in the wake of Michael's death, Joe steered the conversation toward business. "I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here," he told CNN reporter Don Lemon. "Marshall and me own a record label called Ranch Records ..." His partner then jumped in to offer the full details about the technology behind the label. Fans of the late singer, unsurprisingly, were outraged.