Janet Jackson is at the center of confusion after a person allegedly claiming to be her manager issued an unauthorized “apology.”
The statement, written by Mo Elmasri and first published by BuzzFeed and subsequently picked up by several major media outlets, aimed to address what Elmasri told Yahoo Entertainment were “racist and unbalanced statements” made by Jackson in an interview with the Guardian on September 21, in which the 58-year-old singer questioned the ethnicity of Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, Jackson’s representative told multiple media outlets that Elmasri – who was listed on IMDb as her manager and was reportedly an executive producer of her upcoming documentary, Janet Jackson: Family first — has no connection to the singer.
According to their rep, Janet’s actual manager is her brother Randy Jackson. The siblings are reportedly mourning the loss of their older brother Tito, who died on September 15 at the age of 70. They could not be reached for comment, according to Variety.
In Elmasri’s unauthorized statement, which Jackson’s spokesman said was not authorized, he expressed regret over the singer’s comments about Harris and attributed them to “misinformation.”
In an email statement to Yahoo Entertainment, Elmasri identified himself as Jackson’s former business manager and said he was fired by Janet and Randy Jackson following the incident.
“The disagreement between me and Janet arose after her meeting with the Guardian and her racist and unbalanced statements,” he said. “As her business manager, I decided to help her improve her image and appease public opinion and her fans. But then she and Randy made a decision and I was fired.”
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Randy Jackson for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
🗣️ What did Janet Jackson say about Kamala Harris?
In an interview with the Guardian on Saturday, Jackson made false claims about Harris’ ethnic identity, repeating the misinformation that she is not black. Harris’ father is black and of Jamaican descent, while her late mother was Indian.
“Do you know what they allegedly said?” Jackson said of Harris during the Guardian interview. “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Native American.”
When the reporter clarified that Harris is both black and Native American, Jackson said, “Her father is white. That’s what I’ve been told. I mean, I haven’t seen the news in a couple of days. I’m told they found out her father is white.”
Jackson also expressed uncertainty about whether America was ready for a woman of color as president.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really don’t know. I think it’s going to be chaos either way.”
Jackson’s remarks seemed to echo comments made by former President Donald Trump in July, when he suggested Harris had “turned black” for political reasons.
“She was just promoting Native American heritage,” Trump explained during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention. “I didn’t know she was black until she happened to become black a few years ago. And now she wants to be known as black. … Is she Native American or is she black?”
📣 Fans criticize “ignorant” statements
Shortly after the interview was published, the singer’s fans expressed their disappointment on social media. Some called her statement “ignorant” and “disappointing.”
“Janet Jackson sounded like an absolute idiot in this interview and I am very disappointed,” one tweet said.
“God knows I like Janet Jackson a little bit, but her being part of the ‘I heard it but decided not to use Google’ crew is a little disappointing,” said another.
🙏 A supposed spokesman publishes an “apology”
Amid the backlash, Elmasri, an apparent spokesperson for Jackson, told BuzzFeed that her comments were based on “misinformation.” The statement was eventually shared by major media outlets, though most of their articles have since been edited with the latest updates.
“Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments,” the statement said. “She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnic identity were based on misinformation. Janet respects Harris’ dual heritage as Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion.”
Elmasri added in the statement to BuzzFeed: “She values the diversity that Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”
❌ It turns out that Jackson had not authorized the “apology”
It was later revealed by several media outlets that Jackson’s “apology” was sent by Elmasri, who was not authorized by the singer herself.
Jackson’s representatives confirmed to major media outlets that her actual manager is her brother Randy Jackson and that Elmasri is not authorized to speak on her behalf. They also stated that Elmasri was never part of Jackson’s team.
💬 Elmasri claims he was “fired”
According to Elmasri, the unauthorized testimony led to a heated meeting between him and the Jacksons, which ultimately led to his dismissal.
In a separate statement to Variety, Elmasri said he made the statement to “improve her image in the eyes of the public and her fans, and that is something I do not deserve.” He also expressed his support for Harris, saying, “All my support goes out to Kamla (sic) Harris.”
Elmasri reiterated his claims in another statement to the Daily Beast.
When asked for further comment, he told the outlet that he was “unable to take calls due to the high volume of calls,” but once again expressed his support for Harris.
👤 Who is Mo Elmasri?
Elmasri has been listed as Janet Jackson’s manager on several industry websites, including IMDb and Celebrity Service, where his status was reportedly last confirmed on September 22.
His personal IMDb bio, which has since been edited, purports to describe him as an Egyptian filmmaker and founder of the 24 East Agency. It also claims that he is a graduate of the New York Film Academy and works as a “creative consultant to many global superstars,” including Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Selena Gomez.
Despite these claims, Jackson’s representatives confirmed to several media outlets that Elmasri had no connection to the singer.
👪 Who are Kamala Harris’ parents?
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India and immigrated to the United States at age 19 to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Her father, Donald J. Harris, came to the United States from Jamaica to pursue a PhD in economics. The two met at UC Berkeley and married in 1963.
Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher who died in 2009, had a major influence on Harris’ life. Harris often credits her mother with shaping her values and work ethic, which is reflected in her speeches and public service. Harris’ father continued his academic career but remained less visible during her political rise.
🇺🇲 Janet Jackson’s political views
Jackson has generally kept her political views private and has not openly supported any particular political party or candidate.
However, throughout her decades-long career, she has always been a social justice advocate, using her platform and music to advocate for LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, and women’s rights.
In February 2022, the singer partnered with Girls Leadership, a nonprofit organization that teaches girls how to use their voices.
“The earlier we teach our girls to speak up for themselves and to stand up for each other and what they believe in, the better off they will be when they get older,” Jackson said at the time. “Women need to be more supportive of each other from day one, and that starts when we’re younger. We owe it to the younger generation to teach them that so they make fewer mistakes than we did.”
