Janet Jackson's team denies unauthorized apology over Kamala Harris remarks

Janet Jackson's management clarified that an unauthorized individual issued an apology on her behalf regarding comments she made about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' background.

Representatives for 58-year-old Jackson, whose brothers were part of the Jackson Five known for hits like "Blame It On The Boogie," told Variety that the statement in question came from someone who is not associated with the Grammy-winning artist's management team.

The outlet reported that an individual named Mo Elmasri had "apparently inaccurately" informed Buzzfeed that he was the singer's representative when delivering the apology related to the vice president.

The statement from Elmasri read: “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.”

It continued: “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 reported that Jackson, who was born in Gary, Indiana, has been managed by her brother Randy for years, and the family was "unavailable for comment" as they were mourning the death of Tito Jackson on September 15.

Elmasri's iMDb profile describes him as an Egyptian filmmaker who runs 24 East Agency, a consultancy. It also states that he “now works as a creative consultant for many global superstars, including Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Selena Gomez.”

His credits on the site include executive producer on Janet Jackson: Family First and "uncredited" roles as creative director for *Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw* (2019) and trainee assistant director on John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019).

In an email to The Daily Beast on Sunday, Elmasri said, “Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements. That’s all I can say.”