If you were around in the early '90s, you remember the headlines. They were everywhere. La Toya Jackson, the "black sheep" of the most famous musical dynasty on Earth, was suddenly everywhere, saying things that made people's jaws drop. She was posing for Playboy. She was writing tell-alls. And she was always, always standing next to a man named Jack Gordon.
For years, the public saw her as a traitor to the Jackson family. A woman who would do anything for a buck or a bit of fame. But the reality was much darker than a simple quest for the spotlight. Honestly, when you look back at the relationship between La Toya Jackson and Jack Gordon, it isn't a story of a pop star gone rogue. It’s a case study in systematic psychological and physical control.
The Manager Who Became a Husband
It started professionally. Mostly. Joe Jackson, the family patriarch, actually brought Jack Gordon in as a co-manager for La Toya in 1987. Imagine that—the man who would eventually tear the family apart was invited in through the front door. Gordon didn’t take long to push Joe aside and take total control of La Toya’s career.
Then came 1989. The year everything changed.
After a concert in Reno, Nevada, Gordon basically told La Toya they were getting married. She said no. She’s gone on record saying she told him point-blank: "No way, Jack! I can’t marry you... I don’t love you." He didn't care. He reportedly told her it was for her own protection—that her family was planning to kidnap her.
📖 Related: Chloë Grace Moretz Ass: Why The Internet Scrutiny Was Actually Pretty Toxic
They married on September 5, 1989. It wasn't a romance. It was a hostage situation with a marriage certificate.
Brainwashing and the Michael Jackson Allegations
This is where things get truly messy. Gordon knew that to control La Toya, he had to isolate her. He took her passport. He moved her to Europe. He monitored every single phone call. If her mother, Katherine, called, Gordon was listening.
The most damaging part of the La Toya Jackson and Jack Gordon saga involved her brother, Michael. In 1993, while Michael was facing his first set of child abuse allegations, La Toya held a press conference in Tel Aviv. She sat there and told the world she believed the charges against her brother were true.
The world hated her for it. Her family disowned her.
But years later, we found out the truth: Gordon had literally scripted those words. He reportedly threatened to have Michael and Janet killed if La Toya didn't go through with it. She was living in a state of constant terror, convinced that if she didn't destroy her brother’s reputation, he might actually lose his life.
The Physical Reality of the Abuse
People often asked why she didn't just leave. It’s never that simple. The violence was extreme.
- The Brass Chair Incident: In 1993, Gordon allegedly beat La Toya with a heavy brass dining room chair.
- The "Death" Scare: He hit her so hard she lost consciousness. She woke up to hear him on the phone saying, "I've killed her. I think she's dead."
- Constant Surveillance: He hired bodyguards not to protect her, but to watch her. She wasn't allowed to leave a room without permission.
She once told an interviewer that she felt like a "Stepford Wife." She’d be out at a fancy restaurant, smiling for cameras, while her body was covered in bruises hidden under designer clothes.
Why Nobody Saw It Coming
The public saw a woman who was "out of control." They saw the Playboy covers and the psychic friends commercials and assumed she was just thirsty for fame. Gordon was a master of the "publicity stunt." He even tried to force her to perform at a strip club in Pennsylvania. When she refused, she was booed by the crowd. She went home and was beaten for it.
The Jacksons weren't oblivious. Janet Jackson famously said back then that Gordon had "brainwashed" her sister. But because Gordon had convinced La Toya that her family was her enemy, she couldn't reach out to them. He fed her lies, telling her they hated her, that they wanted to steal her money, that they were dangerous.
💡 You might also like: What Really Happened With the Ice Spice Leaked Pictures
The Great Escape
The end came in 1996. It wasn't a legal battle first; it was a literal rescue. Gordon was planning to put La Toya in a pornographic film. That was the breaking point.
She managed to get a secret message to her brother Randy. While Gordon was out of their New York apartment, Randy flew in and helped her get out. She filed for divorce shortly after, and the details that came out during the 1998 court proceedings were harrowing.
Judge Carl J. Christensen eventually dissolved the marriage, restored her name to La Toya Jackson, and issued a permanent restraining order. Gordon was ordered to pay a $350,000 settlement, though La Toya later claimed she never saw a dime of it.
Life After Jack Gordon
Jack Gordon died of cancer in 2005. By then, La Toya had spent years rebuilding her life. She reconciled with Michael. She supported him through his 2005 trial, showing up at court dates and proving that the sister who "betrayed" him was never really there—it was a woman under duress.
In her book Starting Over, she laid it all out. She didn't make excuses, but she provided the context the world was missing in the '90s. She transformed from a punchline into a survivor.
Actionable Insights for Recognizing Coercive Control
The story of La Toya and Jack is an extreme celebrity example, but the tactics used are common in many abusive relationships. If you or someone you know is in a similar situation, look for these specific red flags of coercive control:
- Isolation from Family: The abuser creates "reasons" why friends and family are "toxic" or "dangerous" to keep the victim dependent.
- Financial Control: Taking over bank accounts, contracts, or passports to prevent a quick exit.
- Reputational Sabotage: Forcing the victim to act out or say things that alienate their support system, making them feel like they have "nowhere else to go."
- Threats Against Others: Using the safety of loved ones as a bargaining chip for compliance.
If you are experiencing this, reaching out to a domestic violence advocate is the first step toward a safe exit plan. These situations often require professional intervention because, as La Toya’s story shows, the danger is highest when a victim tries to leave.