Janet Jackson Jokes About Her Love Life: ‘How Many Times Have I Been Married Now?’ The Singer Discussed Her Previous Marriages In A Candid New Interview.***

Janet Jackson. Photo: Gregg DeGuire/Getty

Janet Jackson is reflecting on her past marriages.

The superstar singer, 58, poked fun at being married three times in a new interview with the BBC as she discussed the upcoming U.K. leg of her Janet Jackson: Together Again Tour in the fall.

“How many times have I been married now?” joked Jackson in the July 24 interview. “Three, I think.”

Jackson split from her third husband, Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana, three months after welcoming their first child, son Eissa, now 7, in April 2017. The pair tied the knot in 2012.

Janet Jackson and her third husband, Wissam Al Mana, in 2017.

Jackson was previously married to René Elizondo, Jr. from 1991 to 2003. Before that, she eloped with singer James DeBarge in 1984 when she was 18. The former couple annulled the marriage less than a year later.

Jackson previously opened up in her 2022 documentary Janet about the struggles dealing with DeBarge’s drug use while they were together as he would often disappear for hours — even on their wedding night.

In her latest interview, Jackson recalled putting her career to the side as she made her first husband her priority amid his drug dependency.

“I was doing the TV show Fame at the time and I’d be late for work and hold up shooting,” the “If” musician told the BBC. “I wasn’t being irresponsible. I just felt that [DeBarge] needed me more than the show. I got spoken to a few times by the producers. I’m not sure they were that fond of me.”

Janet Jackson and James DeBarge in Los Angeles in January 1985.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Now a mother, Jackson has discovered her most important connection is with her 7-year-old son Eissa.

“Being a mum is the most beautiful thing,” she told the outlet. “I love every single minute of it.”

Jackson’s comments about motherhood come after she posted a sweet clip celebrating Eissa’s 7th birthday on Instagram in January.

“Momma Loves You 😘,” she wrote in the caption at the time, sharing footage of Minecraft streamers, hinting at Eissa’s themed birthday celebrations.

Speaking in Essence‘s July/August issue in 2022, Jackson said that, while she is still passionate about her career, focusing on motherhood has been her priority in recent years.

“Even though it’s something that I absolutely love, it still is my work, my job,” she explained. “… I love it too much not to do it. This is all I know. There’s so much that I want to do — but my number one job is being a mama.”