Janet Jackson let fans get a glimpse into her life and broke her past rules of extreme secrecy with her documentary on LifeTime and A & E.
Featuring cameos from Missy Elliott, Whoopi Goldberg, Mariah Carey, Janelle Monae, Teyana Taylor, Ciara, Regina King, Tyler Perry, Q-Tip, Paula Abdul, Tito Jackson, Rebbie Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson, the two night event opened lanes of Jackson’s personal and professional life including her roles as a sister, daughter, mother, lover and artist.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, it was very rare to see documentaries of this magnitude on celebrities. This caused all sorts of rumors to spread and gossip to take place as fans did not get inside knowledge on celebrities as today on social media platforms.
The official documentary broke some of the mystique, but in a good way. It shattered some of the lies that was running rampant and also gave fans a chance to hear the superstar’s side of controversies.
Despite few objections from viewers over how short certain parts felt, per Deadline, ratings for the project were high—topping at 3.1 million views for the premiere. This feat marks the “best nonfiction debut in viewership and ratings on cable since ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance.” Additionally, the documentary also garnered “3.7 million video views across Lifetime and A&E’s on-demand platforms, with linear and video views on digital combining to reach 15.7 million total viewers.”
