Yes, Janet Jackson comes from a famous family. Her older brother Michael is the King of Pop, and the rest of her siblings comprised the legendary Jackson 5. Everybody knows this. Jackson's family is so expansive, however, that there are more famous people than we all realized. The singer went on BBC Radio 2 on August 13, and proceeded to blow the mind of the host when she listed off some of her cousins. Apparently, Samuel L. Jackson and Stevie Wonder are part of the Jackson family tree.
Stevie Wonder was the starting off point for the revelatory conversation. The host asked Janet Jackson what her relationship was with the soul icon, and she confirmed that they were cousins. Jackson then proceeded to named Tracy Chapman as another relative. "He’s our cousin. Not a lot of people know that," she explained. "He’s our cousin on my mother’s side. So is Tracy Chapman." The host was not alone in his shock. Most of the internet reacted the same way, noting that they were completely in the dark when it came to Janet Jackson's extended family. Samuel L. Jackson shares a surname with the songstress, but that was another revelation that seemingly came out of nowhere.
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Janet Jackson Has A Ton Of Famous Cousins
Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson worked closely during the 1970s and 80s. The two men were Motown prodigies, and collaborated multiple times on record. Their most notable collab, "Just Good Friends," was one of the few non-singles on 1987's Bad. Wonder has voiced support for the Jackson family in the wake of Michael's death. Especially given the allegations that have leveled at the pop star courtesy of the documentary Leaving Neverland. "He’s died, he’s dead," Wonder told TMZ. "Hopefully, we can continue the legacy of inspiration he has given a lot of kids and a lot of people."
Interestingly, Samuel L. Jackson has discussed his family tree in the past. The actor did a Wired Auto Complete interview in 2017. One of the questions he was asked was whether he was related to Michael Jackson, and he stated, plainly, "nope." There aren't any other instances of the actor addressing the topic, but it'll be interesting to hear what he has to say after Janet Jackson's claims. Somebody's telling the truth.
