Despite a Traumatic Early Life, Janet Jackson Got Pregnant at 50 and Calls Her Son “A Gift From God”

Janet Jackson, 56, may be one of the most accomplished pop artists in recent history, but her favorite role in life is as mother to her 6-year-old son, Eissa.

Jackson had a particularly difficult and well-documented childhood. Her father, Joe Jackson, was a dominating figure, who would often strike her and her brothers. Further, her famous brother, Michael, would often criticize her weight, going so far as to publicly call her names in an effort to embarrass her.

She would eventually begin to criticize herself, resulting in a lifelong struggle with depression. She has said “happiness was elusive” in her early life, but Jackson would eventually create a happiness all her own.

Jackson has had three marriages, all of which have ended. Her final marriage came in mid-life, alongside it’s own miracle; her son, Eissa.

Jackson had her first child at 50-years-old, putting her career on the backburner, but not putting it away completely. She said,

“Even though it’s something that I absolutely love, it still is my work, my job. There will be music at some point. Exactly when? I can’t say just yet, but there will be. I love it too much not to do it. This is all I know. There’s so much that I want to do — but my number one job is being a mama.”

For Eissa’s third birthday, she wrote that her son was the “greatest gift from God.”

Similarly, for her son’s sixth birthday, she posted a sweet tribute to her love for Eissa: