Gen X and Boomers: What did people think of La Toya Jackson in the 1980s?
Posted by definitely_aware@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 285 comments
I’m 30, born in 1996, so I’m a millennial born right where the cutoff is for being Gen Z. I can’t say Michael Jackson or any members of the Jackson family were formative to my childhood, but I did get into Michael Jackson’s music as a teenager and I became a huge fan of Janet Jackson’s music when I was in college.
I didn’t really know much about La Toya until recently, but I became familiar with her through two memes:
La Toya’s Spotify bio
A Dionne Warwick interview where Whitney Houston is asked about We Are the World, and Dionne mentions “some of the top performers of our day… and La Toya Jackson.”
https://youtu.be/mFAQ5o6Ddkw?si=Pf6n_YgAOcz0-tJI
I watched an interview of La Toya on Wendy Williams and I found her very charming and funny. I think she has the same mannerisms and slightly awkward, but pleasant presence that Michael had.
La Toya’s music is just okay. I think her most popular tracks were not the right choice of genre for her voice. I’m thinking her voice belongs in some different genre altogether, maybe following a more artsy direction like Kate Bush or Cocteau Twins.
Anyway, I’m curious what the general perspective on La Toya Jackson was back when she was releasing music in the 1980s. Did people tend to like her or dislike her? Was this negative perception of her music as common at the time?
Foulmouthedleon@reddit
All I remember about LaToya Jackson was that she was in Playboy. Other than that I think she was famous for just being a member of the Jackson family. Unless I missed some memo a few decades ago.
lambent_ort@reddit
No one took her seriously.
Uncle-Cake@reddit
They didn't.
XanaxWarriorPrincess@reddit
Exactly what I was going to say.
Hopfrogg@reddit
She was a sideshow. Janet was a legit star, Latoya was just in the background. She was way more famous for her interviews criticizing Michael at a time when it was a bit controversial to do so. A bit, there were still rumors and accusations around him at that time.
Like, Dislike? I would say, meh, most people were neutral or disliked her. It's not like she had many "fans"... she was certainly a D list celeb of that era.
KittonRouge@reddit
She was beautiful but couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.
sinisterdesign@reddit
She fell victim to the awful nose shrinking plastic surgery as well, right?
Dogrel@reddit
…which was the style at the time…
jaspnlv@reddit
Who?
johngreenink@reddit
She just can't sing, and it was almost frustrating to watch her try to have a career.
VeeVeeDiaboli@reddit
She, Tito, and Jermaine all tried to cash out on Micheal’s fame. Janet was the only one who could make her own headway. La Toya always seemed like an infomercial Jackson
X1NOLA@reddit
I had 2 of Jermaine's albums in the '80s
MonkeyIV@reddit
In their defense, Tito and Jermaine were in the Jackson 5.
sevenselevens@reddit
I remember her being kind of a running joke - like I think she had a psychic hotline or something? She was kind of out there.
Fluffy-Structure-368@reddit
Nothing. Her name was known but other than Michael and Janet, no one really knew or cared about the other Jackson's.
X1NOLA@reddit
I liked Jermaine back in the day. I had his '80 and '84 albums. He had 1 or 2 songs in the Top 40.
sinisterdesign@reddit
But, but TETO! What about TETO?
jk
AmazingRefrigerator4@reddit
All I knew about her in the 1980s was she posed nude in playboy. I didnt even see ut, just someone my mom would say if La Toya's name ever came up
Zealousideal-Ice-814@reddit
I didn't no talent, like Tito tried to get some of that money off thier name, but that only carries you so far with mo talent.
Tdot-77@reddit
People keep saying she was the least talented. How about her talents weren't music yet she was born into a family that knew nothing but that. I'm sure she could have been successful in a different way, but the nature of her family killed that. And get father was a horrible beast of a human, goodness only knows what she went through.
canstucky@reddit
This is the most I’ve thought about her in my life. I couldn’t even pick her out of a one person lineup.
joeythemouse@reddit
We didn't think of Latoya Jackson. There was Michael, that was enough.
