Janet Jackson In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts (Full)

Sandra Rose November 19, 2009

Janet Jackson opens up to GMA’s Robin Roberts in this emotionally wrenching interview. She discusses life after her brother Michael’s death and her childhood with an abusive father who regularly whipped his children with belts and tree branches.

Of the beatings, which would now be considered child abuse, Janet said:

“I think it’s old school and that may extrapolate into being abusive… He’s my father and he’s very strong, he’s very stubborn, has his own way of doing things. That’s Joseph.”

Janet said Joseph ordered his children to call him by his first name. She said she always called him “daddy” until he corrected her:

“I remember when I had called him daddy and he said, ‘No, you call me Joseph, I’m Joseph to you.’ I never said it again. I was very young, younger than 10… I’ve never questioned it, it is what it is and I’ve just let it go.”

missmiami

I will never understand this family. She looks exactly like her mom.
mirsmommy

I janet. Her makeup was flawless last night, IMO.
http://d-2innovations.com dldempsey

Id have to agree with Janet that it is old school. Nowadays everything is abuse. In the traditionalists generation this was normal. Especially in African American homes
TruGemini

I watched part of this last night. It seemed like Janet was really trying hard to be more open and personable since being consistenly dogged out for giving boring, emotionless interviews. And when she spoke of JD, you could tell that she genuinely loves and cares about him.
waterlily_76

She is so pretty. I am glad that she is doing well.
Pain in universal.
TruGemini

@ dldempsy: I 100% agree with you. I know in our house, if you effed up then you were GETTING effed up…no questions asked. BUT NOW? Don’t even think about it….
Redeemed777

So is JD still gonna keep the tattoo of Janet or what??
MsG

I loved the interview and Robin did a good job. Never been too fond of the softspeaking voice from Janet, but it is who she is. I think she was more candid and more comfortable( guess its those 40s like she said). You can tell she is still in love with Jermaine Dupri. Her whole face lit up and she was blushing when she started to talk about him, even though he is her ex. I hope they work things out and get back together..I think they are soulmates as well.

Also, I saw on another blog a gang of comments about JD’s looks and how Janet should not date someone “ugly”. Janet Jackson married the stereotypical “pretty light skinned brotha” and a Latino and she still was unhappy and went through hell. I never even heard her talk about being happy in a relationshipo until she got with JD, furthermore, I have never seen anyone beam like that while talking about their ex.
jazi65

Gone are the days when even a neighbor could pop a child on the behind when they stepped out of line. Now even if you look at a child funny they’ll call CS on you azz.

I smh @ that fool Joe for how he treated his children.

Janet is gorgeous & I can’t wait to see her to her thing on the AMAS.
FloridaChick813

missmiami Says:

I will never understand this family.
___________________________________________

&& I think Janet looked absolutley beautiful!!!!!!!
MsG

missmiami,
I never understand my own family let alone someone else’s dyfunctional family.
leat

I love janet, she looked flawless and beautiful! she was always personable in every video diary or behind the scenes footage ive seen of her shes very down to earth, which makes me like her more. DAMN she lit up the DAMN room when she talked about JD! i hope they are still together knowing Janet, if not i hope they work it out. the way she blushed when she said “thats all i have to say about it” and turned her head, JD mustve been doing something right, and she gave him credit for making her confortable with herself….LOVED It. she was GLOWING and shit DAMN in the voice of Regina King from Waiting to Exhale!!!!
kcicero

Guess I’ll have to watch this interview later, forgot it was coming on…
leat

uhm whats with the new look of the blog im getting reminds me of a hip hop site i assume im not supposed to mention.
EricaDenese

I Janet!
licia

i love janet and the interview was good, but i didn’t like how robin kept asking about michael. it’s obviously still hard for janet to talk about . even if her and JD are together or they aren’t together, JD is doing something right to make a bish smile like that .
licia

I am down for the old school forms of discipline . i wouldn’t dare do what the kids of today do their parents.
Tonya8

Janet looks so nice…when will she age???
LLani

I was raised with old school parents and family members. Their motto was kids should be seen and not heard. We were not allowed to speak when adults are speaking, when at a store we were not to touch ANYTHING. When at someone elses house we were to sit down and be quiet. Whenever we stepped out of line, we had to go outside and get a switch. Nowadays even black folks let their kids get away with everything. They have no respect for their parents or each other. An ass whooping every now and then will not hurt a child.

I was a 6th grade math teacher for about 6months straight out of college. I realized that these kids today have lost their minds. You wouldn’t believe the things i’ve seen and heard
http://www.twitter.com/allthingsmwny allthingsmwny

Hell my momma use to beat me that would probably qualify as abuse in today’s times. But I don’t believe in whoppings so when I have kids I will not do that to my kids. The interview was great and Janet looked fantastical.I think that is the most candid Janet has been in an interview.
pinkythevampireslayer

Janet still is and always will be beautiful. The end.
MUNCHOSGIRL

YES THEY GREW UP WITH THE OLD FASHIONED AZZ WHIPPINGS, SO DID I. YOU STEPPED OUT OF LINE, BELT, SWITCHES(TREE LIMBS), EXTENSION CORDS TOO, YOU GOT IT! IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS I AM SOMETIMES A PUNKAZZ PARENT WITH MY KIDS, NO ONE WANTS THEIR KIDS TO GO THROUGH THE SAME THINGS THEY DID. SOMETIMES I GET THE FEELING JOE WHIPPED THEM FOR TRIVIAL THINGS. I STILL DON’T GET THE CONCEPT OF HIM HAVING THE KIDS CALL HIM JOSEPH. LOVE JANET.
MsG

LLani,
Those were the same rules at my house, both sets of grandparents house and any other grown folks houses we went to. My parents did not play the radio and I am thankful for that.

