Janet Jackson reveals Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, and Samuel L. Jackson are her cousins!
Image: Reuters
We already knew Janet Jackson was part of a legendary musical family with Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, but her family's entertainment connections go even further.
In a chat with Scott Mills on BBC 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Janet casually revealed that her extended family includes several other famous stars. Before Mills played Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do,” she mentioned, “He’s our cousin. Not a lot of people know that. He’s our cousin on my mother’s side.”
She didn’t stop there, adding, “So is Tracy Chapman,” she said. “So is Samuel Jackson.”
When Mills asked for more details, she clarified that all three are her cousins, noting of Samuel L. Jackson, “He would be a cousin too, I mean he’s not my brother.”
What is known is that Janet Jackson’s mother, Katherine Scruse Jackson, was from Alabama, while Wonder grew up in Michigan, Chapman is from Ohio, and Samuel L. Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Tennessee. (Jackson has also denied any relation to Michael Jackson.)
What is known is that Janet Jackson’s mother, Katherine Scruse Jackson, was from Alabama, while Wonder grew up in Michigan, Chapman is from Ohio, and Samuel L. Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Tennessee. (Jackson has also denied any relation to Michael Jackson.)
Professionally, these entertainers have intersected numerous times. Wonder wrote “Let’s Get Serious” for Jermaine Jackson and collaborated with Michael Jackson on “Just Good Friends” and “Get It.” He also performed at Michael’s memorial service in 2009. Chapman replaced Wonder at Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988 due to technical issues. Wonder contributed music to Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever, which featured Samuel L. Jackson in a breakout role. Samuel L. Jackson later appeared in two episodes of Lifetime’s 2022 documentary series about Janet Jackson.
In the BBC2 interview, Janet also talked about her relationship with Kylie Minogue, saying, “We’ve always met up here and there throughout the years and said hello,” she said. “I was in Vegas and I heard she was there and I couldn’t wait. I was like, ‘Oh please, before we start up, I gotta see her.’ Her show was wonderful, absolutely wonderful.”