GasmaskTed@reddit
I mean, we thought of Janet, because she was also talented.
yunoeconbro@reddit
Jackson if you're nasty.
GenkiElite@reddit
Nobody really thought anything of her until she was in Playboy and then nothing after that.
Powerful_Geologist95@reddit
I was a fan and bought a few of her solo albums. She wasn’t the best singer but she wasn’t the worst either. Her being a Jackson place a ton of expectations that she couldn’t live up to. It didn’t hurt either that received some terrible career advice/direction. Good/bad she managed to carve a name for herself and emerge as one of the most talked about celebrities of the 80’s.
ObiWanKnieval@reddit
Fascinating! I've never heard anyone describe themselves as a La Toya fan.
Powerful_Geologist95@reddit
😄 I’m a true Jackson fan and that covers the whole clan.
ObiWanKnieval@reddit
I'll say!
Provolone10@reddit
She was a D list celebrity despite her last name.
She was a frequent guest on the Howard Stern show for a time. If she wasn’t already famous she probably would have been part of his “wack pack” or gallery of strange personalities that he had on the show.
Latoya was the least talented family member and she also had a creepy husband/manager. She also posed doe playboy too.
The 90’s were a weird time for celebrities. There was no social media or onlyfans to fall back on so people would just try to scrounge around for air time either on tv or radio talkshows. She was one of those who tried to ride the coattails of her family name while being a mediocre talent.
Total-Combination-47@reddit
she was shit at anything she did. She was just trying to get famous of the family name with no talent.
SadPhase2589@reddit
When I hear her name this is the only thing I ever remember about her.
JanaT2@reddit
She was kinda just there looking for attention. It’s not easy when your siblings are Michael and Janet
metacholia@reddit
Forgot she even existed, and I don’t remember her music.
FrogsMakePoorSoup@reddit
She had music?
I could barely name two of Janet's songs if it comes to that.
calbearlupe@reddit
Only 2? Janet had 10 number 1 hits. Michael had 13
CraftLass@reddit
I only remember 1 song by Janet. Actually, I remember the title but I would have to put on the song to remember what it sounds like.
I know intellectually she had a string of them but they are just all so forgettable.
Fitz_2112b@reddit
Didn't think about her at all. Not even once. I forgot she even existed until this post
Super_Ad4363@reddit
Talentless attention whore riding the coattails of her famous brothers.
CountHonorius@reddit
More of a TV personality than anything. Beloved in Europe, however.
heldaway@reddit
I didn’t think of her at all.
Effective_Play_1366@reddit
They didnt really, considering there was Michael and Janet. Oh, I think she did Playboy.
DrKittyKevorkian@reddit
Her appearance as Michael's love interest in Say Say Say haunts me.
wyattdonnely@reddit
Al's Diamond Cabaret
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
I knew her name, that's the extent of it.
UKophile@reddit
Talentless. Hungry to be famous. Jealous of Janet and Michael.
often_awkward@reddit
Somebody once told me that Latoya was Michael Jackson's alter ego when I was in elementary school and I'm pretty sure I just accepted that and moved on.
dormango@reddit
I have a vague recollection of her posing with a snake…which was nice.
withomps44@reddit
Didn’t.
healthyitch@reddit
Didn’t care for any of the Jacksons back then, even Michael. Today, I do like Michael’s music, but purely for nostalgia. Not sure I’d recognize Latoya’s songs.
ViolentCaterpillar@reddit
There were only two members of the Jackson family that the public cared about in the 80s, and she wasn't one of them.
_wizard7@reddit
Always thought she was pretty hot!
digawina@reddit
We didn't.
OkPriority5346@reddit
She could get it. Even now
FacePunchMonday@reddit
Didnt really think about her at all because i listen to metal and i hate pop music
lovelyb1ch66@reddit
She was the Temu Jackson, consistently embarrassing herself and I just felt bad for her.
Krissy_ok@reddit
I didn't think of her at all and I still don't.
DarthShitStain@reddit
One of the things I think my town is least famous for is hosting Ms Jackson at our most luxurious strip club. She was supposed to perform at "Al's Diamond" but Ms Jackson got performances anxiety and chicken out.
arthousepsycho@reddit
It’s a name I knew, but even back then, I don’t think I could name a single song of hers. Still can’t, in fact.
