Janet Jackson is surprisingly open about her brother Michael Jackson and the years she lived in his shadow in a new documentary.
“There were times when Mike [Michael Jackson] teased and abused me. […] He laughed about it and I laughed too, but then it hurt somewhere inside me.”
It’s chilling details revealed by Janet Jackson, 55, in her new documentary ‘Janet’, which will air on Friday, January 28, 2022 on A&E and Lifetime.
Janet Jackson: Honest words about her weight issues
Long after her brothers landed a big hit with The Jackson Five, 11-year-old Janet finally got her own big break. In the sitcom “Good Times” she slipped into the role of Penny, a young girl from a difficult family. That’s when her weight issues began: “I was on ‘Good Times’ and that was the start of my weight issues and the way I looked at myself,” says Janet Jackson. “I’m an emotional eater, so when I’m stressed or something’s really bothering me, that comforts me.”
There was a time when I was very down and felt completely ugly. I often banged my head against the wall.
Growing up in the limelight and going through the physical changes has been a big challenge for her. “I developed at a very young age and I started getting breasts, but they tied them up to make me look flatter,” recalls the singer. Fame weighed on her more and more. Without him, says Janet, “I probably wouldn’t have had any problems.”
Famous last name brings ‘a lot of control’
Her famous last name also complicated her life as a young woman. Carrying the Jackson name “brings a lot of control,” Janet said. “It was frustrating for me. We have our own separate lives and even though he’s my brother, it has nothing to do with me.” Nevertheless, she wanted to “be there for him and support him as much as possible.” But that was anything but easy due to numerous allegations against Michael Jackson, † 50. Til today.
Later, Janet and Michael worked together on “Scream,” the song written about his public trials. “It was his song and I was there to support him,” says Janet Jackson. But she hardly got a chance. “Michael shot at night, I shot during the day. His record company locked down his set so I couldn’t see what was going on. They didn’t want me on set,” says Janet. “I felt like they were trying to create a competition between the two of us. That really hurt me […]. I wanted it to feel like old times between him and me, but it didn’t. The old days were long gone.”
At that moment, her relationship with Michael Jackson changed
In her new documentary, Janet Jackson also looks back on the “Thriller” premiere in 1982. At that moment, their relationship took a turn. “It was then that everything started to change,” she said. “I remember really loving the ‘Thriller’ album, but for the first time in my life I felt like there was something different between us, that a change was happening.” She goes on to say:
“That’s when Mike and I started going our separate ways. He just wasn’t as funny as he used to be.”
The ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’ singer, who has been married three times, also opens up about her love life in her new film. “I haven’t given up on love,” Jackson says, but admits, “I think it’s harder to be in the public eye looking for love.” After marrying Al Mana in 2012, she gave birth to their only son, Eissa Al Mana, 5, in 2017 before divorcing her husband later that same year. “A healthy relationship would be nice for me in the future,” Jackson said hopefully.
Source used: nypost.com, documentation “Janet”