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Janet Jackson is adressing the long-standing rumors that suggest she had a secret baby with her ex-husband James DeBarge during the 80s.
“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,” Janet admits.
The acclaimed singer has denied all rumors in her new two-part documentary, which is set to be released on Friday, following speculations that started when she was on the set of season 4 of the NBC series ‘Fame’ in 1984.
The singer explains that rumors started because “a lot of the kids thought I was pregnant ‘cause I had gained weight and I had started taking birth control pills,“ she shared, adding that “back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and that’s what happened to me, so that rumor started going around.”
The former couple married in 1984 and ended their relationship the following year, however the rumor got out of control involving Janet’s family.
“First they were saying my niece Brandi was my daughter and that I gave her to [my brother] Jackie to raise,” she continued, “And then because [my brother] Randy’s daughter looks so much like me, they started saying it was Stevanna.”
Debbie Allen, who co-starred on the show as Lydia Grant, backed up Janet‘s story and remembers being surprised with the rumors.
“These were rumors that were just flying around, honey, like hash in a diner,” Debbie said, “Where was the baby? Nobody saw a baby. I mean, she was there with us all day, every day. Where was the baby?”