LomentMomentum@reddit
The caption about says it.
ZootTootRiot@reddit
We didn't.
FlashyProject1318@reddit
I still play Camp Kuchi Kaiai if that counts?
IdolL0v3r@reddit
I bought her single "Heart Don't Lie" on 45 rpm vinyl. I guess I liked it, so there you go.
RogerSmith123456@reddit
She had one hit, I remember but it was *her* skin condition that led me to believe there was indeed something physiological happening with Michael’s appearance.
beaujolais98@reddit
Eh… whatever whoever
emcee-666@reddit
Not a musician. Just a part of the backstory.
Low_Presentation8149@reddit
Very screwed up. Abused by her dad. Very sad
Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit
She was a kook
bird9066@reddit
I didn't think about any of the other Jacksons. They were left so far behind by Michael it wasn't funny. A couple of them did some stupid shit that got in the news.
Janet had some songs on the radio too. LaToya said some mean shit about her father. She wasn't wrong but she certainly wasn't loved for it
stuhstutter@reddit
I totally forgot about her for at least thirty years until this very moment.
jonpaladin@reddit
no one is giving real answers.
she was hated for posing in playboy and being an apparent traitor to the jacksons
MaherMcCheese@reddit
I didn’t.
LawfulAwfulOffal@reddit
Quite a few people believed she was Michael, in drag, pretending not to have any talent
Thatstealthygal@reddit
Lol I remember that rumour!
Thatstealthygal@reddit
I didn't even know she existed back then.
NOGOODGASHOLE@reddit
Nothing. Rebee and Janet were the only Jackson sister anyone cared about.
rooftopburners@reddit
Inessence4@reddit
Only she could sing about a dick and have it be utterly forgettable.
Inessence4@reddit
I don’t even remember her at all.
NOGOODGASHOLE@reddit
Only real ones remember her. Huge one hit club wonder.
carpetstoremorty@reddit
Latoya never had a single as good as Centipede. Rebbie at least had that one hit
NOGOODGASHOLE@reddit
Centipede is one of those IYKYK club bangers.
SubstanceNo1544@reddit
Actually hadn't thought about her at all till this post.
BingoSpong@reddit
Didn’t care about any of the Jacksons, not my type of music 🤷♂️
Intrepid_Detective@reddit
Really didn’t think about her at all until you’d see those psychic hotline commercials- she was on a couple of those Lol
LuckyAd2714@reddit
She was weird. And not Janet
PDXisadumpsterfire@reddit
Gen X checking in. Had literally zero thoughts about LaToya, only knew she was Michael’s sister.
AvailableAd6071@reddit
She got multiple plastic surgeries to match Michael. That shit was weird.
Amazing_Factor2974@reddit
Nothing ...avoided anything from her!!
Top-Difficulty5202@reddit
Well. She was seen as a kook. She advertised for psychics. People didn't trust it and seen her as LaToya the lesser. It was Michael and Janet though, really. She popped up here and there though.
CygnsX-1@reddit
The way I remember the timeline: There was the Jackson 5 and they were big. Then Michael went out on his own and sold a trillion albums and was everywhere and on everything. Then Janet came around and was pretty big and did well on her own. Then LaToya showed up and struggled to get any attention. I think society was Jackson'd out by then.
calbearlupe@reddit
Pretty sure only Michael and Janet had real talent.
dharmabird67@reddit
You forgot Jermaine
Quick_Dark244@reddit
Aye man, let’s not forget Tito!
hesathomes@reddit
They didn’t think about her at all. She wasn’t relevant.
calbearlupe@reddit
Who?
I never thought of LaToya
CunningBear@reddit
Still don’t care..
kev1nshmev1n@reddit
She was in playboy, and was putting public pressure on him in regards to explain his relationship with children. As a kid I just thought that was the only way she could get some kind of public attention.
SiroccoDream@reddit
She came across as someone with little musical talent who was trading on the family name to get gigs.
