The Truth About Janet Jackson's Relationship With Her Family

Feelings Drama

Transcript

00:00In recent years, it's Janet Jackson that makes the most news out of her famous family.

00:06The superstar and mother still performs all over the world, and despite controversy surrounding

00:11the Jackson family, the singer has held it together.

00:14This is what Janet's relationship is like with her family.

00:17Janet Jackson's career was significantly derailed during her 2004 Super Bowl performance with

00:23Justin Timberlake, thanks to a wardrobe malfunction that saw her left breast exposed.

00:29The moment that happened, you immediately covered your breast because you didn't want

00:33to be exposed.

00:34If you'd wanted to be exposed, you wouldn't have covered it.

00:36Exactly.

00:37Indeed, while the former NSYNC star walked away scot-free, his co-performer was essentially

00:43blackballed by the music industry.

00:45And many, including Joe Jackson and Janet herself, believe that Mr. Sexy Back threw her under

00:50the bus.

00:51Timberlake did, eventually and belatedly, apologize on his Instagram account in 2021 for failing

00:58to defend Jackson's honor, something which at least three of her siblings appreciated.

01:02Referring to the issue on Sirius XM's show Radio Andy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie appeared

01:08to take the ex-boybander's display of remorse at face value.

01:12Marlon said,

01:13You know, it takes a man to step up and do that, so we do thank him for doing that.

01:18But we like to move forward.

01:21Marlon went on to explain the old adage,

01:24As long as they're talking about you, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, you're still in

01:28the public's eye.

01:29But in typical big bro style, Jackie was also keen to remind listeners that Timberlake's

01:34previous actions had upset their little sis.

01:37In 2018, Joe Jackson died at 89 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

01:43The man was described as one of the most monstrous fathers in pop.

01:47The patriarch had famously ruled with an iron fist while guiding his sons to superstardom.

01:52But how did his youngest daughter feel about her pop?

01:55Seven years earlier, Janet Jackson had opened up about their relationship during an interview

02:00on CNN's Piers Morgan Live.

02:03Jackson even talked about a time when her father hit her.

02:06And I can't remember what it was that I did.

02:11I can't remember if I truly deserved it.

02:14She also acknowledged that he was much stricter on the rest of her siblings, and rarely showed

02:18affection to them.

02:20Despite all this, the singer still wishes she'd had a closer relationship with her dad, adding,

02:25I know that he loves me, and he's told me before.

02:28He has his issues, his things, the way he was brought up.

02:31He's set in his ways, and I think he did the best that he could.

02:34And I think he did a wonderful job with us, the outcome.

02:38But the way he went about it, I don't know if I agree with that.

02:41But we turned out okay."

02:42In 2019, Janet revealed that she'd since said everything she needed to say to Joe before

02:47his death the year previously.

02:50Although Janet Jackson has kept relatively quiet about her famous family while being

02:54interviewed in recent years, she's certainly not averse to spreading the love on social

02:59media.

03:00The superstar regularly takes to Instagram to post throwback photos and videos of happy

03:04times with her clan.

03:06For example, in December 2020, she uploaded a snap of her toddler self sitting on the lap

03:12of her older brother, Jermaine, to celebrate his 65th birthday.

03:16She captioned the adorable pic,

03:17"'Jermaine, I love you and miss you much.

03:20Sending you so much love today.'"

03:22The singer also posted a similarly heartwarming message to her mom, Catherine, a year later

03:27as she turned 91.

03:28Janet wrote,

03:29"'Sending so much love to my beautiful mother today, 91 years strong.'"

03:34Janet Jackson is no stranger to collaborating with members of her family.

03:38Who can forget Scream, the 1995 duet with Michael that came packaged with one of the most expensive

03:44videos of all time.

03:45And six years previously, the pair and sister Rebbe joined the Jacksons on a track from their

03:50self-titled album, 2300 Jackson Street.

03:54But it's been a while since Janet has shared the stage or the studio with a relative, a situation

03:59which brother Tito hopes to rectify soon.

04:01In 2019, the singer told ABC Audio that he and the rest of his bandmates were keen to

04:07join forces with the baby of their family.

04:09He said,

04:10"'It's something that we are looking at, you know, hopefully we can put it together.

04:14As a matter of fact, we had a plan of getting together with Michael after the O2 Arena shows,

04:19and we were hoping to put together a family project.'"

04:22In her revealing 2019 interview with the British newspaper The Times, Janet Jackson admitted

04:28that the memories of her childhood were still something of a mixed bag.

04:31The Black Cat vocalist recalled how she and brother Michael would often take on charitable

04:36work of their own accord, driving around their hometown as teens, handing out barbecue dinners

04:41to homeless people.

04:42But Janet also acknowledged that she'd been deprived of the kind of carefree childhood most

04:47of her peers experienced, because of her famous family commitment.

04:50"'I had my first birthday party when I was 23 years old.

04:56I'd never celebrate my birthday before then.'"

05:00She also said,

05:01"'You really miss out.

05:02You don't get to do all the fun things that kids do.

05:05I wanted to do gymnastics, but that couldn't happen because I was busy working.'"

