Janet Jackson shares first look at new documentary: ‘This is the truth — take it or leave it’

Missy Elliot says in the one-minute teaser clip, ‘This is what a superstar looks like’

The first teaser for Janet Jackson’s self-titled documentary has been released.

The pop icon tweeted a one-minute teaser of Janet on 6 September, with the caption: “Excited to share the first teaser of my new documentary.”

In the clip, the five-time Grammy award winner says: “This is my story, told by me, not through someone else’s eyes."

She continues: “This is the truth — take it or leave it. Love it or hate it. This is me.”

Talking about the 55-year-old’s illustrious music career, Jackson’s friends and singers Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey and Paula Abdul make brief appearances in the teaser.

Missy Elliot says “this is what a superstar looks like” in one interview snippet, while former American Idol judge and singer Paula Abdul calls Jackson “a force to be reckoned with”.

Jackson’s brother, Tito Jackson, also features in the teaser and says the “Scream” singer will always be “my baby sister”, regardless of her widespread critical and commercial success.

The teaser also includes archival footage of Jackson’s brother, Michael Jackson, who died in 2009. Before Jackson sits down to face the camera, the one-minute clip features the singer’s Poetic Justice co-star, rapper Tupac Shakur who was murdered in 1986.

The two-night, four-hour documentary will be simulcast on A&E and Lifetime in January 2022, on the 40th anniversary of Jackson’s self-titled 1982 debut album.

The documentary chronicles the highs and lows of Jackson’s personal and professional life  — including the death of her brother, the passing of her father Joe Jackson in 2018, her notorious 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance with Justin Timberlake, and becoming a mother at the age of 50.

Janet, which has been in the making for five years, is executive produced by Janet and Randy Jackson and directed by Ben Hirsch.