“Janet Jackson’s Perspective on Politics” — Insights from The View’s Whoopi Goldberg and Others on the Singer’s Comments About Kamala Harris

In a recent episode of The View, hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro discussed Janet Jackson’s remark regarding Kamala Harris, made during an interview with The Guardian. Jackson controversially stated that Harris is “not Black,”leading to significant backlash online. Whoopi Goldberg stood up for Janet Jackson, urging critics to show her “a little grace.”

Goldberg emphasized:

“Sometimes people get it wrong and they’re wrong! They made a mistake, they were wrong. It happens. Janet Jackson is not a political animal. Anybody who says it doesn’t happen to every one of us, multiracial or not, we all do it. So okay, a little grace for the girl. A little grace for the girl.”

Despite Goldberg’s defense, not all hosts were in agreement. Sunny Hostin pointed out that she did not “want to give it this much air.” Conversely, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro criticized Jackson’s comments, asserting that the singer was “spreading misinformation.”

For context, during the interview published on September 21, 2024, Janet Jackson stated:

“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 think it’s very irresponsible” — Ana Navarro’s Critique of Janet Jackson as Whoopi Goldberg Offers Support

While Whoopi Goldberg defended Jackson, other co-hosts shared their perspectives on the singer’s controversial statement. Ana Navarro specifically criticized Jackson for spreading misinformation:

“Look, I think Janet Jackson — like every other American, whether you’re a celebrity or not — has a right to endorse, support, or not support whomever they want. She’s got every right to not like Kamala Harris if she wants to. What she did was spread misinformation.”

Navarro went on to say:

“And I think it’s very irresponsible, when you have a platform the way Janet Jackson does, to use that platform carelessly, to spread misinformation based on a racist allegation by Donald Trump.”

In response to Navarro’s comments, Whoopi Goldberg reiterated her support for Janet Jackson, noting that celebrities often face pressure to respond to current events immediately:

“Sometimes I’ve said stuff and I was wrong, but people want you to say something right away. But when people are coming at you saying, ‘hey, you’re dumb, you don’t know…’ you know, you don’t want to answer people and it is a pain in the b*tt, I have to tell you.”

Other co-hosts, including Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, expressed similar discontent with Jackson’s comments. Haines added:

“The fastest-growing group in this country is multiracial individuals, not bi, multiracial individuals so asking people, ‘what are you?’ My biracial friends always struggled that they weren’t white enough or they weren’t Black enough and they were always left in the middle. The middle is where the world is headed and so we need to be more open about people’s identities and what they identify as and have some grace.”

In the aftermath of Jackson’s comments, her representative, Mo Elmasri, issued an apology; however, it was later clarified that this apology was “unauthorized” and that he has no affiliation with the singer. Currently, neither Janet Jackson nor Kamala Harris has publicly addressed the fallout from the interview.

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