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Janet Jackson Shuts Down Long Standing Rumors She Had A Secret Child With Ex-Husband James DeBarge: 'I Could Never'

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Jan. 26 2022, Published 5:58 p.m. ET

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Janet Jackson has shut down a decades long rumor.

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In the new two-night Lifetime and A&E documentary Janet — the superstar, 55, flat out denies that she ever had a secret child with former husband James DeBarge in the 80's.

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“I could never keep a child away from James. How could I keep a child from their father?" Jackson stated via Page Six. "I could never do that. That’s not right."

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During the special — set to air on January 28th and 29th — the actress explained that she believes the pregnancy claims began to spread in 1984 while she was playing the role of Cleo Hewitt during season 4 of NBC’s Fame.

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“A lot of the kids thought I was pregnant ’cause I had gained weight and I had started taking birth control pills,” Jackson explained. “And back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and that’s what happened to me, so that rumor started going around.”

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Costar Debbie Allen — who played dance teacher Lydia Grant — backed up the "Control" singer's statements. “These were rumors that were just flying around, honey, like hash in a diner,” the 72-year-old choreographer said.

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“Where was the baby? Nobody saw a baby. I mean, she was there with us all day, every day. Where was the baby?" Allen added.

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Jackson and DeBarge eloped in September 1984 when the Poetic Justice star was only 18-years-old. The former couple's marriage ended in November 1985 after she found out that the R&B/soul singer, currently 58, was dabbling in drugs.

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“I was just incredibly innocent,” Jackson explains while bursting into tears. “It’s just, to me, hurtful for someone to see that and just try to take advantage of it.”

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The Grammy Award winner officially became a mother in January 2017 when she gave birth to her son Eissa with her then husband, billionaire businessman Wissam Al Mana. The couple split three months after their son's birth.

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