“DL Hughley Responds to Janet Jackson After Kamala Harris Comments in Series of Tweets”

Actor and standup comedian D.L. Hughley recently called out singer-songwriter Janet Jackson after she claimed in a recent interview with The Guardian that Kamala Harris is “not Black.”Hughley took to the social media platform X on September 22 and tweeted:

“It’s a little ironic to question whether someone is black while you’re breathing through the nose of a white woman!”

In her September 21 conversation with The Guardian, Janet Jackson expressed doubts about the ethnic background of the Democratic presidential candidate, claiming she had been “told” that Harris’ father is “white.” Despite being unsure of the information’s accuracy, Jackson made her comments.

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

When the interviewer corrected her, stating that Kamala Harris is both Indian and Black, Jackson retorted that the Vice President’s father is “white,” not Black.

Kamala Harris’ political opponent, Donald Trump, also made similar remarks during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention earlier this year, suggesting that Harris “turned Black” for political reasons.

“She was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black… Is she Indian or is she Black?” the former President commented.

Commentary on D.L. Hughley’s response to Janet Jackson

In her interview, published on September 21, Janet Jackson expressed concern regarding the upcoming presidential election, predicting potential “mayhem.” When asked about the possibility of electing the first female Black President, she reiterated her stance that Kamala Harris is “not Black” but rather half-Indian and half-white (from her father’s side).

“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,” Jackson stated.

The interviewer, Nosheen Iqbal, affirmed Kamala Harris’ dual heritage, pressing Jackson to clarify whether she considered Harris “Black” or “a woman of color.” Jackson replied:

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem… I think there might be mayhem. Either way, it goes, but we’ll have to see.”

In light of her controversial comments on Kamala Harris’ identity, Janet Jackson faced criticism online. Many users accused her of being uninformed and irresponsible. D.L. Hughley also added his voice to the discourse, pointing out the irony of Jackson questioning Harris’ race when she reportedly underwent cosmetic surgery.

Speculations about Janet Jackson’s possible plastic surgery have circulated for years, although she has never publicly confirmed these claims.

D.L. Hughley reinforced his stance in a follow-up tweet, saying:

“#KamalaHarris looks the way she does cuz she has mom from India and a dad from Jamaica! #JanetJackson looks the way she does cuz she has a plastic surgeon,” he remarked.

The former host of ComicView also emphasized that Harris looks the same as she did when residing in her hometown of Oakland, California, whereas Janet Jackson’s appearance has changed significantly since her role as Millicent “Penny” Gordon in the CBS sitcom Good Times, which aired from 1974 to 1979.

For context, Kamala Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, is a Jamaican immigrant and economist who has worked as an emeritus professor at Stanford University. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was an Indian immigrant and biomedical scientist who passed away from cancer in 2009.

Alleged Apology from Janet Jackson

Following the backlash from her comments, a person named Mo Elmasri claimed to represent Janet Jackson and issued an unauthorized apology on her behalf.

“Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments. She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity were based on misinformation. Janet respects Harris’ dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused,” Elmasri stated.

“She values the diversity Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”

However, representatives for Janet Jackson clarified to Variety that she had not issued any public apology, and that Elmasri was not her manager, with her brother Randy having been her long-time manager. Mo Elmasri claimed that he was dismissed by the Jacksons for trying to improve her image amidst public scrutiny.

Mo Elmasri’s IMDb profile indicates he is an Egyptian filmmaker and founder of 24 East Agency, a consulting firm. He also serves as a “creative consultant” for Janet Jackson and numerous other global superstars like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Selena Gomez. He is also listed as an executive producer for Jackson’s upcoming documentary Janet Jackson: Family First.

Source