At a dark time in her life, Margaret Maldonado, found solace in the arms of the legendary Jermaine Jackson. Experiencing a life of hard drugs, drinking, and partying, Jackson swept Margaret all the way off her feet. However, what Margaret didn’t know is that her knight and shining armor/father of her two children was already fully committed to another woman, his bride/Berry Gordy’s daughter, Hazel Gordy.
Jackson Family Values:
Margaret Maldonado was once in a seriously committed 10 year relationship with Jermaine. However, when she first met Jermaine, she quickly found out that he was playing her like a bad habit. In her book, Jackson Family Values, Maldonado opens up about meeting the R&B star and how she quickly fell in love with him.
Drugs, Rehab & How They Met
In January of 1986, at the young age of 21, Margaret had just finished rehab for her drug and alcohol addiction, which she says she used to cope with a her dysfunctional family. After admittedly overdosing more than once, Margaret was ready for a change and she decided to go to rehab. Ready for a new start, that’s when Jermaine strolled into her life at a restaurant. He introduced himself and she was quickly mesmerized. Margaret said Jermaine was charming and flirtatious and that he’d captured her attention by telling her something she had never heard before:
“He asked me if I rode a horse, and did I want to be in a music video in Jamaica,” Maldonado shared with the NY Daily News.
The Bust & Double Pregnancies
At that point, her life was headed in the right direction. Margaret was clean and in love with a loving man. However, she later found out that her knight and shining armor, Jermaine Jackson, had a wife at home.
Margaret quickly found out that Jermaine was leading a double life. While married to Hazel Gordy, Berry Gordon’s daughter, he was in a relationship with her. Despite being married, Jermaine led Margaret to believe that he was leaving Hazel and that they were planning to get a divorce. Later, she would find out that Jermaine was lying. In May of 1986, Margaret discovered that she was pregnant with Jermaine’s baby. While Margaret reveals in her book that Jermaine was excited about her pregnancy, he was still married to Hazel. On Christmas Day when Margaret went into labor, she was in the hospital alone and Jermaine was with his wife. Margaret gave birth to their son, Jeremy Maldonado Jackson, and shared the news with Jermaine via phone.
As the new year began, Jermaine continued to fill Margaret’s head with promises that never came true. While he set up Margaret and their son in a condo in the Pacific Palisades near his home, he still was married to his wife, Hazel. Not only were Hazel and Jermaine still married, they were still involved sexually as Hazel was 8-months pregnant with their third child, Jaimy. Prior to Hazel’s 3rd pregnancy, the couple had 2 children: Jermaine Jr. and Autumn. Margaret learned of Hazel’s pregnancy after photos appeared in the media of a very pregnant Hazel looking after her husband’s mistress’ child. While Jermaine hid Margaret from the family, he allegedly brought their son to meet the rest of the Jackson clan.
The Double Life
As crazy as it sounds, Jermaine Jackson was seeing both women at the same time and was trying to live a double life wth both of them. Apparently his plan was to make his wife, Hazel, believe that Margaret walked away from him and their baby, so Hazel was gonna raise the baby; while making Margaret believe that he and Hazel were living separate lives and about to divorce.
Margaret knew he was married and sleeping with Hazel but their relationship continued. Wanting Jermaine to be in her son’s life, she allowed him to spend time with their son alone. One day, Margaret shared in her book how her and Hazel finally met. After allowing Jermaine to take the baby to a softball game, Margaret became worried after it was getting late. Frustrated, she called Jermaine’s house and Hazel picked up. Tired herself, Hazel revealed that she in fact had the baby the entire time. Jermaine had lied to his wife and mistress again. In order to have the baby at his home, Jermaine lied to Hazel and told her that Margaret didn’t want the baby. When talking to Margaret, he convinced her that his older children liked having their younger sibling around.
The Ultimate Divorce
After years of cheating and lies, Hazel became fed up with Jermaine and filed for divorce in October of 1987, just months after their third child was born in March of 1987. However, Margaret continued her relationship with Jermaine and they had a second son, Jourdynn Michael Jackson on January 9th 1989. Oddly, once Jermaine was divorced from Hazel he never married Margaret. However, she became friends with Jermaine’s former wife, Hazel. The NY Daily News reported that the new besties spent time discussing Jermaine’s new relationship with Alejandra, his brother Randy’s ex-wife. In 1995, Jermaine and Alejandra secretly married, later having children of their own — Jaafar, Donte and Jermajesty. Jermaine divorced Alejandra in 2004, leaving the divorce papers behind in the house as he went on tour.
