A reported apology from Janet Jackson for spreading a false conspiracy about Kamala Harris was not legitimate, according to Jackson’s representatives.
Jackson, 58, said she heard Harris was “not Black” in an interview published Sunday by the Guardian. Harris’ father, Donald Harris, is a Black man from Jamaica, and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was Indian.
After the interview, a man claiming to be Jackson’s manager sent an apology to several news outlets, including Buzzfeed. It read in part that Jackson “respects Harris’ dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused.”
But Jackson never authorized the apology, her representatives told People magazine. Jackson’s team claimed the man who issued it, Mo Elmasri, never worked with Jackson and had nothing to do with her. Jackson is managed by her brother, Randy.
However, Elmasri wouldn’t go down without a fight. He told Variety that he had been Jackson’s manager but got canned over the mixed-up apology.
“I was fired by Janet and Randy, after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans, and this is something I do not deserve,” he told the outlet.
Jackson’s representatives told Variety that both Janet and Randy Jackson have been taking time away to grieve the death of their older brother, Tito, who died Sept. 15 at age 70.
Harris, 59, did not comment. She was in Manhattan on Sunday for a massive fundraiser at Cipriani Wall Street, which her team claimed raised $27 million for her presidential campaign.