MrJohnnyDangerously@reddit
We didn't, unless she was being crazy
trout715@reddit
I didn't think much about her. I didn't hate her, but was not a fan
ThatGirl_Tasha@reddit
I think we all thought she was the crazy one
ORF1Live@reddit
She sang? Did not know that
Diddydawg@reddit
Wanna be famous but didn’t have the talent.
Street-Recording-513@reddit
runnergirl0129@reddit
Not much. The wanna-be.
BringMeTwo@reddit
IDK why La Toya is getting singled out, the Jackson family was a unit. Name all the Jackson kids and your individual thoughts off the top of your head.
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
Michael, Tito, Marlon, Rebbie, Jermaine, Janet, Randy, La Toya. I am probably forgetting one or two.
BringMeTwo@reddit
Nice OP! Rebbie had her 80s popular song. Centipede
N0stradama5@reddit
The Jackson five, Michael, Janet. And now la Toya.
baloney_dog@reddit
I honestly don't remember her music in the 80's at all. Just that she was an extra-eccentric relative of Michael.
Idaho_In_Uranus@reddit
I only remember seeing her in Playboy.
reallytired-2024@reddit
She was a no talent hack. Getting by on the Jackson name.
tanhauser_gates_@reddit
She was insane.
Injustry@reddit
She was maybe the blackest sheep in the family in the thriller era, with that playboy spread.
Was a teen and thought wow is this really MJs sister, all draped over a rope… going off memory here.
GrandMoffJerjerrod@reddit
Man she was awesome on that psychic network infomercial. 🙄
bigsampsonite@reddit
Corny
Tokogogoloshe@reddit
Never actually heard of her.
Amy_Macadamia@reddit
The only issue of Playboy my father-in-law had was the La Toya issue. It was my husband's coming of age moment when he found it as a boy
ST0IC_@reddit
I remember she was in Playboy.
dannydirtbag@reddit
One of the first pair of boobs I ever saw as a wee lad.
likeittight_@reddit
Noice
dannydirtbag@reddit
likeittight_@reddit
Anotherams@reddit
Her husband/manger forced her to do that. she was exploited.
stargarnet79@reddit
Yeah she never got a break after that.
Tiny_Noise8611@reddit
Who? 😂
FunnyVariation2995@reddit
She was sort of a joke. She was clutching for the success & fame of Janet & Michael. I always felt sorry for her. She & her older sister weren't included in the show biz life like the rest of the kids in the family.
sain197@reddit
Disliked Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna and most all pop music of that type of the time, but at least could admit those folks were talented. La Toya was a complete no talent joke.
cupcakecookiepie@reddit
Her style has always been outdated. Reminded me of my 60 yo Aunt that wore super heavy trashy makeup, still trying to dress like a teenager. Plus the tabloids were always low-key roasting her for everything from her looks to her music via mean headlines and back handed compliments.
puppiesbooksandmocha@reddit
Psychic hotline?
hbgbees@reddit
That’s what I was thinking too
Impossible_Jury5483@reddit
We didn't it was Michael and Janet.
JamesH_670@reddit
I’d say that she was a socialite before I learned the meaning of that term.
Ok_Responsibility419@reddit
We didn’t
Weak_Employment_5260@reddit
I was going to say," Who?"
Sorry-Government920@reddit
Very Little
strumthebuilding@reddit
I was aware of her. Vaguely.
TessOfLesJoueurs@reddit
We didnt.
rackandroll_@reddit
We met our Jackson quota with Michael and Janet.
Nice_Rope_5049@reddit
I liked the music video she made where she’s dancing in a car parkade. The song was good and the visual was very cool, teenaged me thought. I can’t remember the song, though.
I also remember that she was on All in the Family (?) in the 70s. IIRC
AdagioBlues@reddit
Everyone thought that she was a man.
SpaceshipFlip@reddit
If you feel the funk.... pretty good. I remember her mostly as talk show fodder.
Jairoglyphics1@reddit
We knew she existed but didn’t care.
srboot@reddit
She was the hottest though. That’s almost a talent.
Ok_Cicada_3420@reddit
Who?
