Riley Keough Says Mom Lisa Marie Presley’s Relationship With Michael Jackson Was ‘Genuine’

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley may have had one of the most talked-about celebrity relationships pop culture has ever seen, but only a rare few got to observe the couple up close — one of them being actress Riley Keough, the “Now What” singer’s daughter.

And in a conversation with Alex Cooper on a Call Her Daddy episode posted Wednesday (Jan. 15), the 35-year-old Daisy Jones & The Six star shed some rare insight on her mom’s romance with the King of Pop. “The one thing I know is that they were in love, and that their love for one another was genuine,” Keough told the podcast host. “Everything else I don’t know, because I wasn’t there for it.”

Lisa Marie — Elvis’ only child, who died at 54 years old in January 2023 — shared Riley and late son Benjamin Keough with first husband Danny Keough. The “To Whom It May Concern” songwriter was later married to Jackson from 1994 to 1996, after which she wed Nicolas Cage (2002-04) followed by music producer Michael Lockwood (2006-21), with whom she shared twin daughters.

While speaking to Cooper, Riley also reflected on how her childhood changed when the “Thriller” singer — who died in 2009 — entered the picture. “Our life wasn’t crazier,” she said candidly. “That already existed: the press, the crazy, the paparazzi and all that.”

“I think when she saw Michael’s life, there were things he had that she didn’t have,” continued the Under the Bridge actress. “Before that, she was with my dad, and their life was very simple. She didn’t have 10 million assistants. She didn’t need all that, and I think that changed.”

“There was a lot of closing down things for us,” Riley added of the time period. “It was kind of the only way our family could do things, like if we wanted to go to a toy store, something like that, or ride rides.”

On a more serious note, Riley also addressed the allegations of child molestation her onetime stepfather faced during his lifetime, about which she said she “was never told anything” when she was a kid. Jackson was acquitted on all charges of child molestation in his 2005 trial – with his estate also continuing to emphatically deny all abuse allegations made against him — but two men named Wade Robson and James Safechuck have continued to claim that the superstar sexually abused them as children in civil lawsuits and in the 2019 HBO docuseries Leaving Neverland. 

“I think it just was what it was,” the actress said of the controversy, noting that she’s never sought out more information on the matter since becoming an adult. “We didn’t know anything. We didn’t know about the allegations. We had no awareness of that.”

Listen to Riley Keough talk about her mom’s relationship with MJ on Call Her Daddy below.