- Subscribe to our US Editor’s Picks newsletter to receive the top exclusive stories.
He was recognized for living it up and traveling the world asMichael Jackson’s companion but now Bubbles the chimpanzee is enjoying a peaceful retirement inFlorida.
As he nears his 43rd birthday in April, he appears as a mere echo of his former self due to his late nights of partying with Bon Jovi and now spends his remaining days at the Center for Great Apesin Wauchula, Florida, where he enjoys nothing more than an early bedtime.
Patti Ragan, the center’s creator, recently posted images of Bubbles with the Daily Mail and mentioned, “Bubbles is growing older with elegance.”
Bubbles naps during the afternoon and typically builds his nighttime nest by 6pm, sleeping until early morning.
She mentioned that when he is not asleep or eating, he enjoys watching the Disney film Chimpanzee and painting.
“But his favorite pastime is spending time with his chimpanzee companions while they share meals together,” Ragan stated.
His days are filled with his longtime chimpanzee family (Oopsie, Boma, Kodua, and Stryker).
The chimpanzee, who is approximately 50 years old in human terms, spends his mornings being groomed by Oopsie and Kodua, and then spends the rest of the day walking through the sanctuary’s elevated pathways to visit other chimps and staff, she mentioned.
Bubbles has been residing at the sanctuary since 2005,after he was considered “no longer appropriate for living among others,” the center stated.
The 185-pound chimpanzee serves as the group’s leader at the attraction, which is closed to visitors, and possesses a ‘calm and artistic demeanor.’
He has been characterized as “quiet and reserved” even though he previously led a highly visible life and dedicates much of his time to crafting. ‘colorful works of art.’
“He exclusively provides the canvas once he is completely done, and his dynamic style occasionally extends past the edges!” the center stated on its website.
In 1983, Jackson adopted Bubbles when the chimpanzee was only eight months old. Bubbles slept in a crib within the singer’s bedroom and was frequently dressed in human clothing.
At the age of four, Bubbles went on a trip toJapanwith the King of Pop, and even made appearances in several of Jackson’s music videos.
Jon Bon Jovi shared a story about socializing with a chimpanzee at a Tokyo hotel during the 1980s while speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in a 2024 interview.
“Bubbles descends and causes chaos. Bubbles celebrates like a rock star,” Jon Bon Jovi said to Kimmel.
Slightly confused, Kimmel inquired, “Wait, how did Bubbles get there? So Bubbles was running around in your room?” to which Jon Bon Jovi replied, “Oh yeah.”
He described how Bubbles was “jumping on the bed” and “putting on a performance.”
The artist behind “Bad Medicine” discussed how Bubbles “held on tightly.”
As per Jon Bon Jovi, Bubbles was present at the party in the room for an extended period. Indeed, it reached a stage where the hotel staff considered evicting the band from the hotel.
And this was not the first instance he caused disorder.Actress Rashida Jones, whose father Quincy composed several of Jackson’s songs, was bitten by Bubbles when she was only nine years old.
During an interview with The New Yorker in 2024, she remarked: “I’m sorry, I was just sighing because I was thinking about how I was bitten by his monkey.”
It was my responsibility. Well, actually, it’s not my fault. I didn’t place a chimpanzee in overalls and a diaper.
Bubbles is located at the same facility as other well-known chimpanzees, including Ripley, who starred in the films Ace Ventura and Junior.
BamBam is also present, having appeared in the soap opera Nurse Precious for three seasons. He reached the center in the same year as Bubbles.
Jackson had to give up Bubbles once he started showing aggressive behavior, but first he reached out to the renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.who passed away in October at the age of 91.
Goodall met with him and subsequently claimed that Bubbles was being physically abused while in the Hollywood star’s custody.
The support Bubbles receives at the facility is provided by the Michael Jackson Estate.
It remains uncertain how much the estate provides yearly, although the center’s website projected an annual cost of $30,000 to maintain each chimp. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Michael Jackson Estate for a response.
Following Jackson’s passing in 2009, there were whispers that Bubbles received $2 million from the King of Pop’s will, but Ragan denied these claims in 2019.
“The reality is that Bubbles was not mentioned in Jackson’s will,” she wrote at the time.
Even though Bubbles isn’t expected to return from retirement for the new biographical film called Michael, it seems the animal will still have a presence in the movie.
Actress Lilly Colucci is currently noted as portraying the chimp on IMDB. The movie is scheduled for an April release.
Read more