Uranus_Hz@reddit
Talentless nobody
AntheaBrainhooke@reddit
I didn't. I was very much a Duran Duran girlie.
Zealousideal_Lab_427@reddit
Fellow Durannie, LaToya never made it onto my radar.
aseedandco@reddit
We didn’t.
luluislulu2520@reddit
The only time anything was said was when she was on tv and talked we all said she sounds just like Michael. She seemed nice enough but never got traction in being famous which it seemed like she was desperate to do. It must’ve been hard being in that family and feeling the pressure to be relevant and successful like your siblings. I don’t remember anyone hating her though. Boomer dad’s probably thought she was hot. Genex just knew of her and that’s about it.
i_am_ttrenae@reddit
We didn’t tbh
Whatnowgoddammit@reddit
Exactly
Phildagony@reddit
Attention starved. Gerardo’s friend. Playboy.
Bearbearblues@reddit
She was often on the tabloid shows. She wasn’t really known for her music as much as seeing what she is up to now or bringing to light the abuse in the family.
Rude-Ad-3406@reddit
Reebie has entered the chat
BaldBombshell@reddit
I liked Rebbie's one song.
LazyDramaLlama68@reddit
Centipede
BallsOutSally@reddit
Didn’t Howard Stern interview her and she talked about Phil Spector being sort of a lunatic?
negcap@reddit
Everyone said Spector was a lunatic from the Ramones to Ronnie Spector.
BallsOutSally@reddit
Honestly, I never paid attention. I just vaguely recall a story about Phil Spector standing behind a curtain talking to LaToya and Howard (or someone on the set) making a joke about the tips of his shoes sticking out.
Mind you, this is a 30+ year old memory recall.
AntheaBrainhooke@reddit
He was imprisoned for murder.
UraTargetMarket@reddit
I remember thinking she was kind of weird and not in a good way. I remember she seemed to be stirring drama a lot. Spilling family secrets, but then recanting them. Then she married a shifty guy and decided to do a bunch of nude spreads. That’s my memory. Whether it’s accurate or was swayed by the media, I don’t know. I was probably, like, 13 when she in the news a lot. In reality, she probably had some trauma and was acting out. I hold no ill will towards her.
UraTargetMarket@reddit
OMG! I just read her Wikipedia article. No wonder I thought she was “weird” at the time – she was in an absolutely horrendous controlling and abusive marriage. Poor woman! I feel bad now. She went through a lot.
shadowknight2112@reddit
We didn’t
Genn8130@reddit
I think there were a few sitcom jokes. Probably not very kind ones.
Artios-Claw@reddit
Not one single thought, then or now.
Top_Condition_6390@reddit
A pig.
Strange-Employee-520@reddit
Gen X, we didn't think about her much at all tbh. Then she posed for Playboy and everybody freaked out. I had the impression she was not the family (Joe's) favorite, probably just because she didn't have the same level of fame.
EarlyLiquidLunch@reddit
Thought nothing of her. Michael and Janet only.
No-Ambition7750@reddit
Nothing. I was in grade and middle school from 80-88.
Mediocre-Proposal686@reddit
She was absolutely beautiful until she had too much plastic surgery. It’s really too bad because the vibe I got from her growing up (mind you it was whatever I read in People magazine, the “tabloids” or whatever made our local L.A. papers or news) was that she was very insecure. She always had a very soft voice and looked down a lot. You know the type.
Keep in mind, their dad was really abusive and it wasn’t just to the boys. I’m a woman who had an abusive dad too so I feel sympathy for her. I’m glad she’s wealthy at least. Or hopefully she is ❤️
shitposter1000@reddit
She played Michael's love interest in the Say Say Say video.
Her_name--is_Mallory@reddit
That’s gonna be a ‘no’ for me, dawg.
Melissaschwart@reddit
She had one song that was decent.
Butterfly_Cat777@reddit
I remember that one rather lame pop/dance song and music video she made sometime around the mid-80s. I remember the music video playing for a brief time on MTV and other video shows. It was clear that the people behind it were trying to make her the next Jackson Family Star. IMO she wasn't a very good singer, and her dancing was even worse. it's hard to believe that she shares the same DNA as Michael and Janet. I think most people just thought she had a record because she was Michael's sister. She seemed nice enough as a person then, just made some odd personal and career decisions later on.
