A man who claims to be Janet Jackson’s former manager said the pop star and her brother, Randy Jackson, fired him because he tried to clean up her P.R. mess after she was quoted in an interview with the Guardian asserting that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is “not Black.”
“Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements,” Mo Elmasri told the Daily Beast in an emailed statement.
“That’s all I can say,” Elmasri added, saying he could not talk by phone due to “the large number of calls” coming in. But Elmasri added to the Daily Beast: “All support to Kamala Harris.”
Elmasri’s statement to the Daily Beast comes after Jackson’s official rep issued a statement to the media Sunday, saying that the “apology” made on behalf of Jackson from “manager” Elmasri was not authorized by her at all. In fact, this Jackson rep told People magazine and other outlets that Elmasri is not her manager, nor is he affiliated with her camp. The rep said that Randy Jackson is the singer’s manager.
Jackson, 58, sparked online fury Saturday after her interview with The Guardian went viral. In the interview with the U.K. outlet, Jackson repeated a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory, promulgated by Donald Trump, that the Oakland-born, Berkeley-reared vice president is “not Black.”
During the interview, Jackson was asked what she thought of Harris potentially becoming the first Black woman to be elected president. In response, Janet said: “Well, you know what they supposedly said?”
“She’s not Black,” Jackson continued. “That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.” When the reporter responded that Harris has dual heritage, Jackson falsely claimed, “Her father’s White. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days.”
Harris is both the first Black and Asian-American vice president. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India, while her father, Donald J. Harris, was born in Jamaica.
After Jackson’s comments left the reporter “floored,” the singer backtracked a bit, by saying in a whisper: “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.”
While the reporter said she didn’t think Jackson falls into “the hardcore QAnon-adjacent, Trump-loving conspiracy theorist” camp, her remarks echoed false and controversial statements Trump made during an interview in July at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
“She was always of Indian heritage and she was promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said at the convention. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian, or is she Black?”
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The drama surrounding Jackson’s incendiary statements about Harris grew more complicated when Buzzfeed News reported that the singer had issued an apparent apology, according to the Daily Beast. The statement, attributed to Elmasri, said that “Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments,” explaining that she spoke “based on misinformation” about the Democratic presidential nominee’s family and ethnicity.
The statement continued: “She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity were based on misinformation. Janet respects Harris’ dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused. She values the diversity Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”
But Elmasri’s claims to represent Jackson were subsequently be called into question, first by Variety, which reported that she is in fact managed by her brother Randy. Jackson’s team also told TMZ that Elmasri doesn’t represent the singer. Meanwhile, Jackson herself has yet to weigh in on the drama over Elmasri or whether she’d like to apologize for her Harris comments, the Daily Beast said.
Deadline reported that Elmasri is listed as Jackson’s manager on her IMDb page, though it is widely known that Randy Jackson is her longtime manager. Elmasri is also listed on another industry site, Celebrity Service, as her manager, the Daily Beast said. The site says his status was last verified Sept. 22.
Elmasri’s personal IMDb page cited himself as an Egyptian filmmaker who “now works as a creative consultant for many global superstars, including Janet Jackson,” the Daily Beast said.