Now I think Joe was old school, but that fool was hella crazy too.
shawnette00

Janet looks absolutely gorgeous and peaceful, like shes in a good place right now.

I grew up getting my azz hit with belts, switches and even the shoe thrown at me as I ran up the stairs…..I dont feel I was abused and my brother got the same. My brother came home from school with an unknown bruise from playing around (boys will be boys) and the school called social services to pay my mom a visit. That was the end of any spankings because my mom was floored that they would accuse her of abuse. My two younger sisters never got a spanking, hell even yelled at and now they are two unresponsible, out of control hellions. They dont respect themselves, my mom or anyone of authority. My mom now bears their burdon by raising their kids, paying their bills etc etc because they simply refuse to get it together….its heartbreaking for me and my brother to see this because we turned out fine and I attribute that to having basic discipline growning up. Back then a village could help raise a child, but not anymore.
shawnette00

Joe Jackson was on that CONTROL tip……
LLani

@ MsG, I think Joe Jackson was old school, but at the same time…he has a couple of screws loose. At least he wanted the best for his children and their careers, but I think he took it tooooooooo far. The whole family is not right because of him or at least that is what it seems from looking in from the outside lol.
https://sandrarose.com Ms.kaylamomma

I watched this interview and her eyes looked so sad. She still has that signature smile. It’s beautiful.
http://twitter.com/classychick305 pyt305

Janet is still BEAUTIFUL!!!
MsG

LLani, I totally agree.
onlinefan

janet looked dreat in this interview. i think she was really honest and open on her family (good and bad). i think she probably was the only one not using MJ like everyone else.

As for Papa Joe – everybody can’t b telling the same lie. that man used to beat those kids into submission trying to turn them into workhorses.
nika405

I think that Joe may have beat them for things that were small too, Michael has said before he was beat for not knowing a song or for wanting to go outside and play… I was whopped, slapped and all of that as a child, but it was because I didn’t follow the rules, not becuase I wanted to be a child. So I would imagine that would really mess a child up.
CivilEngineer

Before I watched it last night I thought it would just be another attempt to make money off Mike’s death BUT with all the questions Robin dug up it actually turned out to be a nice interview. Joe definitely played a major part in making all of his kids so WEIRD! That is all…
Anna

Tonya8 Says:

Janet looks so nice…when will she age???
~~~~~~~~~
Look at her mother, nope they don’t age.
VIBABY

I consider what Joe did to them as abuse because he would beat them for breathing too hard. I only got those types of whoopings when I damn deserved them. I couldnt imagine getting punished just for blinking and shit. And we wont even discuss the emotional abuse he put Michael through because of his looks.

I luv Janet and that is all… :notworthy:
Kimmy

That was a wonderful interview. Janet is so beautiful inside and out!!!!

I Janet!!!!
GottaBigOne

JANET R-O-C-K-S the PLANET!!

We Will ALWAYS Love YOU ’cause We ARE Your FAN-ets, JJaanneett!!!
Danielle84

Janet looked absolutely beautiful last night. It was a pretty good interview. I hope she and JD get back together. You can just tell she is still in love with him.
khandi25

Janet looks so happy and at peace.. I love the fact that she finally loves herself .. I love the fact that she thanked Jermaine for helping her in that area.. That is so sweet and I hope they get back together.
http://charactercorner.blogspot.com attorneymom

Bravo to Janet and Robin!! I am so glad she gave the interview to a Black a journalist.

And folks better up off of Joe. Now Pimp Daddy Matthew Knowles is another story.

Sidebar: Janet, just keep your clothes on. You are not a stripper. You are a Mega Star. The Queen of Pop!! F*** Madonna.
GottaBigOne

Janet is the BEST Harmonizer in The Biz – – Bar None.
(She basically does her OWN Background Vocals)

GBO
tbrown

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. Love Miss Jackson. Love also what she said about being older and not caring what folk think. I totally feel her on that.
baltimore bree

I loved the entire interview. Especially the way she spoke of the big brother/little sister relationship she & Michael had.
Honeychild

Janet,Janet!! Love her!!

I too was told to sit down and shut up as a child and grew up to be somewhat shy. I was going to be different with my kids. I now have a mouthy 13 year old. She doesn’t go crazy but she raises her voice and one time bucked like she wanted some of this. She promptly found her a** on the floor. She’s never done that again and she actually laughs about it now. She still might raise her voice but she then says I’m sorry and repeats what she way saying in a nice respectable tone. lol
DeliciousOne

Loved the interview. Never mind the weight Janet, you need to bring out a book about how to keep ones weave and make-up looking tight. Or how took 25 when one is over 40? Go Janet!
GottaBigOne

‘SCUSE You? (eyes rolling ALL the way to the back of the Head and rotating it Ghetto-mess Style) . . . Weave – – What Weave, Sis?!?
Mahogany03

GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!!! Her makeup and body are FLAWLESS!!!
Mahogany03

Ooops! I meant her face and body ^ ^ ^