Janet Jackson is clearing everything up in her new documentary.
The new Lifetime/A&E doc Janet Jackson is set to air this weekend, and we already know a bit about the controversies the singer is set to acknowledge: her complicated childhood, her relationship with brother Michael Jackson, and the infamous Super Bowl incident (with a possible surprise appearance from Justin Timberlake himself), to name a few.
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But she also sets the record straight on some controversies that were totally made up — like a long-standing rumor that she secretly gave birth to ex James DeBarge’s baby and kept it hidden all these years!
Per People, the 55-year-old totally denies the claim, explaining in the doc:
“Back in the day they were saying that I had a child and I kept it secret. I could never keep a child away from James. How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that, that’s not right.”
The Control artist married James when she was only 18 years old, and their short-lived marriage quickly deteriorated due to his addiction issues. Still, the rumors have followed the former couple for years. According to Page Six, he even addressed it on an episode of Growing Up Hip Hop in 2016, where he told his daughter Kristinia DeBarge:
“I was under the impression that there was no baby, and I wanted to believe it’s not true. But it is.”
Ah. We see why it has gone on so long. Even Daddy believes it! Well, not according to the baby’s supposed mother! In her doc, the Grammy winner recalled the various stories flying around:
“First they were saying my niece Brandi was my daughter and that I gave her to [my brother] Jackie to raise. And then because [my brother] Randy’s daughter looks so much like me, they started saying it was Stevanna.”
A niece resembling her aunt? Not exactly breaking news. (We mean, have you seen the Jacksons? The genes are strong!) Her sister Rebbie Jackson, who was also suspected of being part of the baby plot, scoffed about the stories:
“They were saying I was raising her daughter. I don’t know where that ridiculous idea came from.”
But Janet suspected the rumors originated during her time on the show Fame (which she filmed during her relationship with DeBarge). She speculated:
“A lot of the kids thought I was pregnant, ’cause I had gained weight, and I had started taking birth control pills. And back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and that’s what happened to me. So that rumor started going around.”
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Co-star Debbie Allen confirmed that gossip swirled around the show:
“These were rumors that were just flying around, honey, like hash in a diner. Where was the baby? Nobody saw a baby. I mean, she was there with us all day, every day. Where was the baby?”
Well, we’re glad that Janet finally got the opportunity to put this decades-old rumor to bed. Looking forward to the rest of her story in the new doc!
The post Janet Jackson Responds To Rumors She Had A Secret Child In The '80s appeared first on Perez Hilton.
