Janet Jackson falsely asserts that Kamala Harris is not black, fostering right-wing conspiracy theory
In a new interview, the singer said she had heard that the vice president “is not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian”.
Janet Jackson is speaking about the upcoming U.S. presidential election — and repeating a false claim about Vice President Kamala Harris.
When asked about her thoughts on Harris, 59, possibly becoming the first Black woman to be elected president, the Grammy winner, 58, told The Guardian that she “heard” the vice president is “not Black.”
“Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian,” Jackson told the U.K. outlet.
Although Guardian journalist Nosheen Iqbal pushed back against Jackson’s claim, which has been circulated by former president Donald Trump and right-wing political pundits, the singer said of Harris, “Her father’s White.”
“That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days,” Jackson continued. “I was told that they discovered her father was White.”
Jackson also said she isn’t sure if “America is ready” for a woman of color as a president, as The Guardian put it.
