Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Her birth was top secret, Young said. Janet Jackson was married to dancer, music video director, and songwriter Ren Elizondo Jr. from 1991 to 2000. And back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and thats what happened to me. By. Her mother, Etterlene DeBarge, believed Whytes claim that she was the couples long, lost child. Jackson, 39, secretly married Rene Elizondo Jr. in 1991. Jackson and her brother Randy executive-produced the two-night, four-part documentary, Janet Jackson.,premiering on Lifetime and A&E(Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. EST/PST). Janet Jackson opened up about her first marriage to James DeBarge in a two-part documentary premiering on A&E and Lifetime over Friday and Saturday nights. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. ", DeBarge said Renee "is a wonderful singer.". We would be rolling on the floor fighting for them, she said. The two-night, four-hour "Janet" event airs Friday and Saturday night on both Lifetime and A&E. This led to their annulment in 1985, but was there a secret between them? The New Lifetime Documentary 'Janet' Lets Janet Jackson Tell Her Own Story, Was Michael Jackson Framed? Subconsciously, when it comes to relationships, somehow Im attracted to people that use drugs.. That's not a life for anyone. Shes one of the best-selling artist in contemporary music history with over 160 million records sold. Hey, Son!!! In the documentary, Jackson rationalized that she thought the rumors came from a focus on her weight. 1984 The youngest of the famous Jackson clan, Janet Jackson eloped with singer James DeBarge, of the singing family group DeBarge, in 1984, when she was just 18. "A lot of the kids thought I was pregnant because I had gained weight," Jackson said. Subconsciously, when it comes to relationships, somehow I'm attracted to people that use drugs. DeBarges drug abuse would contribute to more problems for the newlyweds. I could never keep a child away from James. I cared so much for him, and I saw the good in him as well, and I just wanted that to take precedence as opposed to this ugliness. Thats reportedly around the same time the Michigan natives relocated to Janet was born to parents Katherine and Joseph Jackson on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. No one really knew how it was working out until things kind of surfaced.. Jackson reflects on her failed marriage to James DeBarge, their fights over his alleged drug use and persistent rumors Janet's sister raised their secret love child. I dont know, maybe its this person in me that wants to help people. Thats not right, Jackson, 55, says in the upcoming two-night Lifetime and A&E special. They were saying I was raising her daughter. When is his next album coming? Both of them tried their best to be with each other. Sitemap, Your California Privacy Rights "I think that is going to give her a sense of fulfillment that she's never had before," he added. Addressing the long-standing rumor in part two of her upcoming documentary, Jackson dispelled the claim that she and James DeBarge had a child in who was previously married to James DeBarge and Ren Elizondo, Jr., quietly wed the Qatari businessman in 2012. Rebbie has two daughters, ages 35 and 28, and a son, 19. Where was the baby?. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { We don't know how, but Etterlene thought then 31 She claimed that when Janet and James split up, she personally saw Janet pregnant, and that James was also aware of the alleged pregnancy. Interview clips with siblings Tito and Rebbie and mother Katherine, along with celebrity reflections from Questlove, Whoopi Goldberg, Missy Elliott, Norman Lear and Debbie Allen, among others, occasionally edify. She even shares a harrowing story of rolling around on the floor with James, fighting to take pills from him. Janet Jackson has been married three times and divorced twice. WebDeBarge, stated that Janet had a daughter. James' mother, Etterlene DeBarge, also spoke with Inside Edition because she believed she found James' child. James DeBarge said on a reality TV show in 2016 that he believed the child existed. It doesn't matter how much work you do, it's still painful.". That was the first red flag for Janet, who spent many nights searching the streets for him, often as late as 8 oclock in the morning. And Debbie Allen, Jacksons co-star at the time in Fame, registers incredulity at the idea. It seems no matter where Janet Jackson turns, she deals with control in some form or another. }, First published on October 24, 2005 / 10:04 PM. These days, Janet has a very different life and relationship. WebJanet Jackson Splits from Husband Wissam Al Mana 3 Months After Giving Birth to First Child Janet Jackson and Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana were married in 2012 and welcomed their son Eissa in January 2017. We've received your submission. ", "I wasn't the help that he needed. But crafting what would become 1989s dynamic Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation 1814 endured challenges. Janet Jackson and James DeBarge, who were briefly married in 1984, had a daughter together, DeBarge's brother Young DeBarge has claimed on a radio program. While Jackson still maintains that she never had a child with DeBarge, she did welcome a son, Eissa, in 2017 with her third husband, billionaire businessman ", I have been a MAJOR @JanetJackson fan for YEARS! But when a couple of fans peer into Jacksons limo and fire off a series of questions about Michael, anyone would understand her waning patience. @JanetJackson @lifetimetv #JanetJacksonDoc #ICON #JanFam #JanetJackson #JanetDoc pic.twitter.com/4Xh5MrDrZ6, Jackson claimed that she and DeBarge would frequently fight over his drug use. Speculation about a secret child began swirling as soon as James and Janet broke up. Doing the math, an 18-year-old child would have been born in 1986 or 1987, after the annulment. I remember eventually deciding to get a divorce -- or an annulment, it only lasted a year -- one day he wanted me to drive him to his brother's house and that's when I told him," she explained. Janet Jackson and James DeBarge eloped in 1984, only to annul their marriage the next year. Her mother, Katherine Esther Jackson (ne Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be a country-and-western He added, "There's no telling what (Janet Jackson) is telling her. Her first marriage, to singer James DeBarge, ended in divorce after a year. I was under the impression that there was no baby, and I wanted to believe its not true. Yes, that rumor still lingers propelled by The grabby headlines are tackled early: the stern