Riley Keough is giving an insight into her late mom, Lisa Marie Presley‘s marriage to Michael Jackson. The actress discussed having the King of Pop as her stepfather and how it impacted their lives on Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy.
Riley recalled having an unusual childhood thanks to the widespread fame of her legendary grandfather, Elvis Presley. However, life got crazier thanks to her mom’s marriage to Jackson.
“I think when she saw Michael’s life, there were things that he had that she didn’t have,” Riley told the host. “She didn’t have a plane at the time or things like that. She then was like, ‘Oh, I should have a plane, and I should have this and that.’
The Daisy Jones & the Six actress admitted Jackson’s influence made their lives “bigger” compared to the “simple” one her mother shared with her father, Danny Keough. “At home, like, she didn’t have 10 million assistants. She didn’t need all of that [with Danny],” Riley said. “I think that changed.”
Keough and Lisa Marie were married from 1988 to 1994. Together, they welcomed Riley and her late brother Benjamin Keough — who died by suicide in 2020. One month after Presley divorced Keough, she and Jackson tied the knot.
Riley Keough Wasn’t Told About Stepdad Michael Jackson’s Abuse Allegations
Michael Jackson’s luxurious life wasn’t all that caused a change. The Thriller singer faced child molestation accusations from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s. Despite her mom being married to Jackson during the difficult time, Riley Keough confessed she had no idea what was happening.
“I was never told anything. It’s actually not something I ever asked as an adult. I think it just was what it was. I don’t know, it just never came to mind, I guess.”
Riley told host Alex Cooper she assumed her dad “was really heartbroken and reading the news” about the allegations. “I would imagine he said all kinds of things to my mom that we didn’t know about,” she explained. However, she was never privy to the scandal because her parents “don’t fight around the kids.” Although she had no awareness of her stepfather’s troubles, Riley had no doubt he loved her mom.
“The one thing I know is that they were in love and that their love for one another was genuine,” she stated on Call Her Daddy. “I was there, and I remember. Everything else, I don’t know because I wasn’t there for [it].” Unfortunately, Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson’s “genuine” love didn’t sustain their marriage for more than two years. Elvis Presley’s only daughter filed for divorce in January 1996, but she and the late icon remained close until he died in 2009.
