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If you watched the Janet Jackson documentary on Lifetime this past weekend, there was plenty to learn about the pop culture icon (you can check out a recap of the biggest moments from night one and night two here on ESSENCE.com). One of the most talked about parts was the insight given into Jacksonโs long-term relationship with producer Jermaine Dupri. While they were attached at the hip throughout the aughts (โ02 to โ09), fans had no idea how deep their relationship really was and how much Jackson loved him.
โI really thought that was going to be it for me,โ Jackson said as video ran of the two during their relationship. The clips showed the starlet hanging out in his native Atlanta, opening up about her desire to have children with him (as many children as he desired at that).
But the fairytale ending she was hoping for, and one would assume he wanted since he asked her to marry him at one point, failed to come to fruition due to a number of things. The most glaring reason for fans was Dupriโs penchant for stepping out on their relationship, or as he put it, โMe being reckless.โ
โOne of the weird things about dating Janet is that dating Janet attracts other women,โ he said. โGirls wanted to talk to me more because I was dating her, which was really weird. AndโฆI was a man [laughs].โ
But as Jackson would share, the hurt of those choices wasnโt the sole reason they couldnโt work.
โI needed more than what he was giving me,โ she said. โHe was a workaholic. He was constantly working. I would not see him for three weeks, a month.โ
She added, โAs soon as he could come in, he would go to the club. It was like, โcarve out just a little bit of time for me. Even if itโs just us hanging at home,โ and it was hard for him to do. I would always tell him I never thought he had enough time really for a girlfriend. His girlfriend was his work.โ
Being non-confrontational, Dupri didnโt fight โ not even for the relationship. Itโs not something he necessarily regretted but just acknowledged as a fact in the doc.
โIโm sure I could have fought much harder and it would have been something that would have never gone away,โ he said.
The relationship ended in 2009, and a year later she started dating Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana. They would go on to marry in 2012 and welcome a son in 2017 โ months before they announced they were going their separate ways.
As both are seemingly available, would we want to see them reunite? Probably not. Still, we can always look back at the sweet moments they had when they were in love years ago and remember the time โ as Jacksonโs older brother used to say. Check out the Janet and Jermaine years in photos below.