05:09The poetic Justice actress may have regularly missed out on making new pals, but she did at

05:14least have a large group of youngsters she could always rely on while growing up — her

05:19eight brothers and sisters.

05:20She added,

05:21"'They were my best friends.'"

05:23Janet Jackson might not always have enjoyed a harmonious relationship with her family,

05:28but as she told The Times in 2019, she's always been proud of what they've achieved.

05:33And the star is delighted that at least one of its members is still inspiring a new generation,

05:38too.

05:39Referring to her late brother Michael, the That's the Way Love Goes singer remarked,

05:43"'I love it when I see kids emulating him, when adults still listen to his music.

05:48It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world.

05:51I hope I'm not sounding arrogant in any way.

05:54I'm just stating what is.

05:55It's really all God's doing, and I'm just thankful for that.'"

05:58Janet was speaking ahead of her first-ever performance at a festival that the King of

06:03Pop had never graced during his turbulent career.

06:06In Glastonbury, the star wowed the crowds with a well-choreographed, hit-packed set in which

06:12she gave a shout-out to her siblings.

06:14Janet Jackson always appeared to be closer to Michael than any of her other seven siblings,

06:19and since the King of Pop's tragic death in 2009, his youngest sister has continued to

06:24pay her tributes on social media.

06:26In 2018, Janet commemorated what would have been Michael's 60th birthday by creating an

06:31homage to one of his most famous music videos.

06:35The multiple-chart topper joined influencer Quay Rogers to make a 71-second reimagining of the

06:411991 promo for Remember the Time, which the latter uploaded on Instagram.

06:46On this occasion, it's Janet who takes the throne to preside over several dancers whose

06:51moves also appear to be inspired by her late brother.

06:54Two years later, Janet once again took to the photo-sharing platform to post a birthday message

06:59to her Scream collaborator.

07:01And having previously spent a considerable amount of time, money, and effort for his 60th, the

07:07car opted for something a little simpler for his 62nd — a, quote, I miss you big bro Instagram

07:12message accompanied by a kiss emoji.

07:15In 2012, footage emerged of Janet Jackson appearing to slap a phone away from her niece Paris, outside

07:22her family's California compound.

07:24The incident allegedly occurred as Janet and siblings Jermaine and Randy tried to force the

07:29youngster and her brother's prints in blanket into a nearby car, and it doesn't seem as though

07:34their relationship has recovered since.

07:36Six years later, Paris was notably absent, as her aunt collected the icon honor at the

07:41Billboard Music Awards in front of several other family members.

07:45After being bombarded with questions about her no-show, Michael Jackson's eldest took to

07:49Instagram to set the record straight.

07:52She said,

07:53Paris, who since launched her own music career, also issued a demand to her detractors, which

08:08alluded to a rift within the Jackson clan.

08:11She said,

08:12Just a few months later, Janet and Paris were said to be at war again over payment of their

08:32father-slash-grandfather Joe Jackson's funeral.

08:36While many members of the Jackson family stood up for Michael both before and after the screening

08:41of Leaving Neverland, the HBO documentary in which two individuals alleged that they'd

08:46been sexually abused by the King of Papa's children, Janet Jackson refused to be drawn

08:51on the matter.

08:52But in an interview with CBS Show This Morning, nephew Taj argued that his aunt's silence wasn't

08:58a sign that she believed the accusations.

09:01Taj told Gayle King that Janet feels the same way as the rest of the family about the damaging

09:06claims, that money is the motive.

09:08Taj said,

09:09Another of Taj's aunts, Latoya Jackson, has also kept quiet about the controversy, a stark

09:24contrast to the comments she'd previously made about her brother back in the 1990s.

09:28If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Child Help

09:34National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD, 1-800-422-4453, or contact their live chat services.

09:45Janet Jackson may have had a turbulent relationship with her father Joe, but judging by her 2019

09:50interview with Australian magazine Stellar, she has nothing but admiration for her mother

09:55Catherine.

09:56While discussing the son she shares with her former husband, Wissam Al Mana, the singer revealed

10:02that she'd found it tough being a working single parent.

10:05However, she found comfort in the fact that her own mom managed to raise no fewer than

10:09nine children almost entirely on her own.

10:12Janet added,

10:13When asked whether she'd be comfortable with son Issa launching a showbiz career of his

10:29own in the future, Janet replied,

10:31Janet then remembered how she and her siblings would still have to carry out menial chores

10:48at the height of their young stardom in a bid to stay grounded.

10:52So after all the rumors about fallouts and feuds, is Janet Jackson still as close with

10:57the rest of her siblings as she was while growing up?

11:00Well, in her 2019 interview with Stellar, Janet claimed that she and the rest of the Jackson

11:05clan are still very much in contact.

11:07Unfortunately, their busy schedules mean that they now rarely get to hang out with each other

11:12as much as they'd like.

11:13As Janet explained,

11:14However, the Nutty Professor 2 star revealed that this kind of scenario is nothing new.

11:33Janet said,

11:34It's been like that all our lives.

11:36We just miss each other.

11:37Just recently they were in the UK, and I surprised them and showed up at their hotel, and we spent

11:42some good quality time together.

11:44That's important for a family.

11:46Check out one of our newest videos right here!

11:48Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite stars are coming soon.

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