Throughout her life, Janet Jackson has had her fair share of romantic relationships that also consisted of a total of 3 marriages. The pop icon walked down the aisle not once or twice but thrice.
The That’s The Way Love Goes singer had one child from her relationship with the Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana. Continue reading further to know more all about the men who have been married to the superstar.
James DeBarge
At first, Janet got married to James DeBarge. For those of you who are unaware, let us tell you James DeBarge is an R&B/soul singer who was a member of the singing family group DeBarge.
The former couple exchanged their vows in the year 1984. At that point in time, Janet was only 18 years old and James was 21 years old. Before getting married, the pair dated for nearly two years.
Around the same time, Jackson dropped her second solo studio album titled Dream Street. She released her self-titled debut album in the year 1982. Janet’s marriage to James was seen as an act of rebellion by the rock star against her controlling father, the late Joe Jackson.
In the two-part documentary Janet Jackson, Janet said, “I wanted to be able to stand on my own feet. And at that time I thought that there was no other way I would be able to kind of get my own life — unless I got married.”
The marriage of Janet and her first husband James was a short-lived one. Their pair’s marriage got annulled in 1985, due to his alleged drug addiction. Janet and James met each other for the first time when the sibling group DeBarge made its debut on “Soul Train.” At that time, Jackson was there with her sister LaToya and brother Jermaine. The two of them bonded over music by talking on the phone.
In a media interaction, Janet confessed that she started dating James when she was 16 years old. Then, James said, “It wasn’t easy for us to see each other being that she was very well protected by her mom and dad. I just had to be with her all the time. I think we were just so both in love with each other that we just needed to block everyone else out.”
Over the years, we have heard rumors that the pair had a secret child together. While making an appearance on the series Growing Up Hip-Hop, James told his daughter, “I’m tired of the secrecy. I’m tired of the truth not coming forward, and people being a coward when it comes to it. And I thought it was wise for me to speak out now because it needs to be addressed.”
In her documentary named Janet, Jackson also talked about the rumors. As per People, she said, “Back in the day they were saying that I had a child and I kept it secret. I could never keep a child away from James. How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that, that’s not right.”
René Elizondo Jr.
Janet Jackson walked down the aisle for the second time at the age of 25 back in 1991 when she wed Mexican dancer and songwriter René Elizondo Jr. Janet met René Elizondo, who is also a music video producer while working on a film. In the blink of an eye, their working relationship turned into a romantic one.
René and Jackson got engaged on a beach and they exchanged their vows on March 31, 1991, nearly six years after her split from James DeBarge. As per People, in the documentary, Janet said, “I needed to just be free of being with somebody that did drugs and all of that. I needed a lift. René was funny, just always had fun together. He was very, very charming.”
Janet and Elizondo Jr. kept their marriage a secret from the public for a while till they, unfortunately, parted ways in the year 2000. As per the reports, René sued Janet for somewhat between $10 and $25 million after the divorce, but ultimately the exes reached a settlement.
According to Forbes, René sued Jackson for $25 million in spousal support, despite the fact that they had a prenuptial agreement. At that time, he stated he signed the prenuptial agreement under distress. Their lawsuit got settled three years later in 2003 and he reportedly walked away with upward of $10 million.
In the documentary, the Love Will Never Do singer spilled the beans on her second marriage to René Elizondo Jr. She talked about their beach proposal and said, “We were out on the beach, it was raining like crazy, and that’s when he asked me to marry him.”
At that point, Jackson went on to say, “James never proposed to me. He never gave me a ring or anything like that, so it was different. I wanted it to be it. But I thought that every time.”
Janet and Elizondo Jr. did not have any children. Soon afterward, the musician moved on in his life with Britt Coelho who has Portuguese roots. The couple dated for a long time before taking the big decision of getting married.
René and Britt tied the knot in a small beach ceremony on August 10, 2010. The pair welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Elin in the year 2011. Every now, and then the couple keeps sharing sweet posts for each other on the social media platform Instagram.
In August of 2019, Elizondo Jr. paid a sweet tribute to his wife on the occasion of their ninth wedding anniversary. At that time, he posted a sweet picture of the pair and wrote, “How is it possible that I still feel like it’s our first date 9 years into our marriage? I mean that in the butterflies kind of way! You and Elin are the best thing that’s ever happened to me! Happy anniversary,” in the caption of the post.
Wissam Al Mana
Janet Jackson met her eventual third husband Wissam Al Mana, who is a business tycoon in the year 2010 and the two of them began dating shortly afterward. Janet and Wissam revealed that they were engaged in 2012.
Wissam and Janet secretly got married after getting engaged. They announced that they were married a year later. Al Mana is a private person so that explains why the pair decided to exchange their vows in an intimate wedding.
In an earlier media interaction, Janet talked about her marriage to Wissam and she said, “The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony.”
Wissam, who is a Qatari billionaire is hardly seen giving any interviews but back in the day, at one time he was ready to interact with the reporters. Then, he stated that he and Janet look for privacy as they travel the world. He said, “We love traveling… we love going to nice exotic places away from the world and from prying eyes.”
The former couple welcomed their first and only child in the year 2017. They are proud parents of a baby boy. Janet gave birth to her and Wissam’s son on January 3, 2017. Then, Wissam was 42 years old, on the other hand, Jackson was 50 years old.
Religion was something of utmost importance for both Wissam as well as Janet so they decided to name their son Eissa, pronounced eye-sa. The meaning of their son’s name Eissa is simply the Arabic name for Jesus.
After being romantically linked to Wissam, Janet distanced herself from the world of name, fame, and stardom. She was rarely seen posing for the paps. It was previously reported that she even converted to Islam and began to cover up more after the pair’s marriage.
The split rumors of Al Mana and Janet started going around in circles in April of 2016, only three months after the arrival of their son Eissa. Then, the Rhythm Nation crooner moved out of the pair’s London home.
Soon afterward, Janet confirmed the news of her and Wissam’s split by posting a video on the social media platform Instagram. In the clip, she said, “I just want to keep it real for you guys for a second – yes I separated from my husband.”
The When I Think of You singer went on to say that the duo was discussing the details of their divorce in court and she further added, “The rest is in God’s hands.” Soon after their split, Al Mana updated his website with a sweet message for Janet and he called her ‘the most beautiful person in the world.’
Janet and Wissam continue to co-parent their son Eissa. Earlier this year, Janet put up a beautiful birthday post on the occasion of the 5th birthday of her and Wissam’s son Eissa. She wrote, “You’re growing up so fast. Such an intelligent beautiful boy. Wishing you a life full of magical moments. You’re Mama’s Luv. Happy 5th Birthday baby.”
Do you think Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana were a perfect match for each other? Kindly let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.
