No verified statement shows Janet Jackson herself apologized to Kamala Harris. A statement attributed to Mo Elmasri said Jackson’s comments were based on misinformation and apologized for confusion, but Jackson’s representatives said it was unauthorized and that Elmasri was not affiliated with her. The Washington Post corrected its initial report that Jackson had apologized.
What Janet Jackson said about Kamala Harris
In an interview with The Guardian published September 21, 2024, journalist Nosheen Iqbal asked Jackson about the U.S. presidential election. Jackson said she had heard Harris was not Black and was Indian. When Iqbal explained that Harris is both Black and Indian, Jackson claimed Harris’s father was white and said she had been told that.
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Iqbal corrected the claim in the interview, identifying Harris’s father as a Jamaican economist and Stanford professor. She also cited Harris’s memoir, which describes Harris’s mother raising two Black daughters. Jackson said, “I haven’t watched the news in a few days.”
The interview also touched on whether the United States was ready for Harris and whether a transition of power could be peaceful. Jackson said there could be “mayhem.” Those remarks were part of the same interview, not the later statement described as an apology.
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How the reported apology was disavowed
On September 22, a statement attributed to Mo Elmasri, who presented himself as Jackson’s manager, was reported as an apology. It said her remarks were based on misinformation and apologized for confusion. That wording belongs to Elmasri’s statement; it should not be presented as Jackson’s own words.
Jackson’s representatives told The Washington Post that she had not issued an apology. The paper corrected its earlier report and headline, stating: “Jackson’s representatives said Sunday she has not issued an apology.”
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Sky News also reported that Jackson’s representatives had not authorized the statement and identified her brother Randy as her manager. The Los Angeles Times reported that longtime representatives said the apology did not come from their team and that Elmasri had never been affiliated with Jackson.
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- The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson's sixth studio album, was released in 1997 and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide
What is established—and what is not
- Jackson made inaccurate claims about Harris’s racial identity and her father in The Guardian interview.
- A statement attributed to Elmasri later blamed misinformation and apologized for confusion.
- Jackson’s representatives said she had not issued or authorized that apology, and denied that Elmasri represented her.
- The Washington Post corrected its initial report; the available follow-up reporting does not establish that Jackson personally apologized.
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