Janet Jackson ‘Apology’ for Repeating Kamala Harris Conspiracy Theory Did Not Come from Pop Star, Says Rep

Mar. 15, 2025

This story has been updated with new information.

A person claiming to beJanet Jackson’s manager issued an unauthorized “apology,” according to the singer’s rep.

The statement from Mo Elmasri purported to address the singer’s interview withThe Guardian, published on Sept. 21, in whichJanet, 58, questionedwhether Vice PresidentKamala Harrisis Black.

A rep for Janet told PEOPLE on Sunday that Elmasri is not Janet’s manager, nor is he affiliated with her camp. The rep says Randy Jackson is Janet’s manager.

On Saturday, Janet falsely claimed toThe Guardianthat Harris, 59, isn’t Black, repeating a right-wing conspiracy theory.

Janet Jackson in 2023.Dave Benett/Getty

Dave Benett/Getty

During the interview with the U.K. outlet, it was mentioned that Harris could become the first Black woman to be elected president. In response, Janet said: “Well, you know what they supposedly said?"

“She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian," the singer added. When the reporter responded that Harris is both,Janet falsely claimed, “Her father’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," she added.

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Janet Jackson in 2024.Gotham/GC

Gotham/GC

Janet added that she was unsure if America is “ready” for a “woman of color” to be president. “I don’t know,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.”

“I think there might be mayhem,” Janet responded when asked if she didn’t think there would be a “peaceful transition of power.”

Harris' mother,Dr. Shyamala Gopalanwas raised in India. Her father,Donald J. Harris, immigrated from Jamaica to study economics at the University of California in Berkeley, which is where he met Gopalan.

Janet Jackson in 2023.Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty

Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty

Presidential candidateDonald Trumppreviously made false claims about Harris' race at theNational Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)convention in July, saying that “she became a Black person.”

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting the Indian heritage,” Trump claimed at the time. “I didn’t know she was Black, until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”

“But you know what, I respect either one, I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went — she became a Black person,” Trump continued.

source: people.com