Janet Jackson Denies Daughter Claim

By: Shannon Gossage

The 39-year old singer has slammed reports that she had a daughter with ex-husband James DeBarge. In a statement released Wednesday, Jackson said, "I do not have a child and all allegations saying so are false." Last Friday, Jackson’s former brother-in-law Young DeBarge appeared on a New York radio show and claimed that his brother and Jackson, who were married for a brief three months in the mid 80’s, had a daughter together. DeBarge also claimed the daughter, named Renee, is now 18 and that she was raised by Jackson’s older sister, Rebbie.

Brian Oxman, the Jackson family attorney, said that the rumor first came up a few years back and he asked Jackson if there was any truth to the claims. Said Oxman, "The answer is no way, no how. From the sisters to the mother, every last one of them said it never happened." Young DeBarge was reportedly promoting his upcoming album, maybe the secret daughter story was just a way of drumming up publicity or reminding people that for a split second way back in the day he was Janet Jackson’s brother in law.

After her brief marriage to DeBarge in 1984, Jackson secretly married choreographer Rene Elizondo in 1991. That marriage remained a secret until he filed for divorce in 2000. She has reportedly been dating music producer Jermaine Dupri since 2002 and there were rumors that they had secretly tied the knot last year. Not so, says Jackson’s camp.