The man who claims to be the former manager of Janet Jackson says he was fired by the pop star and her brother, Randy, due to disagreements after an article published over the weekend in The Guardian revealed the 58-year-old claimed Vice President Kamala Harris is “not Black.”
“Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements,” Mo Elmasri told the Daily Beast in an emailed statement.
“That’s all I can say,” he added. When asked for further comment, he said he could not “receive phone calls due to the large number of calls,” while adding, “All support to Kamala Harris.”
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It comes after an unexpected twist Sunday when representatives for Jackson confirmed that an “apology” made on behalf of the singer from “manager” Elmasri were not made or authorized by the singer at all.
Jackson created headlines on Saturday after a viral interview with The Guardian, in which the 58-year-old claimed Harris is “not Black.”
“That’s what I heard,” Jackson told The Guardian. “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 was told that they discovered her father was white.”
Jackson echoed MAGA talking points that have already been debunked as recently as July, when Harris’ 2024 Republican opponent, Donald Trump, questioned her ethnicity.
“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,” he said at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
Harris is both the first Black and Asian-American vice-president. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India, while her father, Donald J. Harris, was born in Jamaica.
After an apparent apology was first reported by Buzzfeed, Jackson’s reps confirmed to Variety that it was sent by someone who they say wasn’t authorized to speak on her behalf.
The Buzzfeed apology, cited to Elmasri, said: “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. 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.”
Variety reports Jackson is in fact managed by her brother, Randy. The pair are said to be offline as they grieve the death of their older brother, Tito, who died last last week.
Deadline reports that Elmasri is listed as Jackson’s manager on her IMDb page. Elmasri is also listed on another industry site, Celebrity Service, as her manager. The site says his status was last verified Sept. 22.
Elmasri’s personal IMDb page cites himself as an Egyptian filmmaker who “now works as a creative consultant for many global superstars, including Janet Jackson.”
Reps also confirmed to TMZ that Elmasri has no connection to Jackson whatsoever. Jackson herself has yet to weigh in on the furor.
Requests for comment from Randy Jackson from the Daily Beast for clarification were not immediately answered.
