Rumors have been swirling that Janet Jackson got into a fiery dispute with her brother Jermaine Jackson and other family members over the Michael biopic, but people in her corner claim that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Janet’s longtime artistic director Gil Duldulao squashed the hearsay while responding to a post on X from TMZ about the reported family feud on Wednesday, March 11.
“Wrong again. Lmao,” Duldulao, 46, replied.
Janet’s nephew Austin Brown, the son of her sister Rebbie Jackson, also shut down the claims surrounding drama within the brood in the comments section of an Instagram post claiming that Janet, 59, is “vocally upset” after the screening earlier this month and that Jermaine “called her out.”
“This is a lie,” Brown, 40, wrote on the very same day that Duldulao shut down the claims.
According to the TMZ report, the late Michael Jackson’s siblings first got into a spat during a phone call after gathering in Los Angeles to screen the movie, which hits theaters on April 24.
Janet allegedly offered a more critical take of the film, in which Jermaine’s son Jaafar Jackson stars as the late music icon, while Jermaine, 71, enthusiastically applauded the finished product.
“Janet’s always been insanely jealous of Michael, and her career is in the toilet,” claimed a source in the report.
The biopic was produced by the Michael Jackson estate, but Janet was not featured in the movie. An insider claimed that Janet got the opportunity to join the production but opted out.
Page Six echoed the claims that Janet offered critical commentary about various aspects of the biopic, from the cast’s acting chops to the makeup.
“She had something negative about almost every scene,” said one attendee, per their report, which claimed she also sounded off about “how the actors spoke, even how they walked.”
They added, “It was Janet deciding against the room that this movie wasn’t going to meet her approval.” According to the source, Jermaine fired back, “You are going to miss this wave,” allegedly telling Janet, “You are so jealous — just get on the wave.”
Janet’s inner circle addressed the claims after the biopic’s director promised to deliver a captivating film that embodies Michael’s essence years after his death. (The pop icon died in June 2009 at age 50.)
Director Antoine Fuqua told Variety, “We have assembled an incredible team of artists for this project — hair and makeup, costumes, cinematography, choreography, lighting, everything — and some who knew and worked with Michael are reuniting for this film.”
“It goes beyond the physical resemblance,” Fuqua said of Jaafar, 29. “It’s Michael’s spirit that comes through in a magical way. You have to experience it to believe it.”
