Janet Jackson is a global pop star. As such, she has had many high-profile relationships that have heavily impacted her career and music. Some more directly thank others as Janet has had relationships with some of her biggest collaborators. Let’s explore her love life and see just who she’s let behind her velvet rope over the years.
Janet was actually married super early in life to a member of another iconic musical family. At just 18, she tied the knot with James DeBarge. The marriage only lasted a year and was annulled by 1985. The pair lived in her family home in Havenhurst. It’s believed they split due to his substance usage. DeBarge appeared on the reality show Growing Up Hip-Hop where he told viewers that he and Janet had a daughter. However, this has not been confirmed.
Following their split, Janet became a massive star thanks to the albums Control and Rhythm Nation. The early ’90s brought with it rumors that she had an affair with Bobby Brown, despite her secretly marrying her backup dancer Rene Elizondo Jr. This rumor was cover in Brown’s biopic for the BET Network. Reportedly the two were madly in love, but he was not accepted by the Jackson family due to his darker skin tone. The film features a scene where Brown kicks Jackson out of his hotel room. The relationship reportedly ended shortly after.
While these rumors have not been confirmed by Jackson, it is well documented that she was married from 1991 to 2000 to Elizondo Jr. The pair largely kept their union hush, only confirming their marriage shortly before divorcing. It is reported that Elizondo sued Jackson following their divorce, with the couple reaching a settlement in 2003.
The theme of rumored relationships is a constant in Janet’s life, as a fling with Justin Timberlake is said to have taken place at some point in the early ’00s as well. Timberlake and his group Nsync toured with Jackson at one point, and according to sources, they grew close. During her MTV Icon tribute, he openly flirted with her on stage, calling her “fine” and thanking her for all she’d taught him. In 2002, ABC published a report that they two had were seen “locking lips” at Missy Elliot’s birthday party. “Janet and Justin just started making out in front of everybody,” said an anonymous party goer at the time. Things obviously went sour following their infamous Super Bowl performance and the two have not spoken since.
Jermaine Dupri and Janet would become the next high-profile pairing. Their obvious chemistry was apparent on the remix of her single “Someone to Call My Lover” in 2001. They made things official in 2002 and were easily Janet’s most public relationship. They frequently collaborated in their years today, with Jermaine appearing in several videos and the two frequent red carpets and events. Things ended in 2009 due to issues over distance. “She wasn’t willing to move to Atlanta. She was willing to come out here for a couple of weeks,” Jermaine explained on T.I.’s “expediTIously” podcast last year.
A third marriage would come in 2012. Janet Jackson wed Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana. The pair welcomed a child in 2016. On January 3, 2017, Jackson gave birth to a son, Eissa Al Mana. Unfortunately, by April of that same year the pair divorced. One person who recently added some light to Jackson’s dating history is Q-Tip. He and Janet have worked together in the past, most notably on her single “Got Til It’s Gone”. He says they began dating shortly after in 1997. Janet was still married at the time so it’s unsure if she and then-husband Rene Elizondo Jr were separated or not.
Q-Tip spilled the tea on MATH HOFFA’s Youtube series. In the video he opened up on their fling, saying the they began an item after working together on her album Velvet Rope. “We started dating after that,” Q-Tip told the guys. He goes on to say that she would make him eggs and hang out at his place. He grew up watching her and referred to her as Penny, her character from Good Times.
