The speculation behind Janet Jackson’s billionaire status: Here’s what we know

merican singer, actress, producer, and choreographer, Janet Jackson, has been in the entertainment limelight for over forty years. Although her exceptional talent has earned her accolades and great success as a global icon within the entertainment industry, some fans only recognize her as Michael Jackson’s sister.

Born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, Jackson’s career in music started when she joined her siblings to perform on the variety show, “The Jacksons.” She was under the management of her father’s record label, A&M Records.

After releasing two albums under A&M Records, she decided to stop doing business with her dad and went solo; releasing her third album, “Control” (1986), which won six Billboard Awards, three Grammy nominations, and four American Music Awards from twelve nominations.

In 1989, she released her fourth album, “Rhythm Nation 1814,” which solidified her position as one of the best singers in the world. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum six times by the RIAA.

After exiting A&M Records, she signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Virgin Records, which was reportedly valued at $32 – $50 million. The deal is said to be the largest female music recording contract of all time. Janet released several albums which also performed well on several music charts.

Her relevance in the music space has continued till today, including her earnings. A decade ago, it was widely speculated that she had hit billionaire status. However, Forbes disputed this, reporting that the press had mistaken the money brought in by someone’s business for the net worth of that individual.

In that report, the source simply added all the gross revenue Janet had made in her endeavors over the last 20 years. After adding her ticket sales, album sales, and merchandise, among others, the final number came to $1.2 billion; a methodology Forbes argues is not rigorous enough.

However, in a recent article by Essence, citing E! News and Yahoo News, the magazine claimed the singer has officially reached billionaire status.

The platforms noted that Jackson earned “$458 million in concert earnings, $304 million from big screen roles like For Colored Girls, and The Nutty Professor, and $260 million in album sales. The superstar also earned a whopping $81 million from sponsorship deals.”

The report further added that the singer increased her net worth when she married billionaire and Middle East investor Wissam Al Mana in 2019.

In 2013, Forbes reported that she has valuable songs, ownership stakes in firms she endorses, as well as being married to a billionaire. The report went on to add that she was on her way to becoming a billionaire.

However, it appears hitting the billionaire status has not occurred yet; both Forbes and Bloomberg are uncertain about her actual net worth.