1985bianchi@reddit
Who?
vixenlion@reddit
Leave with the Boomer BS
No one cared about her
Watermelon_Sugar44@reddit
I don't remember her singing anything. Wasn't she in Penthouse or something?
regeya@reddit
Playboy
dmbtke@reddit
Playboy
DaffodilsandChronic@reddit
Didn't she have a song? Centepede or something. Either her or the older girl Revie
NepaliCulkin@reddit
LaToya’s cool. She was on Masked Singer a few years back. Really funny and sweet.
Back then, it was tabloid nation. She spoke of the abuse she suffered from her father, with the support of her husband at the time. Then she went dark for a few years. It was rumored her family “quieted her.”
She blamed her accusations on her then former husband in the early 00s (rumored that her family pressured her to make him the fall guy), but has since not denied the accusations against her father and his abuse.
Patient-Chocolate531@reddit
When I was a wee lass, I thought she had the best name of any of the Jacksons.
ggibby@reddit
I didn't.
ruet_ahead@reddit
I thought she was someone making money off of her family name.
JuJu_Wirehead@reddit
We thought she was Michael's alter ego.
Available-Secret-372@reddit
Total nutter
RayBuc9882@reddit
Michael Jackson’s other sister
Patient-Chocolate531@reddit
His other other sister. 😂
birkenstock1977@reddit
ick
Sloth_grl@reddit
She was like an interesting side story. I think I heard more about Michael and Janet but I am an 80’s girl.
Ebessan@reddit
She was in an issue of Playboy that my friends treated like the holy grail.
ConsistentTrainer110@reddit
Even lamer than Janet, and that's saying alot.
mydarkerside@reddit
Michael was soooo huge in the 80's that no one thought of La Toya. The days of the Jackson Five were done by then, so no one thought of the other boys either. The only other Jackson that was a big deal in the 80s was Janet.
Active_Shopping7439@reddit
We didn't
Bflatclar1981@reddit
I thought she was cringe and a product of her sick family/father and our weird pop culture.
dcpanthersfan@reddit
There’s a reason people called her “LaToilet Jackson”.
bodega_steve@reddit
I like her song Hot Potato. It’s a solid uptempo boogie tune that I’ve played in DJ sets. I also like her song Camp Kuchi Kaiai that she co-wrote with Janet.
contude327@reddit
Looney
NacreousFink@reddit
She and Keith Richards won the Alfalfa award for vocals at the Grammys one year.
SidewaysSynapses@reddit
Nobody cared
Technical_Penalty460@reddit
Wasn’t she the psychic queen?
carpetstoremorty@reddit
Least talented Jackson
Upper-Affect5971@reddit
I always wondered where her nose went.
SchrodingersShrink@reddit
I thought her face ate it over time…. it was kinda horrific.
CommunicationNew3745@reddit
She's explained, now, that Michael asked her to get hers done so he'd know what it would look like.
mumblewrapper@reddit
I knew Micheal and Janet had siblings. She was one of them. I'm a young Gen X. I really only cared about Michael.
whistlepig4life@reddit
Why are you asking boomers in this sub?
More_Pineapple3585@reddit
this has motivated me to do a quick ranking:
Neener216@reddit
Every time I see Jermaine's name, all I can think about is Chris Rock's joke about him: "I got the 'Do What You Do When You Did What You Did' album".
SchrodingersShrink@reddit
And now this video and song just popped into my head because of a big gold Jermaine sprinkling fairy dust and rainbows. Song going to be stuck in my ear all night, now, too.
https://youtu.be/lrKZNqIR2U0?si=pIyBHh4SlKgKAeiF
Iron_Chic@reddit
Tito under Randy? You're trippin'
GenXPowaah@reddit
She's mostly known for her Playboy debut
MaximumJones@reddit
Have to agree here. She did it as a desperate attempt for some notoriety. But there was simply no way anyone could compete with Janet in the prime of her career.. She was everywhere.
likeittight_@reddit
The correct answer
PlannerSean@reddit
We didn’t really think about her at all
cooper3675@reddit
I don’t remember her
altairstarlite@reddit
She and Tito were punchlines
heetchmd@reddit
Who?
moneyman74@reddit
She was very much below the radar 'star'....most people did not think anything about her
CaptMerrillStubing@reddit
I think she was seen as a low talent joke.
