Who Is Janet Jackson’s Husband? New Details About Their Messy Custody Battle And Why She Called Welfare To Check On Her Son
The nanny's at the middle of it all.
Instagram Who Is Janet Jackson’s husband? There's major drama brewing between pop diva Janet Jackson and her ex-husband and baby daddy Wissam "Sam" Al Mana. The former couple share custody of their 17-month-old son Eissa. On Saturday night, around 10pm, Janet called the authorities for a welfare check on her son, who was in the care of his father at the Nobu Hotel in Malibu.
She accused Sam of acting erratically and feared for her child's safety. Did she have reason to suspect something was not quite kosher with her ex that night? Who is Wissam Al Mana? Let's take a look at all the details we know so far.
1. He's from Qatar.
Wissam Al Mana, known as Sam, was born in Doha Qatar in 1975. When Sam was two years old, his family moved to London. He attended college at George Washington University in Washington D.C. and got his Masters at the London School of Economics.
2. He runs the family business.
Sam is the executive director of the Al Mana Group — the family business. The Al Mana Group is an enormous conglomerate made up of 55 companies. They own all of the McDonald's in Qatar. The Al Mana Group was founded by Sam's late father, Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana. Sam runs the business with his two brothers and is specifically responsible for the Middle Eastern retail operations of the company's luxury brands including Hermes, Stella McCartney, Armani, and Harvey Nichols.
3. He's a billionaire.
Sam is a very private person who has been focused on building the family business. He's a billionaire with a net worth of $1 billion.
4. He's very religious.
Sam is a devout Muslim. Janet reportedly converted to Islam and dressed conservatively per his wishes.
5. Janet and Sam married in 2012.
Janet and Sam married in a secret ceremony in 2012. They didn't tell the world they were married until a year later.
6. Their son was born in 2017.
Then 50-year-old Janet gave birth to their son Eissa on January 3, 2015. Eissa is the Arabic word for Jesus.
7. He was allegedly very controlling.
Janet left Sam in April 2017. Reports say that Janet felt that Al Mana had become too controlling during her pregnancy and was verbally abusive. Even before she got pregnant, the billionaire told Janet what was and was not appropriate clothing for his wife as well as dictated how she should perform at her concerts.
8. Janet was terrified for her son's safety.
Randy Jackson broke the news of Janet's call to authorities on her son's behalf to Entertainment Tonight on Sunday. She reportedly received a call from a terrified nanny who had locked herself in a bathroom after seeing Sam acting aggressively.
9. They disagreed on how to raise their son.
People reported the exes have very different ideas on how to raise their son, something that has frustrated Janet greatly.
10. Their custody battle is contentious.
Janet and Sam are hammering out the details of their long-term custody agreement for their son. The case is taking place in London, where Janet moved to be with Sam and where Eissa was born. Now, Janet wants Eissa in the U.S. with her. It was her choice to move back to the U.S. when they broke up, which may give Sam the edge in the court battle.
11. Janet called the cops twice.
Janet called the police to check on her son twice over the weekend: once on Friday and then again on Saturday. She was reportedly worried he was using drugs around their son.
12. It was all about the wi-fi.
Apparently it was about Sam not making the hotel's wi-fi available to Janet's nanny due to spotty cell service in Malibu. The nanny stirred the pot in the contentious custody battle between the exes and called and Janet to tell her Sam was acting erratically.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.