with Chris Cruise

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT: No, Janet Jackson didn’t have a secret baby.

And her documentary is RIVETING.

March 20, 2004; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portrait of Janet Jackson at the L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Janet Jackson has long been one of pop music’s quieter superstars.  That’s not just the nature of her soft-spoken voice, but also the nature of her personality.  A natural introvert, Janet has reflected attention off of herself for years, even after the much over-hyped “wardrobe malfunction” of the 2004 Halftime Performance with Justin Timberlake.

That’s why, when news of a documentary behind the scenes of her life broke out late last year, that was news.  BIG news.  The premiere of the two-part special aired this past weekend on both Lifetime and A&E to stellar ratings, and FINALLY brought some unanswered questions to light, like:

  • What’s Janet’s relationship with Justin Timberlake today?
  • How did her relationship with her brother Michael impact her career?
  • Did she have a secret baby in the ’80s?

We’ll leave the first two to the documentary, but as for that much-rumored secret baby between Janet and former husband James DeBarge, she says, absolutely not.  She was just 18 when her and James wed in 1984 (only to annul the union a year later), and said it just didn’t happen.  (Never mind that she could never hide a child from a spouse, even if their relationship didn’t end well.)

How’d the rumor start, Janet says?  Here’s the story.

So, enjoy Janet Jackson in tonight’s Throwback Black History Month Spotlight, and if you haven’t seen the documentary yet, here are a few more reasons to watch.  Enjoy!

 

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