The Ugly Truth Behind Janet Jackson’s Kamala Apology

We haven’t had a full-bodied “hostage”-style apology for a while.

We were overdue.

Superstar Janet Jackson did the honors this weekend, reminding us what happens when you challenge the approved “narrative.”

To be fair, Jackson got it wrong. For context, other stars have said far worse.

Jackson recently weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnicity in a chat with The Guardian.

“Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian. Her father’s white. 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.”

Let’s be clear.

What she said is both wrong and irresponsible. The media pounced and/or seized on the misstep. 

Jackson issued a mewling mea culpa hours later.

“She deeply respects Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman. Janet apologizes for any confusion caused and acknowledges the importance of accurate representation in public discourse,” Elmasri told Buzzfeed in a statement. “We appreciate the opportunity to address this and will remain committed to promoting unity.”

Not only did Jackson apologize, she turned her public statement into a Harris/Walz bumper sticker. The apology alone wasn’t deemed sufficient. It rarely is.

Now, let’s take a step back.

How many other outrageous lies have been shared by celebrities in recent weeks? Let’s cite just two.

Actor John Leguizamo shared an older photograph of Donald Trump to suggest a bullet didn’t actually hit his ear during the July 13 attempt on the candidate’s life in Butler, Pa.

That’s a dumb, vicious lie.

More recently, Rosie O’Donnell insinuated Trump wasn’t hit by a bullet on that awful day. She also suggested Trump staged the assassination attempt and that his ear regrew like an octopus limb.

How are these two outrageous, fact-free statements different than what Jackson said? They’re all untrue. Each targets a presidential candidate. All came from popular entertainers.

Yet the media immediately made Jackson’s comment the equivalent of a four-alarm fire. The Jackson news cycle might linger longer than the second Trump assassination attempt.

The same media ignored Leguizamo and O’Donnell. Why? Two reasons.

Vice President Harris is running on an Identity Politics platform. She has few program initiatives to share. She rarely gives interviews. She’s reversed her position on multiple key issues without explaining why.

The Biden/Harris administration has been a debacle, so she can’t run on her record.

She’s an empty candidate hoping to run out the clock. But … she’s a Black-Indian Woman running for the White House. Just ask White Dudes for Harris alum Ben Stiller.

Actor Ben Stiller says he “wishes he was black” while urging people to vote for Kamala Harris during a “Comics For Kamala” fundraising call.
pic.twitter.com/1BdDAAfUVh

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 7, 2024

 

Jackson’s lie attacked that narrative, and it had to be addressed immediately.

The media doesn’t care, by contrast, if an entertainer lies about Trump. They actually prefer it, most likely. It gives them a breather from lying about Trump themselves. They do that a lot. John Nolte of Breitbart News keeps a running list, and it’s far from complete.

So the Leguizamo/O’Donnell lies inspired no fact checks. No outrage. No calls for the liars to apologize.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

And, if the media did cover either Trump lie, reporters would howl if the stars not only apologized but shared support for Trump.

That’s how the Media / Hollywood connection works in 2024. Jackson stepped on a rake of her own free will. The rest was the media doing what it does worst.

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