Janet Jackson Didn’t Apologize for Saying Kamala Is ‘Not Black’
In an interview published in The Guardian on Saturday, Janet Jackson said some shocking things about presidential candidate Kamala Harris. When asked about the prospect of America electing a Black female president, she said of Harris, “Well you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.” When the reporter told her Harris is “both,” she responded, “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’s comments, which The Guardian’s reporter described as “QAnon-adjacent,” seemed to echo a racist line of thinking that Trump himself touted during the National Association of Black Journalists’ panel in August. There, he claimed Harris was “only promoting Indian heritage” until she “happened to turn Black” for political gain. For the record, Harris has always spoken about being raised by her mother, a Tamil Indian immigrant, and her father, who is Jamaican American.
Jackson’s apparent embrace of racist conspiracy rhetoric immediately prompted backlash. On Saturday, Buzzfeed and several other outlets published a statement from Mo Elmasri, a credited producer on her upcoming documentary who claimed to be her manager. “Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments,” Elmasri’s statement said. “She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice-President Kamala Harris’s racial identity were based on misinformation. Janet respects Harris’s dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused. She values the diversity Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”
However, things took a turn for the bizarre on Sunday, when representatives for Jackson told Variety that Elmasri was not, in fact, her manager and wasn’t authorized to speak on her behalf, and the Washington Post confirmed that the singer has not issued an apology. When contacted by the Daily Beast, Elmasri suggested he’d had a falling out with Jackson and her brother Randy, who’s been managing her career in recent years, over her comments in The Guardian. “Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy after her meeting with The Guardian and her unbalanced statements,” her wrote in an email. He added, “All support to Kamala Harris.”
The Cut has reached out to Jackson’s representation for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
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