An abusive father, the loss of a brother, and the most famous halftime show ever - would
you believe we've only scratched the surface? Stay tuned to find out tragic details about
Janet Jackson.
Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana. According to Biography, mom
Katherine Jackson was a homemaker and talented singer-piano player in her own right, while
dad Joe Jackson worked as a U.S. Steel crane operator. Music and faith were key parts of
the Jacksons' family life. But while Janet has always seemed particularly close with
her mother, the pop culture icon had a very different relationship with her father, telling
Marie Claire -
"The sound of his car stopped us cold. We'd scatter like roaches, off to our rooms, ducking
down low so as not to be visible through the windows. We didn't know what mood Joseph was
bringing home."
While Janet's late brother, Michael Jackson, often spoke out about Joe's infamous physical
and emotional abuse toward him and his brothers, she revealed on "Piers Morgan Live" that her
father once hit her when she was eight years old. Noting that she didn't agree with Joe's
abusive parenting, Janet reflected -
"I wish our relationship was different, but I know that he loves me."
In 1982, Janet Jackson released her first self-titled album, but she was much more known
for her screen work. She'd warmed the hearts of millions as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom
"Good Times," and her acting career continued to blossom with another gig on "Diff'rent
Strokes." With her stunning looks and natural dance ability, it seemed only fitting that
Jackson landed a role on the fourth season of "Fame." But her time on the TV spinoff
of the hit '80s movie only lasted one season, and rumors soon emerged that some members
of the teen cast felt they weren’t treated fairly by the producers.
Though we can't confirm that allegation, Jackson candidly opened up about her experience during
a 2012 interview with Anderson Cooper.
"I have to tell you, I didn't enjoy it at all."
"Why?"
"I… didn't want to be there."
The singer spoke fondly of her castmates, but admitted that they would play pranks on
her, such as smoking marijuana outside her bungalow and giving her a headache, or stealing
her breakfast on set. Noting her secret marriage to James DeBarge at the time, she went on
to say:
"I was not in a great space. I was 18 — I had gone through a lot in my life. I was going
through a lot in my marriage. […] And it was very difficult on a kid."
When it comes to her personal life, Janet Jackson has always been notoriously private.
But even her famous family were reportedly blindsided when it emerged that the 18-year-old
singer-actor and 21-year-old James DeBarge, an R&B singer, had secretly wed in September
1984.
While James' brother, El DeBarge, told the Los Angeles Times that the couple had been
dating for a couple years before the marriage, the union still angered both Janet's father,
Joe Jackson, and record executives, who felt the elopement was in conflict with her image.
According to the Daily Beast she was dealing with pressure from her team and also her husband's
struggles with drug addiction and depression. This pressure eventually led to Janet filing
for an annulment in November 1985.
However, rumors soon emerged that she was pregnant with their daughter and had given
up the child for adoption. DeBarge himself added fuel to the fire by claiming on "Growing
Up Hip Hop" in 2016 that there was indeed a secret child. However, in a 2001 interview
with Vibe, Janet denied the allegation, saying -
"They say the kid's in Europe or that one of my brothers or sisters is raising it. But
no, I've never had a child."
After her annulment from James DeBarge, Janet Jackson began dating her longtime friend,
René Elizondo Jr. The future director and songwriter had found work as an assistant
cameraman when he first met the youngest Jackson. At the time, she was around 15 or 16. Jackson
secretly married Elizondo in 1991, and even chose not to inform her father.
Elizondo went on to direct his wife in music videos like "That's the Way Love Goes" and
"Together Again," and in September 1993, the hitmaker appeared topless on the cover of
Rolling Stone, with the hands of her husband covering her breasts. But by January 1999,
the pair announced in a joint statement that they were to separate. This also marked the
first time it was publicly confirmed they were legally married.
Jackson's ex-husband later filed a spousal support lawsuit against her. The case was
eventually settled for around $10 million in 2003. Jackson told Entertainment Weekly
-
"I wish we could've worked it out in a totally different manner. I really do. God knows I
tried."
In 1997, Janet Jackson released her sixth studio album, "The Velvet Rope." The ever-evolving
artist had shown fans her cutesy image with her debut and sophomore albums, but the tone
of her sixth album was remarkably different. It spawned radio-friendly hits such as "Got
'Til It's Gone" and "'Together Again," but "The Velvet Rope" also revealed Jackson's
longtime struggle with depression, which was touched upon in songs like "Empty" and "I
Get Lonely."
Talking to Newsweek about the process of making the album, Jackson revealed -
"I was very, very sad. Very down. [I] couldn't get up sometimes. There were times when I
felt very hopeless and helpless, and I felt like walls were kind of closing in on me."
During a 2018 interview with Essence, Jackson further shared that factors like, quote, "childhood
feelings of inferiority" and issues revolving around racism and sexism in society compounded
her depression, but added that she, quote, "found [her] way through it."
By the early 1980s, the HIV/AIDS crisis began to spread around the world. The epidemic would
affect every community and creed, killing millions over the next few decades, but also
disproportionately impacted men in the gay community. For her part, Janet Jackson sadly
lost friends to AIDS complications, but has long expressed public support for the LGBTQ+
community — including through her song, "Together Again," off her 1997 album, "The
Velvet Rope."
