Pop star Janet Jackson has been the center of attention following her controversial comments regarding U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. According to The Guardian, Jackson allegedly questioned Harris' ethnicity and implied that the U.S. might not be ready for a woman of color to assume the role of president.
As the story gained momentum, rumors began swirling that the All For You pop star had apologized. However, the singer has not yet issued any such official statement. According to PEOPLE, Janet's representative said Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, shared an unauthorized statement.
Janet Jackson says she thinks it's "going to be mayhem" regardless of who wins the presidential election
During an interview with The Guardian that came out on Sunday, September 22, Janet Jackson claimed to have heard that Kamala Harris was not black and her father was white. When probed about her inclinations about the 2024 presidential race, the Rhythm Nation singer said,
"Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian."
However, reporter Nosheen Iqbal interjected, pointing out that Harris had dual ethnicity, i.e. Black and Indian. She also told Jackson that her father is Donald J. Harris, a Jamaican economist at Stanford. However, Jackson replied,
"Her father’s White. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. I was told they discovered her father was White."
She was then asked if she thought "America is ready for [Harris] — if we agree she’s black? Or, OK, a woman of color?" to which the singer said,
"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, but we’ll have to see."
Harris has long identified as Black and Asian-American and has been vocal about her upbringing. Notably, she attended Howard University, a historically all-black school. Her father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican native, while her mother, Shamala Gopalan, was born in India. Her father was the first person to be employed in Stanford’s economics department.
Mo Elmasri, Janet Jackson's supposed representative, claims he got fired following backlash
Following the public outcry for an apology, Buzzfeed first broke the news that Jackson's representatives had stated on her behalf. Monday, Elmasri, falsely claiming to be Jackson's manager, said,
"She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman. 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."
However, Variety refuted the statement, noting that Jackson's brother Randy had been her manager for many years. According to the news outlet, Jackson refused to comment on the debacle because she was still in mourning for her brother, Tito, who passed on September 15. Per TMZ, Jackson's representatives claimed Elmasri had “absolutely no connection to her.”
Following the news of the inauthentic statement, Elmasri told Variety that he was fired, and it was something he did "not deserve." He said,
"Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements. That’s all I can say. All support to Kamala Harris.”
Per his IMDB page, Mo Elmasri served as a producer of Jackson’s documentary, Family First, Deadline reported. On Celebrity Service, an industry site, Elmasri is listed as her manager. However, USA Today reported that he had never worked closely with Janet Jackson.
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