Janet Jackson Reflects on Prioritizing First Husband’s Well-Being Over Career, Jokes About Her Three Marriages
Janet Jackson isn’t keeping track of past love affairs.
In a recent interview with the BBC, the Grammy Award-winning entertainer reflected on her romantic history. During a lighthearted moment, the 58-year-old industry veteran quipped, “How many times have I been married now?” Before adding, “Three, I think.”
Jackson also candidly discussed prioritizing her first husband’s well-being over her career during his struggle with drug dependency, revealing the personal sacrifices she made at that time.
In 1984, 18-year-old Jackson secretly married singer James DeBarge. The couple, however, had their marriage annulled less than a year later.
"I was doing the TV show ‘Fame’ at the time, and I'd be late for work and hold up shooting," she revealed. Jackson admitted, “I wasn't being irresponsible,” but “that [James] needed me more than the show. I got spoken to a few times by the producers. I’m not sure they were that fond of me."
She ultimately requested to be released from the show after deciding to give her music career "one more chance."
Jackson is currently preparing for the U.K. leg of her Janet Jackson: Together Again Tour, which will take place this fall.