Donating some of the tune's proceeds to the American Foundation for AIDS Research in her
ongoing support for their quest to find a permanent cure, Jackson opened up about the
meaning behind her eighth No. 1 single, explaining:
"I believe we have other lives [...] I don't believe in the finality of death. I wanted
to write about friends who have died of AIDS without being mournful or sad. ... I wanted
to celebrate their spirit."
As Style explained, Jackson also sang openly about same-sex relationships and combatting
homophobia on "The Velvet Rope." In addition to propelling her to the status of a bona
fide gay icon, her efforts were honored in 2008, when she received the Vanguard Award
at the GLAAD Media Awards.
When Janet Jackson was announced as the halftime show performer for the 2004 Super Bowl, little
did she know that her performance would still be making headlines to this day. As Jackson
danced seductively with Justin Timberlake during his song, "Rock Your Body," the former
NSYNC singer delivered the lyric -
"Bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song."
As he sang those fateful lines, Timberlake pulled at the right side of Jackson's corset-style
top — exposing her bare breast.
In a statement to E!, Jackson's rep made it clear that the, quote, "wardrobe malfunction"
was not meant to happen, explaining -
"Justin was supposed to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. The garment
collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed."
"He was to take and rip the piece off that he did -"
"The leather piece."
"Right but more came off than what was supposed to."
BBC News reports that over 540,000 people complained to the Federal Communications Commission
over the so-called "Nipplegate," leaving CBS to publicly apologize and pay out a $550,000
fine.
The fallout from the headline-making incident at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show was infamously
unevenly placed on Jackson — and her multifaceted career suffered for it.
Per Shadow and Act, Jackson was meant to lead a planned movie on the life of singer-activist
Lena Horne, who was allegedly so outraged that she demanded the star be removed from
the film. Meanwhile, according to Huffpost, former CBS chairman Les Moonves reportedly
banned Jackson from the Grammy Awards that same year, but allowed Timberlake to perform
at the ceremony following an apology. According to Rolling Stone, several radio stations and
channels stopped playing Jackson's songs and music videos, which hurt the performance of
her album "Damita Jo.”
The woman who made a name and career for herself by churning out hit after hit for decades
was basically blacklisted by the music industry. In 2021, Timberlake apologized to Jackson
on Instagram, admitting that he didn't speak up about the double standard, adding -
"I fell short in these moments […] and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism."
Janet Jackson has long been idolized worldwide for her strong physique and great smile, but
the hitmaker sadly developed body dysmorphia during childhood. Noting that she began to
cope by overeating, Jackson told the New York Daily News in 1998 -
"I'd look in the mirror and hate myself. I'd sit and cry. It was so hard for me to look
at myself and find something that I liked. Not just physically, but something that was
good in me."
While Jackson was only 10 when she was cast on the TV show, "Good Times," she revealed
in her 2011 book, "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself," that she was
told that she needed to lose weight. Speaking with Meredith Vieira, she revealed how the
constant ridicule she received from her older brothers fed into her insecurity over her
appearance and led her to self-harm. Previously speaking with The Telegraph in 2010, Janet
noted that she'd struggled with bouts of binge-eating, bulimia, and anorexia.
Despite these brave admissions throughout her career, Janet Jackson's post-pregnancy
body was cruelly scrutinized by many media outlets soon after she gave birth to her son
in 2017.
While working on the set of Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Janet Jackson
learned of older brother Michael Jackson's untimely death at the age of 50.
"I was at my house in New York, you know, another day, another morning - and I get a
call."
She'd last seen him the previous month during a huge family get together, telling Harper's
Bazaar -
"We had so much fun that day. We kept calling each other after and saying how great it was."
It later emerged that Michael had struggled with an addiction to narcotics and his official
cause of death from an overdose was later ruled a homicide. The drug had been improperly
administered by Michael's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was found guilty of
involuntary manslaughter in 2011. For her part, Janet personally placed the blame on
Murray, telling ABC's Robin Roberts -
"He was the one that was administering. I think he is responsible."
Janet reflected in her 2011 memoir, writing -
"I can't describe the pain in losing our brother, or the pain of his children losing their father,
or the pain of my parents in losing their son."
After going through two difficult marriages and a heartbreaking split from her partner
of eight years, Jermaine Dupri, by 2009, Janet Jackson still longed for love and had hopes
of one day becoming a mother. The following year, the singer-actor had a real-life meet-cute
with billionaire businessman Wissam Al Mana. According to Page Six, the duo married two
years later in a private ceremony and moved to London, but according to sources cited
by the Daily Mail, cracks eventually started to appear in the union due to their alleged
cultural differences.
While this claim was later denied by Janet's brother, Randy Jackson, some of her prayers
were answered in 2017, when the couple welcomed their first child together, but just four
months later, she and Al Mana announced their separation. Randy alleged to People -
"It was quite an abusive situation. It came on later in the relationship, verbal abuse
and being [made to feel like] a prisoner in her own home. No pregnant woman needs to go
through being called a b—- everyday. […] That's what she went through."
Al Mana denied these abuse allegations, and the divorce resulted in a nasty custody battle
over their son.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National
Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources,
and support at their website.