Born in the city of Gary, Indiana, Janet Jackson grew up to be an exceptionally talented and famous singer-songwriter. Recently, she and her team decided to release a documentary about what Jackson faces and her scandals, which was released on 1/28/2022. Jackson has been in the public eye since age 7, and public visibility is the only reality she has known and lived in. After the success of Jackson 5, a band that Janet had with her brothers, she and her family moved to LA and became known as one of the first black families in a predominantly white, upper-class suburb of Encino.
Janet Jackson recently released a documentary titled Janet Jackson. It highlights Jackson’s parents and their uncompromising determination to guarantee the success of their children. Janet did, however, wish to drop everything and attend Pepperdine to pursue her dream about learning business, an idea that was immediately dismissed by her father. Janet was surprised that her father didn’t want his daughter to go to college. The documentary revealed an old television clip where young 18-year-old Jackson speaks to Dick Clark and says that she wishes and would find some way to both perform and study.
The documentary included the Super Bowl scandal that took place in 2004: during the halftime show, Jackson was performing with Justiin Timberlake when he ripped a piece of her costume. Shortly after the incident, she was shunned from the music industry and wasn’t invited to the Grammys that year. Jackson said that it was an accidental wardrobe malfunction and that she and Timberlake will always be good friends. The rumor about Jackson having a baby was also addressed in the new documentary. The singer dealt with rumors that claimed that she had a secret baby with her first husband, James DeBarge. It was also said that the baby was being raised by Jackson’s sister, Rebbie Jackson. “I could never keep a child away from James,” Jackson said in an interview. “How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that, that’s not right.” Another issue addressed in the documentary was Jackson’s divorce with René Elizondo. The two were apparently secretly married for nine years. After filing the divorce, Elizondo sued Jackson despite their prenuptial agreement. “I started thinking, ‘Were you with me for the fame? Were you with me for the money? Were you with me for my family’s name?’ I mean, those things go through your head,” Jackson said during the documentary.
Many more topics that occurred during Janet Jackson’s time of fame were talked about in the documentary. You can find the four hour film on Lifetime and A&E and explore the highs and lows of Jackson’s long career.
