The Missing Jackson at Michael’s Memorial: Jesse

A lot of familiar faces from the world of Michael Jackson were missing yesterday at the memorial service: Liz, Liza, Macaulay, etc.

But the biggest absence: Reverend Jesse Jackson. He was nowhere to be seen and did not speak. It was a glaring omission. Jackson raced to Michael’s side in Santa Maria, California during his 2005 child molestation trial. He frequently spoke out for Michael. In December 2006 he went with Michael to James Brown’s funeral.

So what happened? Sources say that Jesse Jackson and Joseph Jackson, Michael’s father, do not get along. Much debate went on for days backstage to get the Reverend on the show. Considering that Al Sharpton and the children of Dr. Martin Luther King got their chances at the podium — and all spoke magnificently — the Jesse Jackson situation is considered the biggest backstage scandal of the memorial.