This story has been updated on September 23 at 5 am:
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The apology drama has started and man is it confusing, but we will try to explain it to you. Let’s start from the beginning: Nearly 24 hours after Janet Jackson’s headline-making interview with The Guardian hit the internet, a person claiming to be a rep of Janet Jackson released a statement addressing those shocking comments about Vice President Kamala Harris.
As The Root reported, Jackson repeated a widely-debunked conspiracy theory regarding Harris. The star said she heard that Harris is “not Black.”
Naturally, the Internet did its thing and had some serious thoughts for the “Together Again” singer, especially since she has long been vocal about social justice throughout her career.
Then in a statement obtained by Buzzfeed, Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s rep, spoke on the controversial comments. The statement said Jackson “deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris.” The statement also emphasized the icon especially appreciated the VP’s accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman.
“Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discourse,” the statement said. “We appreciate the opportunity to address this and will remain committed to promoting unity.”
As we reported, the statements made by Jackson in the interview were certainly shocking, with the singer continuing to repeat a false theory surrounding Harris’ father. “She’s not Black,” she said in the interview. “That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.” She then added, much to the journalist’s surprise, “Her father’s white. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days.”
She also said she thinks the outcome of the upcoming Presidential election will be “mayhem” no matter who wins. She explained, “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.”
All seemed settled, regarding the comments when the apology was sent out...that is until a rep for Janet told People Elmasri was not affiliated with Jackson and that her brother Randy Jackson is the singer’s manager.
Elmasri’s comments were quoted by many major publications, and it’s still unclear whether Elmasri once worked for Janet or not.
Here’s Time Magazine:
Elmasri told Variety in a separate statement that he “was fired by Janet and Randy [Jackson], after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans,” adding that this was “something I do not deserve.” Variety reported, citing sources close to Jackson’s team, that Elmasri was not believed to be directly associated with the singer. (USA Today reported that Elmasri had never worked on Jackson’s team.) Jackson has been managed by her brother Randy for years, and the siblings, according to Variety, are unavailable for comment as they are mourning the recent death of their brother Tito.
The internet spent most of Saturday and Sunday expressing their disappointment in Jackson, with the “Rhythm Nation” singer trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) for most of that time.
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