Janet Jackson has not backed down from a bold statement she made earlier about Kamala Harris’s race.
On Sunday, TMZ reported that claims that the 58-year-old singer-songwriter retracted her comments about the Vice President’s father being white and not black were false.
According to the tabloid, Jackson’s representative claimed that Mo Elmasri, who was identified as her manager in a viral report, had no relationship with her and that her real manager was her brother, Randy Jackson.
The explanation came after BuzzFeed published an article quoting Elmasri as saying the “Together Again” hitmaker had retracted her controversial comments about Harris’ father’s race.
In BuzzFeed’s report, Elmasri, who is described as Janet’s manager, is said to have said that the artist realized her statements stemmed from false claims she heard somewhere.
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The BuzzFeed article quoted Elmasri as saying: “Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discussions,” and that the singer’s statement was “based on misinformation.”
“[Jackson] “We have great respect for Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman,” Elmasri added. “We appreciate the opportunity to address this issue and will continue to be committed to promoting unity.”
BuzzFeed’s report appears to be in response to what Jackson said in an interview with The Guardian published on Friday.
When asked to comment on the possibility of having the first black female president after the upcoming election, Janet said, “You know what they say? She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
“Her father is white. That’s what I’ve been told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. I’ve been told that they found out her father is white,” she continued.
TMZ notes that Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, is Indian, while her father, Jamaican-American economist Donald Harris, is black.
It is important to note that as of the time of this writing, Janet Jackson has yet to publicly address or clarify her initial comments about Vice President Harris.
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