Riley Keough says Michael Jackson was a “normal” stepfather

Michael Jackson was perhaps one of the biggest stars in the world, but too Riley KeoughHe was just a typical stepparent.

“I understand that my life wasn't normal, but it just felt normal to me,” Keough, 35, recalled of her relationship with the late pop icon on the Thursday, October 10, episode. Today with Hoda & Jenna. “Looking back, I understand it was a big deal, them together, but it felt completely normal.”

Riley's mother, Lisa Marie PresleyShe married Jackson in 1994, the same year she separated from Riley's father. Danny Keough. The couple were married for two years before separating in 1996. Presley later married Nicolas Cage from 2002 to 2004 and until Michael Lockwood from 2006 to 2021 while Jackson continued to marry Debbie Rowe in 1996. The two were together until 2000.

Reflecting on her mother's romance with Jackson, Riley continued, “They lived together and took me to school and, you know, normal married stuff.”

The actress told Today Cohosts Hoda Kotb And Jenna Bush Hager that the nickname she gave Jackson was “Mimi.”

Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50. Presley, who died in January 2023 at age 54, spoke candidly about her marriage in her new posthumous memoir. From here to the great unknownwhich was completed by Riley.

“I fell in love with him because he was normal, just damn normal,” Presley wrote in the book, released on Tuesday, October 8. “His normal side was a side that no one saw.”

Presley further revealed that she was nervous about having sex with the “Thriller” singer, who she said was a virgin at 35 when they met. “I think he had kissed Tatum O'Nealand he had something to do with it Brooke Shieldswhich hadn't been physical except for a kiss,” she shared. “He said Madonna I also tried to contact him once, but nothing happened. I was scared because I didn’t want to make the wrong move.”

Eventually, Presley said that “the physical things happened” between the two.

Related: Lisa Marie Presley over the years

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, made a name for herself in the public eye. She was only 9 years old when her father died in 1977. As Lisa Marie continued to grow, she quickly followed in her father's footsteps. She released three albums over the course of (…).

Riley, for her part, noted in the book that Presley wanted to be “the perfect wife” for Jackson, but they disagreed about whether they wanted to have children. Jackson then welcomed children Prince (27) and Paris (26) with Rowe (65) and gave birth to son Bigi (21) via surrogate in 2002. Presley shared Riley and son Benjamin, who died in July 2020 at age 27, with Danny, 59. She also shared twin daughters Harper and Finley, 16, with Lockwood, 63.

Riley has now become a mother herself. Us weekly confirmed in January 2023 that the actress and her husband, Ben Smith PetersenShe had secretly given birth to a daughter, Tupelo Storm, via surrogate mother.

“My mom was such a great mom, and I think some of that definitely lives on in me,” Riley continued Hoda and Jenna. “She was much stricter than me.”

Related: Riley Keough and Lisa Marie Presley's bond over the years

After Lisa Marie Presley's death in 2023, her eldest daughter, Riley Keough, picked up where she left off and completed her memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown. Ahead of the book's release in October 2024, Keough spoke publicly about her mother for the first time since Presley's death and spoke candidly about the (…)

She also reflected on how she experienced the “loss of life and the creation of life in such close proximity in time,” adding, “It's a strange and beautiful kind of experience.”

After completion From here to the great unknown Speaking on behalf of her late mother, Riley told Kotb, 60, and Bush Hager, 42, that she hopes readers “connect with her on a human level.”

She explained: “I think a lot of the things she covers in the book are just normal problems. And I think the circumstances are exceptional – in that she is Elvis (Presley)'s daughter and our family is what it is and whatever – but it's addiction and it's mother-daughter relationships and it's about falling in love and getting married and having children and grieving. The themes are very human, so I think she just wanted a human connection. She wanted to express her regret and hoped that people would connect and not feel so alone.”