Janet Jackson, who recently faced backlash over her comments about Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ race, retracted an apology issued by Mo Elmasri on her behalf. Elmasri was allegedly her creative consultant and claimed in a statement to Buzzfeed that the singer’s remarks were “based on misinformation.” However, Jackson’s representatives have confirmed that Elmasri was not authorized to make the statement. The reps also confirmed Jackson’s brother Randy is her current manager.
Janet Jackson’s never apologized for her racist Kamala Harris comment
In an interview with The Guardian, Janet Jackson commented on Kamala Harris’ biracial identity. The singer responded to the possibility of the United States having “its first black female president.” She said, “Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian… I was told that they discovered her father was white.”
This comment led to significant backlash. Shortly after, Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, issued an apology on Jackson’s behalf in a statement to Buzzfeed. It mentioned that the singer’s comments about Harris’ racial identity were “based on misinformation.”
The statement also said that Jackson respected Harris’ “dual heritage as both Black and Indian,” before issuing an apology. However, representatives of the pop icon have retracted the apology, clarifying that Jackson’s brother Randy is her current manager. The reps further stated that Elmasri was neither authorized to make the statement to Buzzfeed nor does he work on Jackson’s team.
After Variety reached out to Elmasri, he confirmed he did not work for Jackson and Randy. Elmasri also said they fired him “after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans,” further saying that it was “something I do not deserve.”
Kamala Harris’ father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican economic advisor. He immigrated to the U.S. for his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, where he met Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan.
