Janet Jackson seems to be out here living her best life since splitting from Wissam Al Mana, but alleged insiders close to her estranged husband say she’s being manipulated by her brother, Randy Jackson.
via Page Six:
But insiders told The Post that Al Mana, a devout Muslim, doesn’t do drugs and is no threat to the boy. And they blame Randy, 56, for orchestrating what they say is a bizarre ploy to lock down a future custody battle for the baby.
“Randy is behind all of this — he thinks he’s helping [Janet] to win legal and primary custody when he’s really hurting her,” said a family source.
He added that police were not pleased by the false alarm: “Because of Randy, their time was wasted. There were no drugs .?.?. Wissam was very polite, as has always been the case.”
Sources say Randy, the youngest brother in the famed Jackson clan, has been stirring the pot and advising Janet on a strategy he believes will help her prevail in court as she and Al Mana, 43, continue their increasingly contentious divorce proceedings that began more than a year ago.
“Randy doesn’t understand a lot, but wants you to believe he’s an expert,” said a family employee. “He’s fed Janet bad information. He’s made her believe that a disagreement is an argument, an argument is a fight, and criticism from Wissam is a curse word.”
The employee added that Randy has convinced Janet that it’s in her best interest to keep Eissa close by.
“This idea that if Wissam were to take Eissa, even for a couple of days, he’d flee to the Middle East .?.?. is all Randy. As smart as we believe Janet has always been with her affairs, she’s not being too smart by allowing Randy to take over her life and her marriage,” the family source said.
Janet’s representative did not respond to requests for comment. But family patriarch Joseph Jackson shrugged off the latest family drama.
“Janet can handle herself. I won’t comment further,” he told The Post.
A spokesperson for Al Mana declined to comment, pointing only to a previous statement in which the Qatari billionaire maintains his love for the “Nasty” singer, and a desire to keep his family together.
…
The rep said the breakdown of the marriage has caused great sadness for Al Mana.
While she never converted to Islam, Janet observed Muslim customs including fasting, reading the Quran and leaving major decisions to her husband. As a result, Randy believed Janet didn’t have a voice and encouraged her to “take control,” the family source said.
“Randy moved to London [where she lived with Al Mana], virtually next door to Janet. It’s so that he could manage her life,” the family source added. “He’s not with his brothers on tour. [Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito, who have toured with Randy in the past, are now on tour without him.] He’s shunned them. This is the tactic he took when Michael was on trial.” Accused of molestation, Michael was found not guilty on all counts in the 2005 court ruling.
Through his attorney Brian Oxman, Randy told The Post that his strategy with Janet has been mischaracterized.Family insiders say that during that trial, Randy tried to influence Michael by firing staffers and taking over some of Michael’s business affairs.
Stirring the point, he said, “isn’t what I’m doing. My family [has] decided to no longer sit quietly while one of us goes through a crisis. We were put off by not taking a proactive stand with Michael and doing things to care for him. We felt we were very remiss in the past and now, any time there’s signs of problems, we will get involved,” Randy said.
But the insiders are concerned that Randy’s ego could get in the way. They feel that Randy is trying to prove himself to his more-famous older brothers, who became stars as the Jackson 5.
“He works his way in and takes over and enriches himself and his profile, and then he’s able to show his brothers that he doesn’t need them,” the insider added.
He also voiced concern that Randy’s interference could wreak havoc on Janet’s custody battle.
“Right now, he’s playing with fire because this could end with Wissam getting more than what Janet is willing to give.”
It’s very obvious that Wissam’s ‘insiders’ are planting stories in the press. All we’re saying is this — Janet wouldn’t willingly become a single mother at 51 if something wasn’t very wrong in her marriage.
