Janet Jackson Reveals Family Ties To Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, And Samuel L. Jackson

There's a reason why Michael and Janet Jackson share the same last name with Samuel L. Jackson.

The talent within the Jackson family runs even deeper than expected now that Janet Jackson has revealed the surprising connections to her family tree.

The music icon appeared on BBC Sounds, where she opened up to Scott Mills about the famous faces within the Jackson family who aren’t her brothers. After Mills asked the “Rhythm Nation” hitmaker if she was related to fellow music legend Stevie Wonder, she let the cat out of the bag.

“He’s our cousin,” Jackson admitted to a surprised Mills. “Not a lot of people know that. He’s our cousin on my mother’s side.”

But Jackson wasn’t done. She revealed two more talents within music and film with whom she shares family ties.

“So is Tracy Chapman. So is Samuel L. Jackson,” she added.

Mills was completely taken aback as Jackson confirmed her relation to the “Pulp Fiction” star as another cousin. It’s the first time anyone in the Jackson family has been so forthcoming about their family tree.

The superstar family has always been known to consist of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and his nine siblings, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon, Randy, and Janet. While Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder often collaborated in the studio, they managed to remain mum about being third cousins on Katherine Jackson’s side of the family.

Stevie and MJ enjoyed working together on music and have many songs together, including two 1987 duets, “Just Good Friends” from Michael’s “Bad” album and “Get It” from Stevie’s “Characters” album. Jackson’s cousin, Tracy Chapman, has been enjoying a revival of her music career after Luke Combs’ country music cover of her 1988 hit single “Fast Car” reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart last year. The cover made Chapman the first Black woman to top the chart since the chart’s inception in 1990.

As for Samuel L. Jackson, his decorated film career spans 40 years, with credits in cult classics like “Captain Marvel,” “Shaft,” “The Incredibles,” and many more. Despite being known for his loud demeanor on film, Jackson managed to keep quiet about why he shares the same last name with the King of Pop.