Janet Jackson didn't authorize apology for comments about Kamala Harris' race, reps say

After stirring controversy with her remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris, Janet Jackson is walking back an apology made on her behalf.

Jackson commented on the Democratic presidential nominee's biracial identity during an interview with The Guardian published Saturday. When asked about the prospect of the United States having its "first Black female president," Jackson cast doubt on Harris' Blackness.

"Well, you know what they supposedly said?" Jackson said. "She's not Black. That's what I heard. That she's Indian."

She added: "I was told that they discovered her father was white."

Harris was born to Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris. Gopalan, who died in 2009 at the age of 70, was a breast cancer researcher from India. Donald Harris is a Jamaican economic advisor who immigrated to the U.S. to complete a doctorate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, where he met Gopalan.

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Jackson's comments on Harris' race echo those of former President Donald Trump. During a July appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, the Republican presidential nominee said he "didn't know (Harris) was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black."

"Is she Indian or is she Black? Because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went (and) became a Black person," Trump said at the time.

Janet Jackson's apology for Kamala Harris comments was not authorized, reps say

Shortly after the publication of Jackson's comments, an apology was issued on the singer's behalf to Buzzfeed by Mo Elmasri, an Egyptian filmmaker who has allegedly worked as a creative consultant for Jackson.

Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson's manager, reportedly told the outlet that the pop icon's remarks on Harris' racial identity were "based on misinformation."

Jackson's current manager is her brother, Randy Jackson, representatives for Jackson confirmed to USA TODAY on Sunday. Elmasri was not authorized to make the statement to Buzzfeed, the singer's reps added, nor has he ever worked on Jackson's team.

USA TODAY has reached out to Randy Jackson for comment.

Elmasri is listed as an executive producer on the upcoming TV documentary series "Janet Jackson: Family First," which is currently in production, according to Elmasri's IMDb page.

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Janet Jackson sparks online backlash with Kamala Harris comments

Jackson's comments on Harris' race swiftly drew backlash on social media.

"The Janet Jackson thing really illustrates how damaging disinformation is," @sjs856 wrote on X. "If you can look at Kamala Harris and with a straight face think she has a white parent… 😐 I don't know what to say."

"Apparently Janet Jackson lives under a rock," @Forever_Dusk wrote alongside an unrelated video clip of Harris saying, "OK, so there's some education that needs to be done. I can see that."

"This whole Janet Jackson thing just goes to show you how out of touch some celebrities are," @AJLaJoya wrote. "I've always loved her but repeating lies!? Smh. If you don't know about a subject, then don't speak on it… especially with your platform. Educate yourself, please!"

Contributing: Margie Cullen, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Rebecca Morin, Deborah Barfield Berry, and Terry Collins, USA TODAY