The Janet Jackson documentary premiered on Lifetime and A&E over the weekend, igniting a Twitter firestorm in the process. Fans were shocked to discover So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri allegedly cheated on the veteran pop star during their eight-year relationship.
As the four-part series concluded, the 49-year-old music exec admitted he was “reckless” with Jackson and suggested other women were the reason for their split.
“One of the weird things about dating Janet is that dating Janet attracts other women,” he said. “Girls wanted to talk to me more because I was dating her, which was really weird … and uhh, just yanno … I was a man,” insinuating he wasn’t able to control himself sexually. But Jackson argued it was more than the cheating — Dupri was also obsessed with his work to the point they’d rarely see each other.
“He was a work-a-holic,” she said. “And he was constantly working. I would not see him for like three weeks, a month. And as soon as he would come in, he would go to the club. And it’s like carve out just a little time for me…, and it was hard for him to do. His girlfriend was his work.”
Jermaine Dupri has addressed his relationship with Janet Jackson elsewhere in recent years — but blamed the breakup on geography. Speaking to T.I. for his expediTIously podcast in April 2020, Dupri claimed neither one of them was willing to move to their respective cities. Jackson was living near the sun-filled Pacific Ocean in Malibu, while Dupri was still in his home base of Atlanta, Georgia.
“I started seeing so many other things that I wanted to do, and so many other places that I wanted to go,” he said at the time. “I started thinking like marriage for me wasn’t gonna work. Just, something about it. When you feel like you’re ready to get married, you don’t have no answers, you just know what it is. I was in the space.
Bow Wow & Da Brat Beg Jermaine Dupri To Get Back Together With Janet Jackson
“I’m not gon front and say that I wasn’t. I felt married… I think the only thing that created a difference for me was the fact that we didn’t live together. We had an eight year, nine year relationship, but we didn’t live with each other.”
Jermaine Dupri continued citing his refusal to move as a factor in their split but never copped to cheating, at least not in the expediTIously interview.
“I feel like that’s a part where you really determine if you’re strong,” he added. “She wasn’t willing to move to Atlanta. She was willing to come out here for a couple of weeks. But living in Atlanta, for her, just didn’t really seem like L.A. I wasn’t ready to move to Malibu… I like it, I fuck with it. but it ain’t… It’s just something about being here. That stuff didn’t feel like the space where either one of us wanted to be.”
But there’s a sense Twitter wouldn’t forgive Dupri for messing up their relationship no matter what the reason. Check out some of the reactions below.
Leave this dude alone. For 1 she’s a Jackson, Im sure she’s annoying as hell. 2, his status gave him mad opportunities to cheat.
My broke ass would never cheat on Janet Jackson but I can’t be mad at Dupri.
He’s a dummy. You had it made. Bad bitch with her own money. If you wanna cheat, do that shit in a foreign country.
Big facts. His dumb ass should have been under her like some deodorant. Would be in another country getting my balls waxed. Janet was ready to have a litter of kids. This lil idiot out here cheating.
Juggs.
it’s the truth. any man that has ever dated a very attractive and popular woman can attest to this. i could only imagine the kind of attention dating Janet Jackson could bring. at least he was man enough to admit it and own it. this black man hunt has got to stop.
I don’t care if dupri cheat, after all Michael Jackson cheat on a monkey..
So this dummy never had a bad bitch I see. Any time you’re married or with a fine woman, other women automatically want to see how you got her. Throw the money in there, and that’s the trifecta. It’s a dick challenge at that point for these hoes. Then, you know he was fucking random hoes with no money that he ain’t got their own money.
We heard it all before. Feeding us nonsense about busy schedules stopping them from seeing each other and spending 8 years in a relationship without knowing where you’re headed. They must think we stupid. Shows how artificial these so called “celebrity relationships” are.
Youzza stooopid Futha mucka
You negroes really put women on a pedestal like that? Her snatch aint no different than any other chick’s.
Who is putting somebody on a pedestal? Bitch is fine with her own money. What the fuck else you looking for? All you have to do is not embarrass her by out here with random broke video hoes. Fuck an Egyptian bitch or British bitch when you out of the country. Shit isn’t that hard for a rich dude who had access to one of the greatest pop stars of all time. Not to mention that dude has to know he’s fucked up and these regular hoes only fucking with him for his money. Jay-Z figured this out. Not to mention Janet freaky too. She been known to go both ways, so he could have approached it that way. No way you fumble that bag though. That’s beyond stupid.