SchrodingersShrink@reddit
She was in the National Enquirer and other junk gossip rags constantly, IIRC?
I feel like we watched her face fall in and her brain fall apart in real time, over years, while standing in the check out line in the grocery store every week, right? If it wasn’t her it was her brother Michael. And if it wasn’t Michael, it was Princess Diana. There was also when they went through their ‘fascination with Lisa Marie Era’.
It was a really weird time to grow up…
cometshoney@reddit
I only remember that she was in the Say, Say, Say video, she married her much older manager (I think that's what he was), and she was on that reality show where a group of "celebrities" went to Indiana to train to be cops.
73rd-virgin@reddit
I remember seeing her on Armed and Famous with Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne and the midget from Jackass.
cometshoney@reddit
Week Man was on that show? I don't remember that part...lol. I did remember Erik Estrada and Jack Osbourne. Jack went back on an episode of Ozzy and Jack's World Detour, dragging Ozzy along with him. I would have loved to get pulled over by Erik Estrada because that would have been a trip for us CHiPs kids...lol.
EvenSpoonier@reddit
First sort of started liste ing to music around the time she was just going by La Toya, so I didn't actually know she was one of the Jackson family at first (in my defense I was like six years old or something). She was probably the first artist I remember hearing about without ever actually hearing any of her music. I recall being curious but never actually managing to come across any of it.
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
Interesting. For me, the first artist I remember hearing about was Britney Spears, in the very early 2000s (Pre-spiral). Also, I just found out La Toya co-wrote Reggae Night for Jimmy Cliff, so she does seem to be talented, just not nearly as influential or far-reaching as her other siblings.
Independent_Island74@reddit
I didnt
totallyjaded@reddit
She was a punchline, particularly when making reference to someone who had no talent, or who was a bottom-rung celebrity.
Dionne Warwick's quote is spot-on. Pretty much anyone who heard it at the time would have understood exactly what she meant, even if they didn't think it was funny.
Somewhat amusing in retrospect, because in the '90s, both of them shilled for 1-900 psychic hotlines. Dionne Warwick had the Psychic Friends Network and La Toya had her La Toya Jackson Psychic Hotline.
AussieGirl27@reddit
I didn't
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
Interesting. For me, the first artist I remember hearing about was Britney Spears, about the same age in the early 2000s. Also, I just found out La Toya co-wrote Reggae Night for Jimmy Cliff, so she seems to be talented, just not influential like some of her other siblings managed to be.
Academic_Rutabaga649@reddit
Like me they more than likely asked "what does she do again?"
Conscious-Mulberry17@reddit
Not much at all, honestly. I was aware of her existence. That’s about it.
RebaKitt3n@reddit
Who thought about LaToya?
SuzQP@reddit
The Tiger Beat magazine genre would occasionally mention her, but only in relation to the Jackson family. Other than that, I had no awareness of La Toya until she was on the Apprentice.
logarific@reddit
4th best Jackson, behind Michael, Janet and Joe.
cromulenttapeworm@reddit
Put some respect on Tito.
Future-Ruin9770@reddit
This is Marlon erasure and I won't stand for it!
duecesbutt@reddit
Just her weird marriage
Greedy_Blueberry420@reddit
We thought she was the crazy one
RealityDependency@reddit
TBH, I don't know anybody that actually thought about her at all.
likeijustgothome@reddit
My perception was that she was a “hanger on”. That she was talentless and a nut job and sought to achieve fame based on being a member of the Jackson family, not for any creative output of her own.
925doorguy@reddit
She was in all my uncles Playboys he thought were hidden
WalkingOptimist@reddit
We didn’t think about her. But if she was showing up on Oprah to dish on her sibs, we were definitely there for it.
dammitknockitoff@reddit
double-you-dot@reddit
I think most people vaguely knew she existed.
