Singer Janet Jackson recently found herself embroiled in controversy after making comments about Vice President Kamala Harris, where she said she was not African-American, blaming “misinformation.”
Jackson’s remarks were considered insensitive by many. In response to the public’s reaction, the artist decided to publicly apologize.
Janet Jackson’s Apology
In response to the controversy, Mo Elmasri, representative for Michael Jackson’s sister, shared a press release with Buzzfeed on Sunday, saying that Janet relied on “misinformation” when talking about Kamala.
“Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and recognizes the importance of accurate representation in public discourse,” her agent said.
“We appreciate the opportunity to address this issue and will remain committed to promoting unity. She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman,” she added.
In a recent interview with British outlet The Guardian, Janet Jackson spoke about Harris’ family and ethnicity, before admitting that she had no idea what she was talking about.
“You know what they supposedly said? She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian. Her father is white. That’s what they told me. But I also haven’t watched the news in a few days. They told me that they found out that her father was white,” the interpreter said in the interview.
Jackson’s comments came at a time of growing attention to Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of Indian and African descent to serve as vice president. However, her racial identity has also been the subject of scrutiny and debate.
Last July, her rival for the November election, former Republican President Donald Trump, questioned whether Harris was African-American during a public address.
Janet Jackson talks about Kamala Harris’ racial identity to @Guardian:
“She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she she’s Indian… Her father she’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. pic.twitter.com/blru0KuotO
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 21, 2024
Public reaction to Janet Jackson’s comments
Janet Jackson’s remarks quickly sparked a wave of criticism on social media. The response was immediate, with a large number of people expressing their discontent on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, where several users immediately criticized and mocked Jackson for misinforming people and sharing erroneous theories about Harris, supposedly promoted by Donald Trump.
Kamala Harris is the eldest daughter of immigrant couple Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica, who divorced when she was seven.
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