guidance of family patriarch Joseph; Jacksons elopement with R&B singer James DeBarge and their alleged secret child; her defiance in shunning her fathers management to relaunch her music career; a clandestine marriage to dancer Ren Elizondo Jr. Back in the day, they were saying that I had a child, and I kept it secret, Jackson said. After Jackson had finally had enough, it culminated with them getting an annulment in 1985. / AP. Janet Jackson Shuts Down Rumors of a Secret Baby with Ex James DeBarge: 'That's Not Right', From Child Stardom to Becoming a Mom: Janet Jackson's Life in the Spotlight, Here Are the Biggest Revelations from Janet Jackson's New Lifetime Documentary So Far, Remembering Michael Jackson's Life on What Would Have Been His 64th Birthday, From Nicolas Cage to Pamela Anderson: Stars Who've Been Married Four Times or More, A Timeline of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl Halftime Controversy, 'Secrets of Playboy' : How Young Women 'Signed Their Life Away Forever' to Hugh Hefner, Star Tracks - Wednesday, September 28, 2005, The Mother of Prince Albert's Baby: A Secret Love, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri Talk About Marriage, Her Impetuous Marriage Kaput, Janet Jackson, Michael's Sis, Is Now a Miss with a 'Nasty' Hit. The documentary explains that tabloids suggested Jackson's sister Rebbie was raising the child or even that Jackson's adopted niece was really her own child. The second episode of her new documentary series on A&E, Janet Jackson addresses the rumor that she had a secret child with her first husband James DeBarge, saying she would never keep a child away from their father. In the two-part Janet Jackson documentary, she reveals, "at that time I thought that there was no other way I would be able to kind of get my own life unless I got married. Unfortunately, Janet's new marriage came with James' drug problem. On 3 january, 2017, the all for you singer gave birth to. 2005 The Associated Press. ", Though Janet said she saw a lot of good in him and "wanted that to take precedence, as opposed to this ugliness," she also acknowledged that he "needed help. The singer and James DeBarge were married for less than three months when she was just 18. "I'm tired of the truth not coming forward, and people being a coward when it comes to it. I just had to be with her all the time. 'You are my life': Janet Jackson dedicates Rock Hall honor to 2-year-old son, More: We may never resolve our conflicted feelings about Michael Jackson. In the documentary, Janet says, point blank, "I could never keep a child from James. After decades of rumors about Janet Jackson and James DeBarges daughter and claiming they had a secret child before their divorce, the conspiracy theories were officially dropped. TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. He claimed the mystery child was an 18-year-old girl named Renee who was raised by Jackson's older sister Rebbie, but Rebbie has no such child, according to several Jackson family sources. Knowing the pressure surrounding a follow-up album, Jackson again turned to Jam and Lewis. The marriage lasted only three months and was annulled the following year. In a newly released clip from WE TV's Growing Up Hip Hop, 53 At the time, the speculation took different angles. "There were a lot of nights I would go searching the streets looking for him. WebJanet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana. Where was the baby? 3 min read. Legendary performer Janet Jacksons life will be explored this weekend in a two-part documentary event airing on Lifetime and A&E. Ed Sheeran reveals wife was diagnosed with tumor while pregnant The pair separated only three months later. & 2023 CBS Studios Inc. and CBS Interactive Inc., Paramount companies. She had more feistiness than anyone had heard, Lewis says. Considering this illumination of her personal life and career is being orchestrated by one of the most famously private and enigmatic figures in music history herself its refreshing to see Jackson approachthis unveiling with candor. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Trending News By signing up, you agree to our It opened a lot of doors, but having that last name comes with a great deal of scrutiny., Janet Jackson denies having baby with James DeBarge in new documentary. I think we were just so both in love with each other that we just needed to block everyone else out.. One of the biggest things being teased about the doc ahead of its premiere was Janet finally addressing persistent rumors she and first husband James DeBarge had a secret love child in the '80s -- a kid she supposedly had her sister Rebbie raise to keep up the ruse. WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- Janet Jackson Pregnant at 50: What a Fertility Specialist Says She Should and Shouldn't Worry About, "I'm tired of the secrecy," DeBarge tells his daughter, Kristinia, when she confronts him about an article she read in which he discusses the claims. The Emmy Award winner, 29, announced the birth of their first child, a baby boy they named Leodis "Leo" Andrellton on Monday. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Janet Jackson and James DeBarges Relationship Timeline. In an interview on the two-part archive of A&E and Lifetime, Janet, Jackson put an end to the 30-year-old rumor that she had a secret child with her ex How could I keep a child away from their father? James and the Jackson family kept everything real close, real tight, he told the station. display: none; When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. "Back in the day they were saying that I had a child and I kept it secret," the singer said in the documentary. She was the youngest of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street. Its been an exhausting and circuitous road from the 670-square-foot house in Indiana which housed the nine Jackson siblings and their parents to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which Jackson entered in 2019. For, the couple has welcomed their first child. That has haunted the family a long time I think we all believe that James and Janet had a child.. ET has reached out to Jackson for comment. Growing up in a famous family with a somewhat terrifying father, Janet Jackson has been in the spotlight since she was a child. #ControlTheNarrative #Iconic Janet4ever @lifetimetv, That said, Bunny didn't buy it. So that rumor started going around.. I even remember putting a ring on my finger and putting it on the wrong finger," she recalled. They married in 2012, had their only child Eissa Al Mana in 2017, split soon after, and are scheduled to divorce in 2018. 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