Janet Jackson admitted her claims that Kamala Harris is not black and has a white father were “based on misinformation.”
Jackson, 58, caused a stir on social media when he told The Guardian about his controversial views on the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate.
She said, ‘Well, you know what they supposedly said? That she’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.’
“His father is white. That’s what they told me. I mean, I haven’t watched the news for a few days. They told me they found out his father was white.”
Responding to a whirlwind of criticism and disappointment over the pop star’s comments, which are similar to those made by 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, her manager issued a statement. Source: BuzzFeed.
Janet Jackson, pictured during an interview on British television, claimed that Kamala Harris is not black and that the vice president’s father is white.
Donald Trump said Harris “turned black” while discussing her race with black journalists in July, and the former president has since stepped up his efforts.
Jackson’s manager Mo Elmasri attempted to clear the air by saying Jackson was misinformed on the matter.
She told Buzzfeed: ‘She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman.
‘Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and recognizes the importance of accurate representation in public discourse.’
She ended the statement by saying that she and Jackson are “committed to promoting unity.”
But this attempt to save his image did not go down well with everyone.
One X user posted: ‘Janet Jackson sounded like an absolute moron in that interview and I’m so disappointed.’
Harris is the son of Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian cancer researcher, and Donald Harris, a black economics professor from Jamaica (pictured together in the 1960s).
“We are less than 50 days away from the elections. We need to speak more intelligently!”
Another user posted on X: ‘Janet Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history. It was just irresponsible of her to repeat something she “heard” about the same thing they’re using against Kamala. Her own race.’
Harris, 59, was born in 1964, the son of Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-born cancer researcher, and Donald J. Harris, a black economics professor from Jamaica.
The couple married in 1963 and separated in 1971, after welcoming Kamala and her younger sister Maya, 57.
Gopalan died of cancer in 2009 at age 70, while Donald Harris, 86, is now professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University after retiring in 1998.
Jackson’s late brother Michael faced controversy over his skin after it changed color from black to white throughout his career. He attributed the condition to a medical condition called vitiligo and denied bleaching his skin.
Trump claimed Harris “turned black” while speaking at a National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago in July.
He said: ‘She was always of Indian descent and was just promoting Indian heritage.
‘I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago, when she became black, and now she wants to be known as black.
-So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?
“I respect both of them, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian through and through and suddenly she turned around and became a black person. I think someone should look into that as well.”
Days later, Harris downplayed the comments and accused Trump of “putting on the same old show of division and disrespect.”
He added: “The American people deserve better.”
Trump is pictured at the National Association of Black Journalists event in Chicago in July, where he made the comments about Harris’ race.
The vice president has yet to comment on Jackson’s remarks about his race.
Trump’s comments about Harris’s race outraged many conservatives; even his own supporters said they were upset with the former president for not focusing on attacks on Harris’s policies.
Earlier this month, Trump appeared to double down on his comments about Harris’s race.
“I don’t care what she is. I don’t care. Whatever she wants to be is fine with me.”
Polls show the race between Trump and Harris remains very close ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 5.