Janet Jackson’s team has denied issuing an apology for her remarks claiming Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is “not Black.”
A rep for the “All For You” songstress told People Sunday evening that an earlier statement shared by Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, was unauthorized.
Her rep told the outlet that Elmasri is not the singer’s manager, nor does that person represent her in any capacity. Randy Jackson is her manager.
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10 Elmasri claimed in the unapproved statement that Janet was apologizing for her comments on Harris’ racial identity, which were “based on misinformation.”
The “Feedback” hitmaker, 58, came under scrutiny after questioning Harris’ race during an interview with the Guardian published on Saturday.
When the pop star was asked about her thoughts on Americans voting for the first Black female presidential nominee, Janet said of Harris, “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
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10 She continued, “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.”
Harris’ parents were both immigrants, with her father being born in Jamaica and her mother in India.
Janet was then asked if the US was ready to have Harris, 59, in the Oval Office over Republican opponent and former president Donald Trump.
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10 “I don’t know,” the five-time Grammy winner responded. “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.”
The “Nasty” singer was swiftly criticized on social media for her comments.
“This is why she’s irrelevant and leeching off of her brothers’ success,” one person wrote on X, referring to Janet’s late brother Michael Jackson.
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10 “I have always been a fan of Janet Jackson but this just no. Stop,” another chimed in.
Several others pointed out how Michael’s skin tone became lighter in the early 1990s, which he claimed was due to vitiligo.
Per Mayo Clinic, vitiligo is a condition that leads to color loss in the skin.
“Janet, you know better than to believe that nonsense … especially after all the race controversies Michael went through,” another critic added.
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10 Others compared the music icon’s controversial comments to Trump’s false claims that Harris changed her race.
“I’ve known her a long time, indirectly, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” the “Apprentice” alum, 78, said in July while speaking at the National Association for Black Journalists.
“I did not 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.”
Janet Jackson’s “apology” for questioning Kamala Harris’ race was reportedly unauthorized. Janet Jackson/Instagram
A rep for the “All For You” songstress told People Sunday evening that an earlier statement about Harris shared by Mo Elmasri was not approved by Jackson’s team. AFP via Getty Images
Her rep told the outlet that Elmasri is not the singer’s manager, nor does that person represent her in any capacity. BBC Radio
Randy Jackson is her manager. Getty Images
The pop icon came under fire after commenting on Harris’ race during an interview with the Guardian published Saturday. Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock
“She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian,” Janet said of Harris. AFP via Getty Images
“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,” the songstress added of Harris. Getty Images
Janet faced backlash for her comments. Getty Images
Harris’ father was born in Jamaica and her mother was born in India. Getty Images
The vice president’s Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has also made false claims about her race. Getty Images