Janet Jackson Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Janet Jackson’s Net Worth?

Janet Jackson, an American singer, actress, producer, and choreographer, boasts a net worth of $180 million. Being the youngest member of the famous Jackson family, she was raised in an environment rich in music, which greatly contributed to her success. Jackson’s career commenced with acting, featuring in television shows like “Good Times” and “Diff’rent Strokes” during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Nonetheless, it was her musical talents that propelled her to global fame. Her groundbreaking album “Control,” released in 1986, yielded several hit singles and showcased her unique blend of pop, R&B, and dance, with themes of independence and self-empowerment that resonated widely.

Subsequent albums, such as “Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989), “The Velvet Rope” (1997), and “All for You” (2001), further expanded her artistic boundaries in terms of music and thematic content. Renowned for her elaborate choreography, trailblazing music videos, and lyrics addressing social issues, Jackson has frequently used her platform to tackle subjects like racism, sexuality, and mental health.

Beyond her musical achievements, Janet Jackson has also made a mark in film, appearing in notable movies such as “Poetic Justice” (1993) alongside Tupac Shakur. Her numerous accolades include six Grammy Awards, and she stands as one of the best-selling artists in the annals of contemporary music history.

However, her career has experienced its share of controversies. The notorious “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show sparked widespread discussion and briefly overshadowed her extraordinary musical accomplishments. This incident also led to the unintentional rise of YouTube.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, Janet Jackson is the youngest of ten children, with her brothers forming the iconic Jackson 5. Following the Jackson 5’s signing with Motown in March 1969, the family relocated to the Encino area of Los Angeles. Jackson began her performance career on the variety show “The Jacksons” in 1976 alongside her siblings, marking the start of her entertainment journey. After participating in various acting projects, including leading roles in the sitcoms “Good Times” (1977) and “A New Kind of Family” (1979-1980), her father and manager, Joseph Jackson, secured a recording contract for her with A&M Records.

Solo Music Career

While under A&M Records and guided by her father’s management, Jackson released two albums: “Janet Jackson” (1982) and “Dream Street” (1984). After the second album, she parted ways with her family’s business interests and launched her third album, “Control” (1986), which showcased a more mature urban sound compared to her previous efforts. The album achieved phenomenal success, earning six Billboard Awards, three Grammy nominations, and winning four American Music Awards out of twelve nominations.

With her fourth album “Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989), Jackson firmly established her image as a solo star, independent of her family’s fame. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum six times by the RIAA. It made history as the first album to produce number-one hits across three different calendar years. The music video for “Rhythm Nation” is hailed as one of the most iconic and legendary in music history, further elevating Jackson to fashion icon status; the extended version of the “Rhythm Nation” music video even won a Grammy Award. Moreover, her Rhythm Nation World Tour in 1990 set records as the most successful debut tour at the time and achieved the fastest sell-out at Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Upon completing her contract with A&M, Jackson entered into a groundbreaking multimillion-dollar agreement with Virgin Records, valued between $32 and $50 million—the largest recording contract ever given to a female artist up to that point. Her first album with Virgin, “janet.” (1993), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, featuring five number-one singles, including the Grammy-winning hit “That’s the Way Love Goes.”

Her next two albums, “The Velvet Rope” (1997) and “All For You” (2001), also debuted atop the charts and together sold a remarkable sixteen million copies globally. By the close of the 1990s, Billboard magazine recognized her as the second most successful recording artist of the decade, following Mariah Carey. Jackson’s discography also includes “Damita Jo” (2004), “20 Y.O.” (2006), “Discipline” (2008), and “Unbreakable” (2015), the latter being released through her own record label, Rhythm Nation, established in collaboration with BMG Rights Management. In 2019, she launched the “Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation” tour, and in 2023, she embarked on the “Together Again Tour.”

Even decades into her career, Janet Jackson remains an influential pop artist with a remarkable legacy. Notably, in 2004, she became the most-searched news topic in the history of the Internet (according to the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records), when Justin Timberlake accidentally tore her shirt during the Super Bowl halftime show, exposing her breast. Jackson termed the incident an accident and declined to issue an apology to CBS.

Other Projects

In addition to her musical career, Jackson has appeared in a number of films. She debuted in 1993’s “Poetic Justice” and later featured in several other films, including “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps” (2000), “Why Did I Get Married?” (2007), and “For Colored Girls” (2010). In 2022, her documentary television series titled “Janet Jackson” was released.

Personal Life

At only 18 years old, Jackson married singer James DeBarge in 1984, but their marriage was annulled in November 1985.

In 1991, she tied the knot with dancer and director Rene Elizondo Jr., keeping the marriage under wraps for several years. Their divorce was finalized in 2003.

From 2002 until 2009, Jackson was in a relationship with music producer, rapper, and songwriter Jermaine Dupri.

In 2012, she entered into marriage with Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana, whom she had met in 2010. They welcomed a son in January 2017, but announced their separation and intention to divorce in April of that same year.

Rene Elizondo Divorce Settlement

Upon their divorce, Rene Elizondo filed a lawsuit against Janet seeking $25 million in settlement due to the fact that they were married during some of Janet’s most successful and productive years. He could…

The full amount or more was something he felt he deserved. Rene asserted in legal documents that during their marriage, they shared both income and banking resources, and at that moment, he had no savings to speak of. Although he acknowledged the existence of a prenuptial agreement, he alleged that he was coerced into signing it.

Following three years of litigation, a settlement was achieved, which reportedly stipulated that Janet would pay Rene $10 million in addition to legal costs.

Janet Jackson Is NOT A Billionaire

Despite rampant rumors circulating online, Janet Jackson does NOT possess billionaire status. Although she was married to Wissam Al Mana, a billionaire from Qatar’s retail sector, the misconception that she herself is a billionaire arose from a misreading of a May 2013 interview with Variety magazine. In that piece, the author calculated the total gross revenue generated by Janet’s career over the preceding two decades, encompassing movie ticket sales, album revenues, merchandise, and more. The total reached $1.2 billion. The article was accompanied by ads congratulating Janet for being a “billion-dollar entertainer.” This combination misled countless blogs into reporting that Janet’s net worth had surpassed $1 billion. Such claims are misleading; the $1.2 billion figure represents gross revenue and has minimal correlation with Janet’s personal financial standing.

Real Estate

In 1998, Janet Jackson acquired a 3-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot apartment in New York City’s One Central Park West for $2.8 million. In April 2022, she listed this property for sale at just under $9 million, ultimately accepting $8.8 million in August 2022. Check out a video tour of the property from when it was on the market.