Janet Jackson Reveals Famous Family Connections

In a surprising revelation during a chat with Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2, Janet Jackson shared that she has some pretty famous relatives. Believe it or not, the iconic singer casually mentioned that Stevie Wonder is her cousin!

This is something that not many people might know. Janet said, “He’s our cousin on my mother’s side. So is Tracy Chapman.” It seems her famous family ties don’t stop there; she also pointed out that actor Samuel L. Jackson is part of her family tree too.

When Scott Mills probed deeper, asking how Stevie is related, Janet confirmed again that he’s her cousin. She made it clear when asked about Samuel, saying, “He would be my cousin too, I mean he’s not my brother.” Quite an impressive family roster!

While each of these artists has roots in different locations—Janet’s mom hailed from Alabama, Stevie grew up in Michigan, Tracy is from Ohio, and Samuel was born in Washington, D.C.—they have all crossed paths professionally over the years.

Stevie Wonder famously wrote songs for Jermaine Jackson and collaborated with Michael Jackson on hits like “Just Good Friends” and “Get It.” He even performed at Michael’s memorial service back in 2009. And let’s not forget, Tracy Chapman took the stage during Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute when Stevie couldn’t due to technical issues!

Samuel L. Jackson found fame in movies, appearing in Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever, which featured music by Wonder. And just recently, he appeared in a documentary series about Janet on Lifetime.

During the same interview, Janet also spoke about her friendship with fellow artist Kylie Minogue. The two have kept in touch over the years and Janet couldn’t resist catching Kylie’s show while she was in Vegas, saying it was absolutely wonderful.