Welfare checks. Drug allegations. How things between Janet Jackson and ex Wissam Al Mana turned nasty (updated)
Conscious uncoupling doesn’t work for everyone — just ask Janet Jackson.
The superstar singer called police on Saturday to do a welfare check on her son, Eissa, with her estranged husband, billionaire Wissam Al Mana. The good news is that authorities found that the 17-month-old was safe in his father’s care at the Nobu hotel in Malibu, People magazine reported. TMZ reported that Jackson apparently was worried that her ex may have been using drugs around the toddler. Janet Jackson’s brother Randy Jackson told Entertainment Tonight that a nanny called Janet Jackson in a panic over Al Mana’s allegedly “aggressive” behavior. However, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office told The Blast there “was zero suspicion of drugs being used.” The office was confused as to “why Janet Jackson made the allegation” in the first place.
A day later, The Blast reported that the dispute stemmed from wi-fi access. A nanny for Eissa was upset when Al Mana refused to give her with the hotel room’s wireless password — a must for staying in touch with Janet. That left the caretaker “unable to do her job and stay in communication during an instance when it was very necessary,” a source told People. But their problems run deeper than WiFi. Another insider told People that that their “cultural differences” led to the end of their marriage and is contributing to their co-parenting troubles because “they have very different ideas about how to raise Eissa.”
Drug accusations, fights over Wi-Fi, police intervention — the relationship between Jackson and Al Mana clearly isn’t in a good place. We look back at how things went so sideways between the once happy couple…
April 2010: Janet Jackson meets the mega-rich Qatari businessman who co-runs the Al Mana Group. They quietly begin seeing each other.
September 2010: They go public during Paris Fashion Week.
November 2010: Wissam Al Mana tells VMAN magazine,“I don’t date Janet Jackson. She is my girlfriend; there is a difference. She is a very special and talented woman who never ceases to amaze me.”
November 2011: Jackson tells Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, “We have a deep bond, a deep connection.” He chimes in, “I’m fortunate enough to be dating my dream woman.”
February 2013: Jackson and Al Mana announce in a statement to Entertainment Tonight that “the rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony.”
2014: There are various rumors that the pair are having relationship trouble.
April 2015: Jackson isn’t seen in public for a stretch, leading fans to make a mock missing person flyer.
@flytetymejam @MyVelvetRope LOL. Too funny, too sweet.
— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) April 18, 2015
May 2015: Jackson announces a new music and a world tour.
September 2015: Jackson kicks off her “Unbreakable” world tour.
December 2015: Jackson announces she’s postponing her tour because she has to undergo surgery. She denies that she’s secretly battling cancer.
April 2016: Jackson says the tour will be postponed until 2017, because “my husband and I are planning our family.”
May 2016: Media outlets report that Jackson is pregnant, but she doesn’t confirm it until October. “We thank God for our blessing,” she says.
January 2017: Jackson gives birth at the age of 50. A rep for the singer says, “Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana are thrilled to welcome their new son Eissa Al Mana into the world.
April 8, 2017: Jackson and Al Mana split. Page Six reports that although one source said it was an amicable split, another source says that Jackson believed that Al Mana had gotten too controlling during her pregnancy.
April 14, 2017: Jackson shares the first glimpse of Eissa.
My baby and me after nap time.
A post shared by Janet Jackson (@janetjackson) on Apr 14, 2017 at 6:17pm PDT
The same day, Al Mana posts a message about Jackson on his website: “To the most beautiful person in the world, thank you for your divine love, your eternal support and for being my best friend. I love you so much, inshallah we will be together in the Great Forever x.”
April 26, 2017: A Jackson family friend tells People, “Janet really trusts Wissam and he trusts her. She and Wissam are working together to co-parent. They have a strong friendship. There is no fighting between them.”
May 1, 2017: Jackson posts a video about the split. She says they’re “in court” and the rest is in “God’s hands.”
A special message from Janet for her fans. pic.twitter.com/VXa6h25ksK
— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) May 2, 2017
June 16, 2017: Jackson is “all smiles” leaving a London divorce court accompanied by her brother Randy. Soon after, she leaves London, where she and Al Mana lived together and where the baby was born, for the United States, where she’s living now that her relationship with Al Mana ended. Preps for her tour.
Sept. 8, 2017: Jackson kicks off her tour — and she looks incredible post-baby.
Sept. 12, 2017: Randy Jackson tells People magazine that Janet Jackson suffered “verbal abuse” and felt like “a prisoner in her own home” during her marriage to Al Mana. The businessman’s lawyers said in a statement that he won’t be responding to the “particular and deeply hurtful allegations.” But Randy Jackson says, “Enough is enough … There’s a lot of pain. Janet’s been through a lot with her divorce. I’ve been through a lot, we all have.”
He continued, “It was quite an abusive situation. It came on later in the relationship, verbal abuse and being [made to feel like] a prisoner in her own home. No pregnant woman needs to go through being called a bitch every day. There were things like that. That’s what she went through.”
December 2017: Janet Jackson is seen cuddling up to ex Jermaine Dupri. He later says it’s platonic.
May 2018: While accepting the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards, Jackson backs the #MeToo Movement in her speech, saying, “I’m deeply humbled and grateful for this award. I believe that for all the challenges, all of our challenges, we live a great moment in history. It’s a moment that at long last women have made it clear that we will not be controlled, manipulated, or abused. I stand with those women and those men.”
June 2, 2018: Jackson calls police to do a welfare check on Eissa, according to TMZ it is suggested that the child had been around someone using drugs. Police investigate and don’t find anything wrong. The child remains in the care of his father. Officials were confused as to “why Janet Jackson made the allegation”to begin with.
June 4, 2018: Randy Jackson tells Entertainment Tonight that Janet Jackson was concerned after their nanny grew “terrified” by Al Mana’s behavior and “locked herself in a bathroom, so she could contact Janet.” The Blast has a source saying that the incident was triggered by Al Manna refusing to give the nanny access to the the hotel Wi-Fi. A source from Al Mana’s camp confirmed the wireless drama to People, but said it was with good reason. “Wi-Fi is not needed to stay in communication. It’s shameful that the police were called. It’s 2018. Do we really need to be using public resources and first responders to deal with someone having a tantrum over Wi-Fi?”
June 5, 2018: A report states that “cultural differences” between Janet and Al Mana led to the collapse of their romance, and it’s now carried into their child-rearing. “During their marriage, Janet worked hard on adapting to Wissam’s culture, but she found it challenging,” a Jackson family source told People. “She often found herself disappointed with Wissam. Now when they share custody, it’s very difficult for Janet that Wissam has a completely different parenting approach than she does.” Jackson, who the family member said “couldn’t be a better mom,” is very “worried” about the baby “when he isn’t with her. Eissa is her life.”
TMZ reports that Janet’s custody battle is complicated by the fact that she moved back to the United States after her split and wants to raise their son here; Al Mana remains in London. Also, Randy is being blamed for fanning the fire by talking to the press. According to the story, Janet and Wissam respect each other as parents, but “Randy has inserted himself to no good end.”
[Editor’s note: This post was originally published June 4, 2018 at 2:50 p.m. ET.]
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