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Janet Jackson has long been guarded about speaking publicly about the multiple allegations of sexual molestation made against her late brother Michael Jackson — and she wasn’t about to start directly addressing the controversy in a new interview this week.
In speaking with The Sunday Times, the 53-year-old pop superstar expressed confidence that her brother’s legacy “will continue” — even after Michael Jackson’s legacy gained renewed attention earlier this year when HBO aired the explosive documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
As Sunday Times writer Mark Rudd said, Janet Jackson would not comment directly on the allegations, including claims made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson in “Leaving Neverland” that Michael Jackson abused them when they were children.
But when Rudd more diplomatically asked Janet Jackson about her brother’s legacy, she said, “It will continue. I love it when I see kids emulating him, when adults still listen to his music. It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world. I hope I’m not sounding arrogant in any way — I’m just stating what is. It’s really all God’s doing, and I’m just thankful for that.”
The Sunday Times, TMZ and other outlets pointed out the various ways Janet Jackson has demonstrated support for her brother over the years. Allegations against Michael Jackson first surfaced in 1993, when Evan Chandler claimed the singer had molested son Jordan at Neverland Ranch when Jordan was 13.
Janet Jackson later described the allegations in an interview as a money grab by the boy’s family, Newsweek reported. In 1995, Janet Jackson partnered with her brother on “Scream,” a song that railed against tabloid speculation, the Sunday Times added. More recently, Janet Jackson has been known to play her brother’s songs during her concerts without hesitation, TMZ added.
The Sunday Times’ profile of Janet Jackson otherwise looks at how the global icon is enjoying a career renaissance. That includes being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. She also performs this weekend at the star-studded Glastonbury Music Festival in Somerset, England.
Nonetheless, the past several years have not been easy for Janet Jackson, the Sunday Times article recounted. While she gave birth to her only child, son Eissa, a few months after her 50th birthday, her “fairy tale” third marriage fell apart. She split up with younger Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana in 2017, amid reports that he had become controlling during her pregnancy and dictated how she appear and perform at concerts.
In addition, Janet Jackson’s powerful father, Joe, died this past summer. In the Sunday Times interview, Janet Jackson again did not directly address allegations made by her siblings that her father was abusive, but she acknowledged that her father dictated that she become a singer and not pursue college or any other career path.
Meanwhile, the #MeToo-era renewed concerns that Janet Jackson was unfairly “slut-shamed” and denied career opportunities following the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2004. At the same time, Jackson’s partner in that performance, Justin Timberlake, suffered no such backlash.
The Sunday Times story described how Jackson has spoken out in support of the #MeToo movement, because, as she said, it seeks to address “double standards that continue to treat women as second-class citizens.”
During an appearance at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, Jackson sang “What About,” a song about domestic violence, the Sunday Times said.
She told the crowd: “Like millions of other women out there, I know about bullying, I know about verbal abuse. I know about physical abuse. I know about abuse of authority. I am sick, I am repulsed, I am infuriated by the double standards that continue to treat women as second-class citizens. Enough.”
