Debbie Rowe is an American former dermatology assistant best known as Michael Jackson’s second wife and the mother of his two oldest children, Prince and Paris. Born December 6, 1958, she is 67 as of August 2026. She has spent most of the years since her marriage outside the public spotlight.
| Quick fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Deborah Jeanne Rowe |
| Date of birth | December 6, 1958 |
| Age in 2026 | 67 |
| Profession | Former dermatology assistant/nurse |
| Former husband | Michael Jackson |
| Marriage | November 1996 to April 2000 |
| Children with Jackson | Prince Jackson and Paris Jackson |
| Reported divorce settlement | $8.5 million, according to court records cited by the Los Angeles Times |
| Common net worth estimate | About $20 million, but not independently verified |
| Public life today | Mostly private, with occasional appearances in Paris Jackson’s posts |
Key Takeaways
- Rowe met Michael Jackson while working for dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein.
- They married in Sydney, Australia, in November 1996.
- She is the mother of Prince and Paris, but not Jackson’s youngest child, Bigi.
- Court records cited by the Los Angeles Times put her divorce settlement at $8.5 million.
- Recent 2026 coverage shows that she remains close to her daughter, Paris, while maintaining a low public profile.
What Is Debbie Rowe Known For?
Rowe became widely known through her relationship with Michael Jackson. Before the intense media attention, she worked in the office of Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein. Jackson was a patient there, and the two developed a long friendship.
Their relationship changed after Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley ended. Rowe later testified that Jackson wanted children and that she wanted to help him become a father. Her comments came during testimony in the Jackson family’s wrongful-death case in 2013.
How She Met and Married Michael Jackson
The two had known each other for years before marrying. Contemporary reporting described Rowe as a nurse working for Jackson’s dermatologist. The couple married in Sydney, Australia, in November 1996 while Jackson was touring there.
Their wedding followed Jackson’s divorce from Lisa Marie Presley. That connection puts Rowe among the most closely followed family histories in pop culture. The marriage remained heavily covered by entertainment media, but both parties guarded many details of their private arrangement. Rowe filed for divorce in October 1999. The marriage was formally dissolved in April 2000.
Prince and Paris Jackson Are Her Two Children
The couple welcomed son Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., better known as Prince, in February 1997. Daughter Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson followed in April 1998. A common point of confusion concerns Michael Jackson’s third child.
Rowe is not Bigi Jackson’s mother. Bigi, formerly known publicly as Blanket, was born through a surrogate after the marriage had ended. Recent reporting about the Jackson family continues to distinguish Prince and Paris as Rowe’s two children. That distinction matters because broad celebrity profiles sometimes group all three siblings together without explaining their different maternal backgrounds.
A Simple Timeline of the Marriage and Custody Story
The legal history can be difficult to follow because several court decisions occurred after the divorce.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Rowe and Jackson married in Sydney |
| 1997 | Prince Jackson was born |
| 1998 | Paris Jackson was born |
| 1999 | Rowe filed for divorce |
| 2000 | Divorce became final |
| 2001 | A court granted her request to terminate her parental rights |
| 2004 | The 2001 termination order was declared void |
| 2009 | Katherine Jackson retained guardianship; Rowe kept visitation rights |
| 2013 | Paris and her mother began reconnecting |
| 2026 | Paris publicly described their relationship as having grown closer |
California appellate records confirm that Jackson received sole legal and physical custody under the couple’s 1999 agreement. Those same records document the later dispute over parental rights. After Michael Jackson died in 2009, his mother, Katherine, became the guardian of the children. A later agreement preserved Rowe’s visitation rights rather than transferring custody to her.
How Much Is She Worth?
Public estimates of Debbie Rowe’s net worth commonly place the figure near $20 million. Celebrity Net Worth currently publishes that amount, but it is an estimate rather than an audited financial disclosure. A much firmer number comes from the divorce record. The Los Angeles Times reported that court records showed an $8.5 million divorce settlement when the marriage ended.
Those two figures should not be treated as the same thing. A settlement is a documented payment or asset arrangement. Net worth attempts to estimate assets minus debts years later. Worthxyra takes the same cautious approach in its Benny Blanco wealth breakdown, which explains why celebrity fortunes are rarely confirmed by complete financial records.
Rowe also differs from performers whose earnings leave a long public trail of tours, contracts, royalties, and business deals. Worthxyra’s Usher financial profile shows how much more public information can exist for an actively working entertainer. For that reason, about $20 million is best described as a commonly published estimate, not a confirmed balance sheet.
Where Is She Now?
She continues to lead a largely private life. A June 2026 People profile reported that she has stayed out of the public eye for most of the period since her divorce. She occasionally appears in her daughter’s social media posts.
Earlier reports linked her to a horse property in Palmdale, California. Those reports should not be used as proof of her exact current home address or residence. Her present-day public profile is defined more by privacy than by a regular media or entertainment career. In May 2026, Paris shared rare family photos for Mother’s Day. The post offered one of the clearest recent glimpses of their relationship.
Her Relationship With Paris Jackson Today
Paris has spoken openly about not growing up with her mother. In an August 2026 interview, she said she first connected with her at about age 15. Their bond then became closer toward the end of Paris’s teenage years.
That recent account adds useful context to older stories about the distance between them. Their relationship did not simply change overnight. Paris described a gradual process of getting to know her mother as a teenager and then as a young adult.
The 2026 Mother’s Day photos support that picture. Paris jokingly compared their appearance and shared affectionate pictures of them together. There is less recent public detail about Rowe’s relationship with Prince. The absence of public posts does not indicate whether a family relationship is close or distant, so it is best not to speculate.
The Bottom Line
Rowe’s public story is closely tied to Michael Jackson, but the most useful biography separates documented facts from decades of celebrity speculation. The marriage, two children, custody history, and $8.5 million settlement all have stronger records than many claims repeated online. In 2026, the clearest update is simple: she remains largely private while maintaining a relationship with daughter Paris. Bettye McCartt Movies is a useful companion read here.
For more fact-checked profiles covering celebrity ages, families, careers, and wealth estimates, explore Worthxyra’s celebrity coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
She is 67. Her birth date is December 6, 1958, so she will turn 68 in December 2026.
The most commonly published estimate is about $20 million. That figure is not confirmed through audited financial records. The better-documented financial fact is the $8.5 million divorce settlement reported in court records.
They married in Sydney, Australia, in November 1996. She filed for divorce in October 1999, and the divorce was finalized in April 2000.
No. She is the mother of Prince and Paris Jackson. Michael Jackson’s youngest child, Bigi, was born through a surrogate and has a different maternal history.
Yes, based on Paris’s own recent comments. Paris said they connected when she was about 15 and became closer later in her teens. She also shared affectionate Mother’s Day photos with her mother in May 2026.
She became a public figure mainly because of her marriage to Michael Jackson and her role as the mother of his two oldest children. Before that period, she worked in a dermatologist’s office and did not have an entertainment career.
