It looks like talent really can run in the family! In a recent interview, music icon Janet Jackson opened up about her distant relatives, many of whom are famous names we have comet to know and love over the years.
Jackson recently appeared on BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, dropping a big revelation when it comes to her family. Host Scott Mills asked the “Rhythm Nation” singer, “Now someone told me this earlier, are you related to Stevie (Wonder)?”
“He’s our cousin,” Janet replied to a shocked Mills. “Not a lot of people know that,” Jackson continued. “He’s our cousin on my mother’s side. So is Tracy Chapman.”
Just when you think it couldn’t get any more shocking, Jackson dropped another bomb, saying, “So is Samuel L. Jackson.” A truly flabbergasted Mills then has Jackson break down the “family tree,” to which the singer breaks it all down once again.
Wonder and Chapman are both Janet’s cousins, she explained. She added that Samuel L. Jackson, “would be my cousin too, I mean he’s not my brother.” Check out the mind-blowing clip below:
As The Root previously reported, Jackson has had a busy year, sharing her gifts around the world with a brand new leg of her “Together Again” tour. While the US leg has concluded, Jackson is set to embark on European dates this fall. She told BBC earlier this summer when reflecting on the success of the tour, “I’m just thankful that people are still interested in seeing me do this. I feel very blessed.”
Check out more information on the Together Again Tour and Janet at the official site, here.