The premiere date for the highly-anticipated Janet Jackson documentary has been revealed. On Saturday (Jan. 1), both Lifetime and A&E shared a new three-minute trailer for JANET, which will debut on both networks on Jan 28.
“Happy New Year! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – night one of #JanetJacksonDoc premieres Friday, January 28th at 8/7c,” the tweets read. Within the trailer, Ms. Jackson explains why she’s lifting her veil and sharing her story now. “It’s just something that needs to be done,” she says.
Clips from the doc show the iconic entertainer discussing her relationship with her “strict” father, her favorite brothers — Randy and Mike — and her love interests. The film takes Jackson back to Gary, Indiana where she grew up and features never-before-seen footage of her meteoric rise to superstardom, and her life now as a mother.
The two-part documentary has been five years in the making. According to Lifetime, JANET is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Jackson’s self-titled first album, which she released as a 16-year-old in 1982.
Lifetime has billed the documentary as “the definitive story on Janet Jackson.” “With full, unprecedented access to the global icon, JANET is an intimate, honest and unfiltered look at her untold story. Producers Workerbee have been filming the incredible documentary for over three years and were granted exclusive access to archival footage and Janet’s never-before-seen home videos, along with star-studded interviews,” the description reads.
Missy Elliot, Q-Tip, Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Teyana Taylor, Tyler Perry, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Janelle Monae, and more can be seen conducting interviews in the trailer. Janet’s mother, Katherine Jackson, also makes an appearance.
JANET was executive produced by the Rhythm Nation star and her brother Randy Jackson. It was directed by Ben Hirsch.
Check out the trailer for ‘JANET’ below: