Janet Jackson’s QAnon chaos dominated the weekend gossip. The whole thing was bizarre. It started when the Guardian released their interview with Janet, the bulk of which was about her career’s ups and downs. The Guardian journalist then tagged on some political questions at the end, and that’s when Janet beclowned herself. She started saying crazy sh-t about human trafficking and then said that she “was told” that “they discovered” Kamala Harris’s father and he’s white. Kamala Harris’s father is a Black man from Jamaica. It was also like Janet could not comprehend how Harris could be biracial, Black and Indian. Weird considering Janet is the mother of a biracial child. But I digress. After the Guardian piece dropped, a guy named Mo Elmasri claimed to be Janet’s manager and issued a few apologies for the interview on Janet’s behalf. A short time later, Janet and her manager-brother Randy disputed the apologies and said Elmasri does not represent Janet and she’s not apologizing. You can always count on the Jackson family to be messy as hell. Well, there’s more.
Janet Jackson sings about control. But some people in her circle worry she’s handing it over to someone else. Amid the fallout from her comments about Kamala Harris’ race and her camp’s chaotic attempts to manage the situation, insiders are pointing fingers at her brother and manager, Randy Jackson. Sources say that the PR disaster proves that Randy is too inexperienced to handle her affairs and has become too loud a voice in her ear.
The criticism on social media was swift and devastating, while comedian DL Hughley blasted the interview as sounding like a “Trump rally” and even took a shot at the singer’s plastic surgery. “It’s a little ironic to question whether someone is black while you’re breathing through the nose of a white woman!,” he wrote on X.
We’re told that her inner circle was perplexed by the interview, and fear that the fallout could be more severe than that of “N–plegate” after her infamous Super Bowl performance 20 years ago — because her comments could tarnish her sterling reputation as a champion of marginalized groups.
“How can she sing about ‘Rhythm Nation’ and make comments like that?,” said an insider, “It doesn’t even sound like her. She’s so methodical. I don’t know what made her do this.” The source adds that Jackson, who lives in London, “doesn’t really watch the news anymore. She does live in a bubble,” they added.
We’re told Janet learned of the outrage while partying with her crew, including designer Christian Siriano, in Paris. “Janet and Randy’s attitude was to just let it blow over. They weren’t planning to address it,” another source told us.
Meanwhile, a man named Mo Elmasri, claiming to be her manager, issued an apology on her behalf to Buzzfeed — only for her publicist to walk it back in Variety, and declare Elmasri doesn’t work for Janet. They further said the Jackson siblings would not be commenting on the interview as they are mourning their older brother, Tito, who passed away last week. Things got even more confusing after People magazine published another apology, which it updated after the rep told them he does not represent Janet in any capacity, according to the article. Elmasri later alleged Janet and Randy fired him “after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans, and this is something I do not deserve.”
This isn’t the first time Elmasri has claimed he managed Janet. In August, he announced the singer’s upcoming Las Vegas residency as her manager. Janet’s publicity team later sent out an official announcement, but curiously didn’t address Elmasri speaking on the singer’s behalf then. But multiple sources insists, “No one [in her camp] knows who he is!” Another source told us they’ve “never heard of this guy’s name in my life,” and believes, “Randy brought him on.”
“[Randy’s] sabotaging her legacy because he’s not saavy. She’s giving Randy control, and no one understands how he’s managing her, when he’s never had a career. She pays for everything,” they claimed.
They further told us Janet listens to Randy, who is a “Trump supporter and conspiracy theorist. Janet’s bubble is small, and she listens to Randy. She does peddle in conspiracy theories,” they added.
“Janet’s bubble is small, and she listens to Randy. She does peddle in conspiracy theories.” Then why are you letting Janet sit down with the Guardian?? Like, what is she doing in London? She’s been isolated by Randy, who keeps spewing MAGA conspiracies at her, and then he puts her in front of a journalist? I also worry that we’re infantilizing Janet – she’s a grown woman, she’s responsible for being an informed citizen. She’s 58 years old, she absolutely knows better than to spew lies and conspiracies in general and in an interview.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.