Janet Jackson’s Lifetime Docuseries: 7 Revelations From Part 1

Janet Jackson’s highly anticipated docuseries Janet Jackson premiered on Lifetime on Friday, Jan. 28, with the first of two parts. Shot over a five-year period beginning in 2017, the first two-hour portion delved into the triple threat’s humble beginnings from a rural town – to her meteoric rise. But by 18 and with acting credits under her belt, the shy and soft-spoken baby of the famous family proved that she was more than just Michael Jackson’s little sister. 

Over the course of the special, viewers learned the fight Janet had within her. From firing her overprotective father as her manager to taking her career by storm and showing she had what it takes to put herself on the map. Janet also defied rules in her love life and has been fearless from the beginning, even when she doubted such at times. Here are the biggest revelations from the first half of the series. 

No place like home

All of the Jacksons were born in Gary, Indiana and lived in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street, ironically. Having a family of 11 in such a small house was not easy for their parents, but they never went without. In the docuseries, Janet admits that she hasn’t been back to her hometown since she was 8 years old. By that time, her brothers had already found fame and the family was living in L.A. While driving through the city, the singer became overcome with emotion seeing a Black and white mural of her brothers.

Her favorite siblings

Janet is the youngest of 9. She revealed that she was the closest to Randy and Michael. Growing up in a family full of boys had its advantages for the youngest sibling. “She hits like a boy,” Randy joked. While she remained close to both brothers, she admits that she and Michael experienced a period of estrangement when his solo career began to take off, particularly with Thriller. Still, Michael has always been her biggest inspiration.

Daddy issues

It’s no secret that the Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson, ruled with a strict thumb. The siblings didn’t have a normal childhood due to their fame, coupled with the fact that Joe refused to allow them to be statistics and become addicts or fall into street activity. Janet says she didn’t appreciate her strict father until she grew older. “I didn’t get to experience my father the way I saw other people with their father,” she said in Episode 1.

College dreams

Despite a budding acting and singing career from an early age, Janet yearned for a sense of normalcy. She wanted to go to college. “I was very naive, very shy, not worldly,” she said. Her dream was to attend Pepperdine University.

Taking control

After her first music project flopped, Janet wanted independence. Under her father’s management, he controlled everything. She hated the creative process for her first self-titled project because none of the decisions were hers. Once her brothers fired their father, Joe focused his energy on Janet. It didn’t work. She didn’t even like the artwork or title of her first album. “I didn’t want my last name to be on the album, I wanted to be known for me,” she said.

Shotgun wedding

Janet grew attracted to James DeBarge due to their similarities of growing up in a musical family. She hints at marrying him to establish a sense of control over her life outside of her father. The marriage shocked her family. Even more shocking was her revelation that she discovered James was addicted to drugs on their wedding night when he disappeared for hours. The marriage lasted a year. Janet says though she loved and cared for James and wanted to help him, she now realized that he took advantage of her naivete. 

History-making moments

Janet made history as the first woman nominated for the producer of the year award at the Grammy Awards due to her work on her third album, Rhythm Nation.  She didn’t tour until that album, despite selling nearly 10 million copies by that point. “I didn’t feel like I had enough songs,” she said as to why she delayed touring. Rhythm Nation was the biggest debut tour in history, and she still holds that record.