Michael Jackson's Chimp Bubbles New Life Revealed: Ultra-Famous Monkey, Now 43, Living 'Privately' After Retiring From Show Biz — As He's Portrayed by CGI in King of Pop's Critically Trashed Biopic
Michael Jackson's beloved chimp Bubbles is ready for his big screen close-up.
April 23 2026, Published 5:35 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson's new biopic might not be thrilling critics, but the movie apparently does have one breakout star, RadarOnline.com can reveal – Bubbles the chimp.
While he's being portrayed by CGI in the flick, the singer's pet chimpanzee of over 20 years is still alive and thriving at a private primate sanctuary in Florida.
Bubbles' Backstory
Jackson bought Bubbles in the 1980s.
Jackson bought the animal from a Texas research facility sometime in the early 1980s. He was initially kept at the Jackson family home in Encino and was later moved to Jackson's Neverland Ranch in 1988.
While under the Beat It singer's care, Bubbles slept in a crib in Jackson's bedroom, used Jackson's toilet, and ate the star's candy in the Neverland movie theater.
The new film, simply titled Michael, ends that same year, with Jackson infatuated with his hairy friend.
However, like many teens, Bubbles eventually became a bit too rowdy and rambunctious for Jackson, especially when the global superstar was entertaining children.
"What happened to Bubbles in the end was that he started j---ing o-- in front of busloads of school children who would come to Neverland Ranch," Stephen Davis, Jackson's ghostwriter, told the Popb---h Substack. "So they kept him out of sight and re-trained him."
'That Was the End of Bubbles'
Jackson's own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, plays the icon in the new biopic.
Sadly, Davis revealed the "retraining" didn't take.
"But one day, some special school children came to Neverland – from Japan, I heard later – and because the kids wanted to know where Bubbles was, they brought the monkey out," he continued.
“So they bring him out, but he had managed to reach into the diaper and had these two handfuls of monkey s--t in his paw, which he threw at the kids.
'And that was the end of Bubbles."
Retiring Down to Florida
Bubbles spends his days now quietly painting in Florida.
Bubbles was moved to the Center for Great Apes, a sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida, where he has lived since 2005. Now 43, he is said to be calm and "aging gracefully" with days consisting of quiet hobbies rather than limousine rides and red-carpet appearances.
"Bubbles takes naps in the afternoon, and usually makes his nest for the night by 6 pm, sleeping until early morning," said Patti Ragan, the center's founder.
She also said Bubbles relishes dining with his chimp friends and meandering along the center's aerial trailways.
"His favorite activity is hanging out with his chimp friends as they enjoy meals together," she said – underlining his shift from diva to down home.
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Michael Jackson's Personal Menagerie
The chimp just celebrated his 43rd birthday.
Bubbles' current home houses other screen-famous primates, such as Ripley, 37 — who appeared in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Junior, and BamBam, 34, known for his role in the soap opera Nurse Precious.
After Jackson died in 2009, rumors circulated that Bubbles had been left $2million in the singer's will.
Ragan dismissed that claim in 2019, confirming the chimp was "not named" in the estate documents and saying his care has been covered by the Jackson estate since he arrived at the sanctuary.
Jackson's Neverland menagerie was a private zoo filled with exotic animals like tigers, giraffes, elephants, and monkeys – including famous chimp Bubbles. There were also numerous reptiles, functioning as part of his personal, Peter Pan-themed fantasy world.
The animals were all eventually relocated as the singer's financial and legal troubles mounted before his drug overdose death in 2009 at age 50.
