Paris Jackson talks coming out in a 'very religious' family and the struggle to be accepted

Paris Jackson, daughter of the late Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe, doesn't often do interviews, but in a recent episode of Facebook Watch's Red Table Talk, the 23-year-old opened up quite a bit with Willow Smith, including discussing how her "very religious" family have been slow to accept her coming out.

"I'm still kind of figuring it out," Jackson said. "My family is very religious and a lot of, like, homosexuality, is very taboo, so we don't talk about it, and it's not really accepted. I've gotten to a point where I respect them and I have love for them. I respect their beliefs. I respect their religion. ... Right now, I'm at a point where, to expect them to put aside their culture and their religion ... like, expectations lead to resentments. What people think about me isn't my business."

Jackson did add that her brothers, Prince Michael, 24, and Bigi, 19, have been especially supportive of her coming out, "but there were moments where it was really hard. You feel alone. You feel excluded."

She went on to explain how, when she was younger, she went "all in" on what she assumed to be the style and persona of a queer woman, but now, after learning more about her sexuality and her individual persona, she can "dress however and act however, it doesn't change how I feel on the inside."

"As long as I'm me, I can be more feminine, I can be more tomboy; I can do whatever as long as it feels like me," she added.

Jackson also shared that she's begun to develop more of a relationship with Rowe, who entered her life when she was a teenager.

"It's cool," Jackson said. "Getting to know her, seeing how similar we are, getting into what kind of music she likes. ... We look a lot alike. ... It's just cool having her as a friend. It's very chill, which I love. That's the perfect word to describe it."

She also shared that she has PTSD after being followed by paparazzi for years.

"It's always been pretty gnarly, my social anxiety," Jackson said, which is something Smith related to having also grown up in a famous family. "I don't know if you get this too — I experience audio hallucinations sometimes of camera clicks, and severe paranoia. I've been going to therapy for a lot of things, but that included. I'll hear, like, a trash bag rustling, and I'll flinch and panic. ... It's primarily if I'm out in public during the day. I don't really go out during the day."

She continued, "I do catch it affecting my personal relationships, especially romantic relationships. PTSD can affect pretty much every aspect of your life."

But Jackson does have a few friends she trust completely and, she said, "[They're] priceless. I hold onto that, and I don't take it for granted."

BEFORE YOU GO: Willow Smith comes out as polyamorous

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