Paris’ Pride: Michael Jackson’s daughter opened up to Willow Smith on Red Table Talk about coming out as LGBT to her ‘very religious’ family

Jun 19 , 2021

Paris Jackson opened up to Willow Smith on Red Table Talk. Photo: Facebook Watch

The Facebook Watch series broke its typical round-table format with other hosts Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris for a one-on-one interview

Paris Jackson got candid about her mental health struggles with depression and suicide attempts – now she practises affirmations and tells friends to do similar

Paris Jackson, the daughter of late music legend Michael Jackson, has opened up on Red Table Talk about past suicide attempts and coming out to her religious family.

In a departure from the Facebook Watch show’s typical format of a round-table discussion featuring hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris and Willow Smith, Wednesday’s (June 16) episode saw Jackson join 20-year-old Smith for a candid one-on-one convo.

Host Willow Smith, left, and Paris Jackson discuss living in the media spotlight on the latest episode of Red Table Talk, a show Smith hosts with her mother and grandmother. Photo: Red Table Talk via AP

During their discussion, Jackson reflected on her past attempts to end her own life and what brought her out of that mentality.

“A lot of people do feel regret when they try and attempt suicide,” she said. “There have been times where I did and times where I didn’t, where I was upset that it didn’t work. But I can say, several years later, that I’m really grateful that it didn’t. Things have gotten better.”

She added: “It was really hard, and people would tell me to kill myself every day. And I was depressed.”

Jackson shared that with each unsuccessful suicide attempt, she came to a “morbid” realisation that it “just wasn’t meant to be”.

“Just like, ‘OK, I’ve tried and tried and tried, and it’s just not working. Maybe it’s just not my time, and that sucks,’” she said.

Jackson said her mental health has since improved and that she’s found more joy and ways to cope. Last autumn, during a harvest moon, the 23-year-old musician had an especially powerful personal experience, she said.