FearlessLychee4892@reddit
Oh, middle school boys that saw her issue of Playboy did!
Bucks2174@reddit
I had Zero thoughts about Latoya Jackson in the 80s. Still zero thoughts today as well.
R67H@reddit
TBH, I totally thought it was Michael in drag for a bit. Wasn't at all interested in her music, so I just got images that filtered in
JenniferJuniper6@reddit
“Oh, you mean he has another sister?” That’s pretty much what I remember.
BurtRogain@reddit
Her Playboy spread wasn’t bad.
relpmeraggy@reddit
It was classy too iirc.
BurtRogain@reddit
8th grade me certainly thought so. Repeatedly. Very, very classy. Not Ronald Reagan’s daughter classy, but he’s he was the president so whatcha gunna do?
discoprince79@reddit
My first ever playboy borrowed from my dad's bottom drawer.
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
lmao. I grew up right when broadband internet became common, so those kinds of magazines had become obsolete when I got around that age. I mean shit, the internet was just right there. I’m also gay, and I assume the gay versions of those magazines were more difficult to find.
Jsmith0730@reddit
I just remember her commercials for the Psychic Friends Network.
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
Is that the psychic hotline that had Miss Cleo in the commercials? One of my earliest memories was seeing that commercial and asking my mom if we could call her, she said no lol
Shotgun_Mosquito@reddit
No, it was different
https://youtu.be/QIRiILC9P3w
https://www.austinchronicle.com/uncategorized-2/latoya-jackson-psychic-network-11730312/#:~:text=LaToya%20Jackson.,a%201%2D900%20Psychic%20Line.
Cool-Contribution292@reddit
Rumor at the time, she was actually Michael
AnneChovie264@reddit
Heart Don't Lie is the only song I vaguely remember.
TheVampireDuchess@reddit
I didn't think much of her or listen to her music. She obviously didn't inherit the musical genes her brothers had.
93195@reddit
Michael’s sister that posed for Playboy.
IwearBrute@reddit
She was shunned by the family after posing in Playboy.
definitely_aware@reddit (OP)
I didn’t know that she was shunned, but I’m not surprised. The Jacksons were Jehovah Witnesses, so basically, they were in a cult. Jehovah Witnesses are instructed to shun family members who leave or go against their rigid social constructs.
Dawner444@reddit
Nepo sister
Glitterbomb4274@reddit
We didn’t.
Long-Trade-9164@reddit
She was mid if anything at all.
pythongee@reddit
I didn't.
earinsound@reddit
me either
Chicagoj1563@reddit
She became famous because of the family she was part of, not based on any talent. That was her reputation.
DiamondContent2011@reddit
We didn't think about her at all. Rebbie was thought about more than LaToya.
Habaneroe12@reddit
Yes she was an afterthought when media spoke of her but she had no hits no hooks music wise
squishistheword@reddit
I’m thoroughly Gen X, born 1970. Michael Jackson (with his brothers) were my first concert: the Victory Tour. I knew of Latoya largely from her playboy spread…didn’t even know she made music.
The_Fugue@reddit
I didn't think about her then nor do I think about her now.
crone_Andre3000@reddit
We knew she was Janet's older sister who had a lot of hair
Captain_Scarlet27@reddit
I don’t think she registered much. I was voraciously into music at the time and don’t recall her or her music making much of a dent at all.
Nervous-Rooster7760@reddit
Nothing really. Fodder for gossip columns.
Pleasant_Expert_1990@reddit
I honestly forgot her first name until this post
OkieTrucker44@reddit
My honest answer is “who?” I don’t remember her really ever being talked about unless someone was going through Michael’s siblings.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Most of us didn't. Whenever she did come up in thought/conversation, it was as a punchline.
MaximumJones@reddit
She had to live her entire life in the shadow of Michael and Janet. The media was REALLY harsh on her at times.
Difficult_Cheek_3817@reddit
not much
Appropriate_Oven_292@reddit
I never saw her or Michael together in the same place at the same time…
dreadful_cookies@reddit
Michael's twin with breasts /pass