Where is Michael Jackson’s Chimpanzee Bubbles Now? Inside His ‘Peaceful’ Life and Why Filmmakers Used a CGI Chimp in ‘Michael’ 

Home Film Columns Apr 24, 2026 11:15am PT Where is Michael Jackson’s Chimpanzee Bubbles Now? Inside His ‘Peaceful’ Life and Why Filmmakers Used a CGI Chimp in ‘Michael’  PETA praises filmmakers and Lionsgate for not using a real primate. By Marc Malkin Plus Icon Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events marcmalkin Latest Jack Nicholson Seen in Rare Photo Posted by Daughter Lorraine for His 89th Birthday 1 hour ago Shawn Levy Says AI Will Become an ‘Essential Tool’ for Moviemaking but He Hasn’t ‘Incorporated’ It in ‘Any Meaningful Way’ Yet 3 days ago LaToya Jackson Says Sister Janet ‘Kindly Declined’ to Be Portrayed in ‘Michael’: ‘I Wish Everybody Was in the Movie’ 3 days ago See All Sankei via Getty Images Michael Jackson’s love of animals takes center stage in the new biopic “Michael.” Featured in the movie are several of Jackson’s pets that he owned when he still lived at his family estate in Encino, Calif., including a llama, giraffe and a python as well as the most famous of them all, his chimpanzee Bubbles. The film introduces Bubbles when he is first delivered to Michael (Jaafar Jackson) as his family looks on in horror. His mother, Katherine (Nia Long), questions her son’s choice, asking him if he realizes that chimpanzees are “wild animals” that don’t belong in a house in the suburban San Fernando Valley. Related Stories No Doubt's Tom Dumont Reveals He Has Parkinson's Disease: 'It's a Struggle Every Day' — but 'I Can Still Play Guitar'