While she has always been relatively private about her personal life, Janet Jackson has ditched the life in the limelight to focus her full attention on motherhood ever since welcoming her baby boy, Eissa Al Mana, with an estranged husband Wissam Al Mana in January 2017.
The iconic pop singer, who landed her breakthrough with her album Control, made a triumphant return to music in 2015, when she released her first album in seven years, titled Unbreakable, before heading out on a world tour in support of the record. But since then, Jackson hasn’t hinted or teased anything that would give the impression she’d have another album on the way anytime soon.
Having spent the last couple of years residing in London and in the United Arab Emirates, fans have questioned where Jackson’s relationship with her family stands today.
Following the death of the late Michael Jackson, who died from an apparent Propofol overdose in June 2009, the dynamic between Janet and certain family members may have changed, but who has she remained in touch with over the years? Here’s the lowdown…
Janet Jackson: Is She Still Close To Her Family?
By the look of things, Janet has remained very close to her brothers Marlon, Tito, and Jackie, who spoke out on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy following Justin Timberlake’s public apology over the Super Bowl fiasco that had gotten Janet blackballed in the music industry.
In the midst of the #FreeBritney movement, in early 2021, Timberlake, who was partially blamed for Spears’ downfall, took responsibility for his past actions — particularly how he allowed Janet to take the blame after he decided to tear off a piece of fabric from the singer’s clothing, which subsequently exposed her nipple to millions of viewers during 2004’s Super Bowl’s Halftime Show.
Marlon was one of the first to speak, saying that the family definitely appreciated the fact that Timberlake had taken responsibility for how his behavior and actions had contributed to Janet’s career downfall.
She was banned from attending award ceremonies and her follow-up albums after 2004 were practically shunned from radio play.
In response to Timberlake’s apology, Marlon gushed, "You know, it takes a man to step up and do that, so we do thank him for doing that. But we'd like to move forward because that was out there, the negativity about it.
“But, as they say in the old days, as long as they're talking about you, good or bad, you're still in the public's eye.”
Regarding the rest of the Jacksons, Janet admitted that she never felt close to her father, Joe, who passed away in 2018 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
During a previous chat on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, the “Feedback” hitmaker shared that her relationship with Joe always felt distant — but he was like that with every one of his children.
For Janet, however, she yearned for love and affection from her dad, but there came a point where she accepted that her father — who preferred his kids calling him by his name — just didn’t fulfill the role of what it meant to be a dad, which she had eventually learned to live with.
"I can't remember what it was that I did. I can't remember if I truly deserved it,” she said. "I know that he loves me, and he's told me before ... He has his issues, his things, the way he was brought up.
“He's set in his ways, and I think he did the best that he could, and I think he did a wonderful job with us — the outcome — but the way he went about it, I don't know if I agree with that. But we turned out okay.”
As for her other relatives, Janet is no stranger to posting throwback photos with some of her siblings, including Jermaine, LaToya, and Rebbie Jackson. Her mother, too, is often featured on the singer’s timeline.
In December 2020, for example, Janet posted an endearing photo of her and Jermaine to mark the latter’s 65th birthday, with a sweet caption that read, "Jermaine, I luv u and miss u much. Sending u so much luv today.”
For Katherine’s 91st birthday in May 2021, Janet did the same as she dedicated her Instagram post to the mother of 10, wiring, "Sending so much luv to my beautiful mother today. 91 years strong.”
As previously mentioned, the “All For You” chart-topper hasn’t released any new music since 2015. Though it had been rumored that a 12th album could very well be on the way, Jackson hasn’t shared anything indicating that such plans are actively in the works.
Throughout her career, Jackson has reportedly amassed a $190 million fortune, with her record sales having surpassed 100 million units worldwide.