Following Trump, Janet Jackson's Controversy Over "Heard Harris Is Not Black" Remark

Pop star Janet Jackson, the younger sister of Michael Jackson, has sparked controversy by saying of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, "I heard she is not Black." This is similar to the racial identity attacks previously made by former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said Harris "suddenly became Black."

According to reports from The New York Times (NYT) and others on the 23rd (local time), Jackson's controversial remarks first appeared in an interview with the British daily The Guardian released on the 21st. When asked if the upcoming November U.S. presidential election could bring about the first female Black president in history, Jackson responded, "Do you know what people said?" and added, "She (Harris) is not Black. That’s what I heard. She is Indian."

When The Guardian pointed out that Vice President Harris was born to a Black father from Jamaica and an Indian mother, Jackson reiterated, "Her father is white. That’s what I heard." She added, "I haven’t watched the news for a few days," and "I heard it was revealed that her father is white." When asked if she thought America was ready to accept a Black or woman of color as president, she said, "I don’t know. I really don’t want to answer because I don’t know. I think either way there could be confusion."

As the remarks were made public, fierce criticism followed within the United States. BuzzFeed reported, "There was an immediate backlash online over Jackson’s remarks," adding, "Many are calling her 'ignorant,' 'irresponsible,' and 'very disappointing.'" One user on X (formerly Twitter) said, "Janet Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history," and criticized, "Repeating what she 'heard' in attacking Kamala is irresponsible." Another user commented, "Jackson’s remarks show how out of touch some celebrities are with the times," adding, "I have always liked her, but repeating lies?? If you don’t know about something, you shouldn’t speak. Study up. Please."

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Attacks questioning Vice President Harris’s racial identity by claiming she is not of Black descent have mainly spread among former President Trump and his supporters during the presidential race. Earlier, at a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) forum in late July, Trump said, "She was always Indian and only promoted her Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until she suddenly transformed into one a few years ago," launching a racial identity attack. These remarks were met with boos at the event and even caused embarrassment and concern within the Republican Party. In the past, Trump also fueled prejudice by promoting so-called ‘Birtherism,’ questioning whether former President Barack Obama was born in the U.S.

While Jackson’s remarks are receiving public criticism intertwined with former President Trump’s racial identity attacks, Jackson’s camp’s response has also come under scrutiny. Mo Elmasry, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, issued a statement the day before saying, "The remarks were based on incorrect information. We respect Vice President Harris, who has a dual heritage of Black and Indian. We apologize for causing confusion." However, on the same day, Randy Jackson, Janet’s brother and actual manager, denied that Elmasry was Jackson’s official spokesperson and rejected the apology statement itself. Later, Elmasry confirmed that he was fired by Jackson’s camp after issuing the apology. He stated, "After trying to improve her (Janet Jackson’s) public image, I was fired by Janet and Randy."