During an interview with The Guardian published Saturday, pop icon Janet Jackson commented that she believed that Vice President Kamala Harris was half white and half Indian.
Midway through the interview, Guardian reporter Nosheen Iqbal told Jackson that "America could be on the verge of voting in its first Black female president, Kamala Harris."
Jackson replied: "Well, you know what they supposedly said? She's not Black. That's what I heard. That she's Indian."
"Well, she's both," Iqbal replied.
"Her father's white," Jackson added. "That's what I was told. I mean, I haven't watched the news in a few days. I was told that they discovered her father was white."
Upon publication of the interview, a firestorm set off. Several news outlets scrambled to report that a man claiming to be Jackson's manager had issued a statement on the singer's behalf apologizing for any misapprehensions about Harris' race. But, according to Variety, the man, Mo Elmasri, "is not the singer's manager, as he had claimed, and thus was not authorized to speak on her behalf."
The statement, not authorized by Jackson and written by Elmasri, which circulated among a number of high-profile news publications, read: "Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments. 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."
As a note, Harris' parents are immigrants; her father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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