We watched Janet Jackson grow up in front of our eyes, but how well do we know her? Tonight and tomorrow at 8p on Lifetime, she is going to tell us the truth in a 4-hour documentary.
The doc starts off with her visiting the tiny home that she grew up in, in Gary, Indiana, with her parents and eight siblings. Then she takes us back to those days and what it was like being the youngest member of a hugely successful musical family.
It wasn’t her ambition to be a singer; it was her dad’s for her after he heard her sing. The late Joe Jackson knew she was going to be as big Michael if not bigger. So, he forced her to give up her goals and become the latest entertainer in the family.
She immediately became part of her brothers’ act in Vegas, along with starring TV shows like Good Times and Fame. She didn’t want to do the latter, but her father forced her to do it.
Janet wanted control of her life, so she secretly married James DeBarge. She was so innocent that she didn’t know that he was a drug addict. When it became too much, she went home.
With her newfound strength, she told her dad he was fired. She started to record her music the way she wanted to and become a star in her own right.
Even though she was no longer with her family, she was not alone. She secretly got married for a second time to René Elizondo Jr. And he was just what she needed at that time to launch her career into superstardom. And that is where tonight’s story ends.
Along with all of that, Janet talks about her dad and if he was abusive. She reveals the moment when things changed between her and Michael. What it was like living in his shadow. How she wanted the normal life, she never got because her father didn’t let her have it. She also finally answers if she and her first husband had a secret baby together that her sister raised. And so much more.
We always thought of Janet as private, but this shows how private she really is. However, she was ready to open up. And I hope by doing so, a huge burden is lifted off of her shoulders.
