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01
One of the zombie dancers in her brother Michael Jackson’s music video Thriller was Janet Jackson.
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02
In 1984 she eloped with singer James DeBarge and lived at the Jackson family’s Encino ranch for several months before the marriage was annulled.
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03
She has always wanted to return to school to study law, a goal she still holds.
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04
She is the only female singer in Rock & Roll history to achieve five consecutive #1 studio albums on the Billboard chart: Control, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation, Janet, The Velvet Rope, and All For You. Those albums sold over 60 million copies worldwide. Her albums Design of a Decade and Damita Jo both peaked in the top 3.
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05
For her role in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps 2000, she received $3 million, plus an additional $1 million for the soundtrack song Doesn’t Really Matter.
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06
The Rhythm Nation world tour was the most successful debut tour by any artist at the time.
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07
Before her fame, Janet Jackson’s dream job was working the drive-thru window at McDonald’s.
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08
With the 1986 single When I Think of You, she and her brother Michael Jackson became the first siblings in the rock era to each have a #1 solo song.
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09
Her favorite singers include Ella Fitzgerald and Marvin Gaye.
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10
Her brother Michael coined the nickname Dunk to describe her sturdy body, which he said resembled a donkey.
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11
She titled her 1993 album Janet partly to counter those who thought she was riding on the Jackson name. She produced and co-wrote the album without any sibling involvement.
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12
She has a son, Eissa Al Mana, born January 3, 2017, with her estranged husband Wissam Al Mana.
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13
As a child she wanted to be a jockey but became afraid of riding horses after Christopher Reeve’s accident.
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14
She was set to play Lena Horne in a biopic scheduled for 2004, but Horne withdrew her approval after Janet’s Super Bowl halftime show incident.
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15
On a controversial 1993 cover of Rolling Stone, Janet appeared topless, with her then-husband René Elizondo’s hands covering her breasts, photographed by Patrick DeMarchelier.
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16
She attended Portola Middle School in Tarzana, California, where she was teased and harassed by classmates because of her fame from Good Times.
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17
After René Elizondo filed for divorce in 2000, revealing their secret marriage, Janet apologized, saying she wanted a normal family life and that her personal life had always been public. Elizondo later said he was surprised they kept it secret for so long.
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18
Her third album Control sold over 10 million copies worldwide and produced five top 5 hits, including Nasty, Let’s Wait Awhile, and the #1 When I Think of You.
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19
The 1986 song Nasty was inspired by ancient Roman graffiti that translated to You are a nasty boy.
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20
In the late 1980s, she was hospitalized weekly for several months at Brotman Hospital in Culver City, California.
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21
During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004, her right breast was briefly exposed when Justin Timberlake tore part of her costume. Both admitted they planned the move privately, but insisted the exposure of bare skin was accidental, as a red bra was meant to be shown.
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22
The first record she ever owned was Black Dog by Led Zeppelin.
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23
Her favorite movie is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982.
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24
In a 2003 documentary, Michael Jackson claimed that Janet emulated his Captain EO choreography in her Rhythm Nation music video, which she co-choreographed with Anthony Thomas.
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25
She holds the record for the most American Music Award nominations from a single album: 12 nominations for Control.
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26
She is the second most successful artist on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart, behind only Madonna.
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27
She was ranked #77 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.
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28
Her self-titled debut album peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 and sold only 250,000 copies.
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29
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1500 Vine Street on April 20, 1990.
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30
In 2014, Fuse ranked her as the third most awarded recording artist of all time, after Beyoncé and Michael Jackson.
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31
On June 16, 2017, she filed for divorce from her third husband Wissam Al Mana, just three months after the birth of their son Eissa.
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32
She won nine Billboard Awards in 1990 for her album Rhythm Nation 1814.
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33
Her 1994 single Any Time, Any Place holds the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
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34
She is mentioned in Eminem’s song Ass Like That.
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35
She is the younger sister of Michael Jackson.
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36
With over 100 million records sold, she is one of the best-selling artists in contemporary music history.
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37
She owns homes in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta, where she lived with Jermaine Dupri.
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38
In 1996, she negotiated an $80 million recording contract with Virgin Records.
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39
She has four dogs: Riley Rottweiler, Dylan Boxer, Madison miniature Schnauzer, and Pockets Australian Shepherd cross.
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40
The music video for Again was originally planned to show her in nightwear, as she was wearing pajamas when she wrote the song for the film Poetic Justice 1993.
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41
She is an aunt to many of her siblings’ children, including Yashi Brown, Austin Brown, Siggy Jackson, Jermajesty Jackson, Billie Bodega, Jaafar Jackson, Donte Jackson, Genevieve Jackson, Taryll Jackson, Taj Jackson, and TJ Jackson.
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42
Her album Damita Jo is named after her middle name.
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43
Her first biography was published in 1977, a joint biography about her and her brother Randy Jackson.
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44
In 1999, she appeared in a Japanese Pepsi-Cola commercial with Ricky Martin, and in 1990 she appeared in a Japan Airlines commercial.
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45
She was ranked #10 on VH1’s 100 Sexiest Artists list.
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46
Her second album Dream Street peaked at #147 on the Billboard 200 and sold only 200,000 copies.
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47
In 1990, she became the first artist to have a #1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock chart with the single Black Cat.
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48
She was named #37 in FHM magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World list in 2005.
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49
The Jacksons as a group also have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1500 Vine Street.
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50
She lists many musical inspirations, including Joni Mitchell, Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, Sly and the Family Stone, U2, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Dionne Warwick, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Jackson 5.
