It’s common knowledge that Janet Jackson comes from a famous family, but apparently, it’s more famous than many previously thought. The artist recently revealed in an interview with Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2 that Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, and Samuel L. Jackson are her cousins.
While Janet Jackson notably grew up with her brothers Michael, Randy, Brandon, Tito, Jermaine, and the rest of the Jackson family, she also counts Stevie Wonder as her third cousin once removed, via her mother Katherine’s side of the family. As for Tracy Chapman and Samuel L. Jackson, however, Janet Jackson mentions they’re also cousins on her mother’s side, but their exact relation is unknown.
Like Janet Jackson, both Tracy Chapman and Stevie Wonder were born and raised in the midwest — while Jackson admits that many fans aren’t aware of her connection to Stevie Wonder, they both were apart of the Motown boom in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and Jackson presented Stevie with a Hall of Fame Award at the NAACP Image Awards in 2008.
Janet Jackson is currently across the pond for the European leg of her “Together Again Tour,” which runs through October. She recently completed the tour’s North American leg, finishing the summer run late last month. Get tickets to see her in Europe on viagogo.
Janet Jackson revealed her insane family tree on the Radio 2 Breakfast show this morning
Listen back on BBC Sounds and I’m back tomorrow from 6.30am pic.twitter.com/lyOleo4qCv
— Scott Mills (@scott_mills) August 13, 2024