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As it turns out, Janet Jackson’s alleged “apology” for claiming that Kamala Harris is not black – which echoed a false claim made by Harris’ White House rival, Donald Trump – was not authorized by the singer.
The 58-year-old singer, whose brother Tito died last week at the age of 70, made shocking remarks about the Democratic candidate when asked what she thought about the United States’ first black president.
Less than 24 hours after Jackson’s comments were published in an interview with The Guardiana statement to Buzzfeed by Mo Elmasri, who apparently claimed to be her manager, said she apologized for her remarks.
The statement shared by Elmasri, which was reported by several media outlets, including The Independent, said: “She has great respect for Vice President Kamala Harris and her achievements as a black and Indian woman.
“Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and recognizes the importance of accurate representation in public discourse. We appreciate the opportunity to address this and will continue to work to promote unity.”
However, it has since been reported that Jackson is actually managed by her brother Rady and that the unusually worded “apology” was unauthorized.
Elmasri said diversity: “I don’t work for them anymore. Janet and Randy fired me after trying to improve their image in public and in front of their fans, and I didn’t deserve that.”
The Independent has asked Jackson’s representative for comment.
The “All for You” singer had previously explained: “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian. Her father is white. That’s what I was told.”
Jackson then admitted that she had “not seen the news in a few days” but had been told that someone had “discovered” that Harris’ father was “white.”
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Harris was born in 1964 to Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian cancer researcher, and Donald Harris, a black economics professor from Jamaica.
Gopalan died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 70. Donald Harris, 86, is professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University.
Jackson’s comments were similar to those Trump made during a speech at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago in July.
The former president claimed, “(Harris) has always been of Indian descent and she has only promoted Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she happened to be black and now she wants to be known as black.”
He asked, “Well, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”
Trump added: “I respect both of them, but she obviously doesn’t because she was always Native American and then all of a sudden she turned around and became black. I think someone should look at that too.”
Harris has spoken openly about growing up appreciating both backgrounds. She attended Howard University, a historically African-American college in Washington, D.C., and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the first African-American sororities in the country.
In 2021, she recalled how her father took her and her sister to see Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978 – their first concert ever. “We were sitting right at the back of the theater and when I saw the performance, I was completely blown away,” Harris told the WashingtonPost at the time. “To this day I know the lyrics of almost all of Bob Marley’s songs.
“My father, like so many Jamaicans, is incredibly proud of our Jamaican heritage and instilled that same pride in my sister and I,” Harris told the outlet. “We love Jamaica. He taught us the history of our homeland, the struggles and beauty of the Jamaican people and the richness of the culture.”
