Jermaine Jackson's Name Change Leads to Public Criticism
Jermaine Jackson began his path to fame as a member of The Jackson Five family singing group in the 1960s, but the 57-year-old older brother of the late singer Michael Jackson said he is ready to change his family name.
According to a TMZ report, Jackson is seeking to legally change the spelling of his last name to Jacksun. While the publication said Jackson wanted to change his name for "artistic reasons," he reportedly filed a petition for the name change in an L.A. County Superior Court earlier this week.
While the name change has yet to be approved by a judge, Jackson will have to publicly announce the name change before it can be made official, according to TMZ. Various people reacted to the news that Jackson may be trying to change the spelling of his last name.
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Wendy Williams, entertainment talk show host and media personality, said she believes Jackson is seeking attention.
"He's not trying to distance himself from his family in my eyes," Williams said on "The Wendy Williams Show" Thursday. "But you got the attention that you want because we're talking about you."
Various people took to Twitter to discuss the matter once they heard about the news. One person agreed with Williams' sentiments, saying that Jackson may just be trying to remain relevant.
"Jermaine Jackson legally changing his name to Jermaine JackSUN," the person exclaimed. "Another pathetic attempt by a D-List celeb trying to stay relevant! #sitdown."
Another person questioned Jackson's choices in names, using one of his children as an example saying, "This is the same guy that named his kid 'Jermajesty.'"
One person wondered why Jackson wanted to change the spelling of his name saying, "It's the same name!"
Still, another person believed that Jackson keeping his last name may be the only reason that he is currently relevant to popular culture.
"And so goes arguably the biggest reason people continued to care about Jermaine Jackson: his famous last name," the person tweeted.
