Singer Janet Jackson has become embroiled in controversy for comments she made in a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper in which she said she heard Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is “not black.”
In the interview, which was published Saturday, Jackson was asked for her thoughts on Harris potentially becoming the United States’ first black female president.
Jackson, known for her songs addressing injustice and equality, responded, “Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
When the interviewer said Harris is of black and Indian heritage, Jackson replied, “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.”
On Sunday, a man who said he was Jackson’s manger offered an apology for the comments. However, the Jackson team said the apology was “not authorized.”