Janet Jackson created a firestorm over the weekend when an interview that she did with The Guardian was released. In the interview, the big thing that got people’s attention was that she said she heard that Kamala Harris was “not black.” “Well, you know what they supposedly said?” Jackson said. “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.” She also said she heard Harris’ father was “white.” The reporter quickly told her that Kamala’s mother was Indian and her father was Jamaican.
The reporter also asked her what she thought about the election. Jackson said whichever way the election went she thought there was going to be “mayhem.”
“I don’t know,” Jackson stage whispers. “Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.”
That made the media and a lot of people lose their minds. Then came a slew of stories calling her out for her comment about Harris. She got attacked by people like DL Hughley.
#JanetJacksons interview sounded like a #Trump rally! FYI!! It’s a little ironic to question whether someone is black while you’re breathing through the nose of a white woman! #TeamDl
— DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) September 22, 2024
#JanetJacksons interview sounded like a #Trump rally! FYI!! It’s a little ironic to question whether someone is black while you’re breathing through the nose of a white woman! #TeamDl
Yikes, that’s a pretty nasty comment. Then, many black people lit into Hughley in response to defend Jackson.
READ MORE: Janet Jackson Says Something About Kamala Harris’ Race That Has Media Losing Their Minds
Now, normally what you would have in such a situation, the next step would be the calls for cancellation, followed by the obligatory apology so you don’t get canceled.
But that isn’t quite how it worked out with Ms. Jackson.
First, there seemed to be an “apology.”
Buzzfeed reported that Jackson’s manager, Mo Elmasri, released a statement on Sunday saying her comments were “based on misinformation” rather than her actual thoughts on Harris.
“She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman,” the statement said. “Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discourse.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to address this and will remain committed to promoting unity,” the statement concluded.
But then came a new report that she wasn’t walking the remarks back. Jackson’s reps said that the person who spoke was not her manager; that her brother Randy was her manager. The reps said Elmasri was not authorized to speak on Jackson’s behalf and has no connection with her, according to the Daily Beast, although he was listed on IMDB as her manager. So it sounds like whatever the story about the manager, she isn’t caving on what she said.
The Daily Beast reports that Elmasri is now claiming she fired him.
“Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements,” Mo Elmasri told the Daily Beast in an emailed statement.
“That’s all I can say,” he added. When asked for further comment, he said he could not “receive phone calls due to the large number of calls,” while adding, “All support to Kamala Harris.”
Sounds like Jackson did not agree with his statement.
