Janet Jackson Faces Backlash From Most Devoted Fans Over Comments on Kamala Harris’ Racial Identity

The heat surrounding Janet Jackson following her comments on Vice President Kamala Harris is now causing her to lose some of her most supportive fans. As noted here on The Blast, the 58-year-old "All for You" singer has been under fire for several weeks following a controversial interview with The Guardian.

During the sit-down, Jackson parroted misinformation regarding Vice President Harris’ race, claiming that she believed Harris was Indian and not of mixed race.

To date, Jackson has yet to comment on the backlash.

For those uninformed, Jackson sat down with The Guardian in September to promote the latest leg of her Together Again World Tour and her five-decade-long career in entertainment. During the conversation, Guardian writer Nosheen Iqbal touched on Janet’s politically charged music and asked the singer about her feelings on Kamala Harris, who was then in the running to become the next President of the United States.

When Iqbal lauded the idea of Harris being the first Black female President, Jackson insinuated that Harris wasn’t Black at all.

“Well, you know what they supposedly said,” Jackson told Iqbal. “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That [Harris is] Indian.”

Iqbal tried to correct Jackson by informing her of Harris’ Jamaican father and her Indian mother. Still, Jackson persisted that Harris was actually white.

“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.”

Jackson’s continued silence following her comments in The Guardian interview, which was published in late September, has now led to some of her most supportive fans (often referred to as the #JanFam) turning their backs on the star. In a TikTok posted on November 8, self-professed superfan Anthony Antoine is seen going through his vast collection of Janet Jackson merchandise and tossing it aside, claiming that Janet’s refusal to speak on her comments about Harris is damning and far-reaching.

“I [initially] said when that [Guardian] interview happened, we had our answer – and Janet Jackson’s silence was that answer,” Antoine notes in the TikTok.

In the caption for the TikTok, Antoine further notes how he felt regarding the interview and Janet’s comments.

“After years of loving Janet Jackson’s music, it’s time to close a chapter,” Antoine wrote. “Hearing her comments questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’s identity - and the silence since - feels like a break in the bond that her music once built with so many of us. It’s disheartening to see a lack of response, especially now when our voices matter so much.”

“While I still respect Janet’s legacy,” Antoine continues, “I’ve outgrown any artist who can’t take a clear stand for unity, truth, and progress.”

Public support for Janet Jackson is also dwindling among her fans on Twitter. Jackson Dynasty, a popular Twitter account that celebrates the entire Jackson family, recently took their own stand against Janet by refusing to post future updates about her life and career.

“I will no longer talk about Janet on this platform,” they shared. “I respect her as an artist and I will continue to appreciate her incredible career and the important messages of Rhythm Nation but I refuse to support her work as long as she is managed by [her brother] Randy "MAGA" Jackson.”

Randy, a known supporter of President-Elect Donald Trump, as noted by The Daily Beast, has been long criticized by the #JanFam for his political stance and for what many feel is a lackluster effort to protect his sister’s legacy. Many feel that it was his influence that caused Janet to spread the misinformation about Harris’ race in the Guardian interview, though this has not been confirmed.

Coincidentally, Randy was said to be directly involved in the termination of Mo Elsmari, who issued an apology on behalf of Janet following the controversial Guardian conversation.

Adding insult to injury, an Instagram post shared by Randy Jackson featuring one of Janet’s songs has riled up her fanbase once more. On November 6, one day after Election Day, Randy shared an image of himself on the social media app wearing a Black “Make America Great Again” hat with the caption “I voted.” Overlaying the photo was the song “Made for Now,” a single first released by Randy’s sister Janet in 2018 featuring Latin music artist Daddy Yankee.

While Janet has not commented on the post, angry fans took to Randy’s comments to attack him for using his sister’s music to promote his support of Donald Trump.

“Disgraceful! I hope Janet doesn't continue to let you influence her politics and career,” wrote one user.

“At least we now know who was giving Janet the misinformation,” another Instagram user claimed. “Bad look, my friend. Bad look.”

Making matters worse is the fact that while Janet Jackson hasn’t spoken on her contentious Guardian interview, she or whoever runs her social media pages has been actively posting in the weeks following.

While her Instagram has remained mostly dormant since September 12 – about a week before The Guardian interview first appeared online – posts from her #SundayInspiration series, which feature uplifting quotes and occasional Bible scriptures, began popping up on her Twitter and Instagram Stories on October 27, about a month after she spoke with The Guardian.