Janet Jackson’s secret child with first husband, James DeBarge, is said to be one of the music industries worst kept secrets. For as long as I can remember rumors have swirled that Janet had a baby in the 80’s. Every couple of years the rumors resurface and every time they resurface a different person gets named Janet’s “love child”.
The 49-year-old singer recently announced that she was postponing her tour and having a baby with husband Wissam Al Mana. As usual the gossip started about her “other” child. Though the allegations have been out there for over 20 years no one in the Jackson family will comment on it and Janet herself stays away from the topic.
The DeBarge family however, has not been so silent. They have over the years fueled many of the rumors that surrounded Janet, James and the “secret” baby. Now James himself is winding the rumor mill up with his recent interview after Jackson’s pregnancy announcement.
James DeBarge wed Jackson when she was 18. The former Motown singer told RadarOnline that “Someone had contacted me. She spoke to me by email,” and added “The first time was two years ago. I have not been able to directly see her face-to-face.
DeBarge goes on to tell RadarOnline
“She described as much as she could tell me because she was very fearful at the time,” He also told them , “She was very angry about people running with this story about this [other child] being my baby. She got very angry. She’s like, ‘Papa I want to help you out.’ She had so much of personality and she was so accurate with everything she was saying, it was only things that I and Janet know. No one else but god, me and Janet.”
DeBarge describes the woman as having been rasied by adoptive parents who found out her real heritage via a deathbead confession. He claims to have never been quite sure if Janet was ever pregnant nor ever have concrete knowledge she had given their baby away. He says the woman has suggested a paternity test.
James DeBarge seems to think if Janet did indeed have his child and gave her up without his knowledge that she did so out of fear. He tells RadarOnline that their relationship “didn’t have a chance from the gate due to a whole lot of outside influences”
In 2005 DeBarge also penned an open letter to his former wife, saying in part “I don’t want to live the rest of my life not knowing the truth,” The letter continued to say “I just want my child to know I’m her father.”
Read the rest of his interview
This is NOT the first time that the DeBarge family has alluded to the fact that there is a secret child.
In 2005 DeBarge’s mother, Errterline DeBarge, told the Enquirer that she believed that Janet and James indeed had a secret child in 1984.
The elderly matron of the Debarge family told the magazine that Omer Bhatti is the child that Janet gave birth to. If you’ve heard Omer Bhatti’s name before it’s because he is a Norwegian rapper who had a noticeably close relationship with Michael Jackson and has been said to be Michael’s secret son. Etterline told the Enquirer “Janet gave birth overseas, and her family arranged to have Janet give the child to a family in Norway.”
According to Wikipedia, Bhatti was born in 1984.
In 2005 a rumor also surfaced that a 18-year-old girl identified as “Renee” is Jackson’s daughter and was raised by the singers sister, Rebbie Jackson.
In 2007 another chance came for a DeBarge family member to deny the rumors of a secret love child. James DeBarge’s brother, El DeBarge gave an interview on AllHipHop Radio in 2007 fueling the speculations. He said
Well, you know it has been in the media for a long time. It has been a whisper and a “hush, hush” kind of thing. “I wonder if there’s a baby.” I’ve never seen this child. I’ve yet to see it. It’s something we don’t talk about whenever we see Janet. We don’t speak about it. My brother Janet and James – that info is privy to them. We just, you know, they’ll let us know when they’re ready to talk about it. We just respect it. [laughs]
2014 Diary of a Hollywood Street King claimed that a 28-year-old University of Georgia student, Lauren DeBarge is the child Janet and James had in 1984.
Just last year pictures of Janet’s niece, Randy’s daughter, Stevanna surfaced with her looking very much like her aunt. People have alleged that she is actually the daughter Janet gave up so many years ago.
We may never know the truth behind the rumors but what we do know is Janet is pregnant and happily expecting what she says is her first born child. What do you think of the rumors?
