Janet Jackson slammed for questioning Kamala Harris’ race: ‘She’s not black’

Jackson made questionable comments regarding Kamala Harris’ race, echoing controversial statements previously made by Donald Trump.

Janet Jackson is being called “irrelevant” and a “leech” after she questioned Kamala Harris’ race in an interview with the Guardian published over the weekend.

“She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian,” the US singer, 58, said during a chat about “the State of the Union” with the outlet.

“Her father’s white. That’s what I was told,” she went on.

“I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. I was told that they discovered her father was white.”

Janet Jackson has been slammed for saying Kamala Harris is “not black”. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Vice President Harris, 59, is the daughter of two immigrants. Her father is Jamaican while her mother is Indian.

Following a fierce fan backlash, Jackson’s manager has now walked back her comments in a statement provided to Buzzfeed, saying: “She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman. Janet apologises for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discourse. We appreciate the opportunity to address this and will remain committed to promoting unity.”

Fans were appalled by Jackson’s false statements and slammed her on X, with one writing, “This is why she’s irrelevant and leeching off of her brothers’ success.”

Of course, the singer’s older brother is the late Michael Jackson, who was frequently questioned after his skin turned black to white in the 1990s. It was known at the time that he had vitiligo, a disorder that causes patches of skin to lose colour, per Mayo Clinic.

Bringing up the debate that the Beat It singer’s changing skin tone caused, another X user penned, “Janet, you know better than to believe that nonsense … especially after all the race controversies Michael went through …”

It’s not the first time Kamala Harris has dealt with commentary surrounding her race. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images via AFP

“‘That’s what I heard’ is the new way of saying ‘i believe the stupid, unsubstantiated s**t people tell me,’” a third dismayed person tweeted.

Another shocked user added, “I have always been a fan of Janet Jackson but this just no. Stop.”

Several others compared Janet’s comments to the statement Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made about Harris changing her race while speaking at a conference of black journalists in July.

“I’ve known her a long time, indirectly, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” the former president, 78, said.

Jackson’s comments echo those made by Mr Trump. Picture: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via AFP

“I did not 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.”

He added, “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and … she became black.”

Page Six contacted Janet’s rep for comment but did not immediately hear back.

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission