Following Janet Jackson‘s feedback questioning Vice President Kamala Harris‘ race, the singer has issued an apology.
Jackson, 58, falsely claimed that Harris, 59, wasn’t Black in an interview with The Guardian, echoing a right-wing conspiracy concept. On Sunday, Sept. 22, in a press release shared with PEOPLE, the Grammy winner apologized to Harris.
The assertion reads, “Janet Jackson acknowledges that her current feedback about Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial id had been primarily based on misinformation. She extends her sincerest apologies for any confusion precipitated and reaffirms her respect for Harris’ twin heritage as each Black and Indian.”
“Janet stays dedicated to fostering unity, inclusion, and understanding and is grateful for the chance to make clear her stance,” the assertion continues. “She’s going to proceed to make use of her platform to help leaders who characterize range and progress.”
Throughout her interview with The Guardian, which was revealed on Saturday, Sept. 21, it was talked about that Harris, 59, might turn into the primary Black lady to be elected president. In response, Jackson stated: “Effectively, you recognize what they supposedly stated?”
“She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian,” Jackson added. When the reporter responded that Harris is each, Jackson falsely claimed, “Her father’s White. That’s what I used to be informed. I imply, I haven’t watched the information in just a few days.”
Including: “I used to be informed that they found her father was White.”
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to remain up-to-date on the perfect of what PEOPLE has to supply, from superstar information to driving human curiosity tales.
The singer added that she was uncertain if America was “prepared” for a “lady of coloration” to be president. “I don’t know,” Jackson stated. “Actually, I don’t need to reply that as a result of I actually, honestly, don’t know. I believe both means it goes goes to be mayhem.”
“I believe there is perhaps mayhem,” Jackson responded when requested if she did not assume there could be a “peaceable transition of energy.”
Harris’ mom, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan was raised in India. Her father, Donald J. Harris, immigrated from Jamaica to review economics on the College of California in Berkeley, which is the place he met Gopalan.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump beforehand made false claims about Harris’ race on the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in July, saying that “she grew to become a Black particular person.”
“She was all the time of Indian heritage, and he or she was solely selling the Indian heritage,” Trump claimed on the time. “I did not know she was Black, till various years in the past, when she occurred to show Black, and now she needs to be often called Black. So I do not know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
“However you recognize what, I respect both one, I respect both one, however she clearly does not, as a result of she was Indian all the best way, after which rapidly she made a flip, and he or she went — she grew to become a Black particular person,” Trump continued.