ETA: Time reported on Sept. 23 that Mo Elmasri created and released the apology, not Jackson herself. According to the article, Elmasri told Variety that he “was fired by Janet and Randy [Jackson], after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans.”
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The pop legend Janet Jackson has apologized for questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnicity, reported Buzzfeed.
“[Jackson] deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman,” the singer said to Buzzfeed in a statement through her manager, Mo Elmasri. “Jackson apologizes for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discourse.”
Jackson sparked controversy by questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ identity as a Black woman. In an interview with The Guardian, Jackson challenged Harris’ claims of having Black ancestry. Harris’ late mother was Indian; her father is Jamaican. Both parents were immigrants.
“Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian. 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 that they discovered her father was white,” Jackson said.
The Guardian interviewer, Nosheen Iqbal, then mentioned that Harris is multiracial.
“Harris has dual heritage, I say, and, given this moment, does Jackson think America is ready for her?” Iqbal asked.
Jackson then channeled her inner Michael Jackson and moonwalked back from the question.
“I don’t know. 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. I think there might be mayhem. Either way it goes, but we’ll have to see,” she told The Guardian.
Donald Trump said similar things as Janet Jackson did
As most political observers and pundits are aware, Harris’ opponent Donald Trump incited uproar at the National Association of Black Journalists when he questioned the validity of a Harris’ ethnicity, much like he did former President Barack Obama.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump railed against Harris. “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she became a Black person.”
Political observers excoriate Janet Jackson for her comments
The youngest member of the Jackson musical dynasty incited a backlash on X with her inflammatory and confusing answers.
One person wrote a scathing critique of Jackson’s political acumen.
“Janet Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history. It was simply irresponsible of her to repeat something she ‘heard’ regarding the very thing that they use against Kamala! Her own race. We are less than 50 days away from the election. We gotta talk smarter!” the person stated.
“It’s clear that Janet Jackson has been reading things in the dark corners of the internet, and that makes me very sad,” journalist Yashar Ali penned.
A third person, TV host Brandon Pope TV, also blasted Janet and others.
“We have a misinformation crisis in America. And it’s been created and fueled with intention to sow distrust. It’s unfortunate to hear such a high-profile person like Janet Jackson parroting it, but it’s a reminder of how far-reaching it can get,” Pope wrote.
