Janet Jackson’s management has clarified that an unauthorized individual issued a prior apology on her behalf regarding comments made about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ background. Representatives for the 58-year-old Grammy-winning artist, whose brothers were members of the Jackson Five, informed Variety that the widely-circulated apology did not originate from any legitimate representative of Jackson.
According to the report, a person named Mo Elmasri allegedly misrepresented themselves to Buzzfeed as Jackson’s spokesperson, issuing the apology inaccurately on her behalf.
The statement from Mo Elmasri read: “Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments. She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity were based on misinformation.”
The statement continued: “Janet respects Harris’ dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused.”
The statement from Elmasri continued: “She values the diversity Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”
According to Variety, Janet Jackson, who hails from Gary, Indiana, has been managed by her brother Randy for years. The family was reportedly “unavailable for comment” as they mourn the death of Tito Jackson, who passed away on September 15.
An IMDb biography for Elmasri describes him as an Egyptian filmmaker who operates 24 East Agency, a consultation firm. The biography claims that Elmasri “now works as a creative consultant for many global superstars, including Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Selena Gomez.” His listed credits include executive producer on Janet Jackson: Family First, as well as “uncredited” roles as creative director for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and trainee assistant director for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019).
In an email to The Daily Beast on Sunday, Elmasri stated, “Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy after her meeting with The Guardian and her unbalanced statements. That’s all I can say.” He also mentioned he could not take phone calls due to the volume of inquiries, adding, “All support to Kamala Harris.”
Representatives for Jackson told Newsafro.com on Sunday that “Elmasri has absolutely no connection to” the Control singer. Janet Jackson drew significant attention on social media after sharing her controversial views regarding the Democratic 2024 presidential nominee in an interview with The Guardian.
Janet Jackson said: “Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian. 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.”
Following widespread criticism and disappointment over Jackson’s comments—echoing remarks similar to those made by Republican 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump—Elmasri issued the aforementioned statement to Buzzfeed in an attempt to address the backlash.
However, the statement attributed to Elmasri did not sit well with everyone. One user on X expressed their frustration, writing: “Janet Jackson sounded an absolute fool in that interview, and I am very disappointed. We are less than 50 days away from the election. We gotta talk smarter!” Another commented: “Janet Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history. It was simply irresponsible of her to repeat something she ‘heard’ regarding the very thing that they use against Kamala! Her own race.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, was born in 1964 to Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-born cancer researcher, and Donald J. Harris, a Black Jamaican economics professor. The couple, who married in 1963, separated in 1971 after having Kamala and her younger sister Maya, now 57. Gopalan passed away from cancer in 2009 at age 70, while Donald Harris, 86, is a professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University, having retired in 1998.
The controversy surrounding Janet Jackson’s comments also brought to mind the past issues her late brother Michael faced regarding his skin color, which transitioned from Black to white over the course of his career. He attributed the change to a medical condition known as vitiligo and consistently denied allegations of skin bleaching.
During the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago in July, Donald Trump made controversial remarks about Kamala Harris, claiming she “happened to turn Black.” He stated: “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. 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? 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. I think somebody should look into that too.”
Harris quickly dismissed Trump’s comments, accusing him of engaging in “the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect.” She further stated, “The American people deserve better.”
To date, Vice President Harris has not publicly commented on Janet Jackson’s remarks regarding her race.
Trump’s comments also caused significant backlash, including among conservatives, with even some of his supporters expressing frustration that the former president was focusing on Harris’ race rather than her policies.
Earlier this month, Trump appeared to reinforce his previous comments regarding Kamala Harris’ race, stating, “I don’t care what she is. I don’t care. Whatever she wants to be is okay with me.”
As election day approaches on Tuesday, November 5, polls indicate that the race between Trump and Harris remains tightly contested, with neither candidate holding a clear advantage.
