Janet Jackson Denies Hiding A Secret Child From James DeBarge

Janet Jackson is unveiling her new revealing documentary to the world this week. The Jackson family’s famous daughter kept her private life largely shielded from public view, until now. 

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Miss Jackson decided to clear up a rumor that plagued her since her 1984 marriage to singer James Debarge. The nuptials only lasted for a year, with the pair separating in 1984 due to DeBarge’s drug addiction. However, the gossip for years was that Janet Jackson gave birth to a child from their union, raised by her siblings, something the “Rhythm Nation” singer now denies.  

“A lot of the kids thought I was pregnant, ’cause I had gained weight, and I had started taking birth control pills,” she said. “And back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and that’s what happened to me. So that rumor started going around.”  

“Back in the day they were saying that I had a child and I kept it secret,” Jackson added. “I could never keep a child away from James. How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that, that’s not right.”  

Watch A Trailer For The Janet Jackson Documentary Below

Lifetime

@lifetimetv

Janet's story, in her own words. ❤️ this Tweet for a reminder of when #JanetJacksonDoc premieres Friday, January 28th at 8/7c.🎤 https://t.co/HNVeDQkn37

3:00 PM · Jan 14, 2022

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A Wedding Night Disaster

Elsewhere during the documentary, Janet Jackson shared a story from her wedding night to “sweet guy” Debarge. While she dubbed their relationship “innocent,” the union appeared doomed from the outset.  

 “When we got married and came back to the hotel he said, ‘OK, I’ll be right back,'” she said. “And I’m sitting in the hotel room in Grand Rapids, Michigan by myself, just eighteen, and for three hours, he never came back. I don’t know, maybe it’s this person in me that wants to help people subconsciously. When it comes to relationships, somehow I’m attracted to people that use drugs.”  

“We would be rolling on the floor fighting for them. And that’s not a life for anyone,” Janet Jackson admitted admitting to flushing the drugs down the toilet. “I sit and I say, ‘Were you stupid, were you dumb?’ But it wasn’t that. I cared so much for him, and I saw the good in him as well and I just wanted that to take precedence as opposed to this ugliness. ‘Cause I knew that he needed help. But I wasn’t the help that he needed.”