TJ Jackson is honored to help raise his late uncle Michael Jackson's children, and he told ET it's because Michael did the same for him.
TJ Jackson is honored to help raise his late uncle Michael Jackson's children, and he told ET it's because Michael did the same for him and his brothers in 1994.
"Being guardian to my uncle Michael's kids takes a lot of time, and it's something that I put a lot of effort into and take a lot of pride in," TJ said. "For me, I just want to do well for my uncle, and he was such an important person for me when I lost my mother as a 16-year-old that I'm just trying to repay him."
WATCH: Get Your First Look at Lifetime's 'The Jacksons: Next Generation'
Tito Jackson's three sons, TJ, 37, Taj, 42, and Taryll, 40, are opening up their family to reality show cameras for Lifetime's docuseries The Jacksons: Next Generation, which will also feature Michael's three children, Prince, 18, Paris, 17, and Blanket, 13.
TJ admitted that raising teenagers does come with a few bumps in the road. ET asked him about Paris' Instagrams showing off her new bright red hairdo.
"I love Paris, but Paris likes to try different things," TJ said. "So Paris and I used to have a lot of conversations with my grandmother [Katherine] on her style, but she's 17-and-a-half and as long as her core is strong, that's the most important thing."
WATCH: Michael Jackson's Legacy By-The-Numbers
The Jacksons: Next Generation, premiering Friday on Lifetime, primarily deals with the professional and personal lives of Taryll, Taj and TJ, as they navigate through the obstacles of being a Jackson while trying to defend their family name and perform with their R&B group 3T, whose debut album, 1995's Brotherhood, went triple platinum.
Watch the video below for a first look at the show.