The documentary special “Janet Jackson” (stylized in all caps) from A&E and Lifetime gives us a close-up, real-life glimpse of the singer-songwriter. Essentially, it tries to help Janet regain control over her own narrative by examining the untold story of her life through never-before-seen film and exclusive interviews. Now that she has disclosed everything, including her personal and professional history, let’s learn more about René Elizondo Jr., the man she initially believed to be “the one” for her.
Janet Jackson and René Elizondo Jr.’s Relationship Timeline
In the late 1980s, Janet Jackson and René Elizondo Jr., a director/songwriter at the time, had initially connected through a mutual friend. They instantly clicked and went on to date. Part of what drew her to René was the fact that she had broken up with James DeBarge only a few years before, knowing that she needed to “be free of being with somebody that did drugs and all of that.” Considering that she “needed a lift,” as Janet acknowledged in the documentary series, and that her new companion “was humorous, [we] just always had fun together,” He was unbelievably endearing.
Because she felt “it was different” and wanted “it to be it,” the “Rhythm Nation” singer said yes when René proposed in the rain on a beach. As a result, the marriage took place in secret in 1991, and it wasn’t made public until around the time René requested a divorce nine ye ars later. According to sources, they divorced in January 1999, but the legal processes didn’t start (or finish) until the following year. But during the course of their 13 years together, Janet and René were more than simply best friends; they were also coworkers and, in the truest sense of the word, partners.
Along with his wife, René was heavily active in the music business, directing the music videos for a couple of Janet’s singles and writing lyrics for about 37 of her songs. But in the year following their divorce, things took a turn for the worst, especially when he sued Janet for more than $10 million, alleging that she had broken an asset-based agreement. Three years later, they purportedly came to a mutually advantageous settlement, and at that point, their ongoing relationship ended as well. Despite this, it doesn’t seem that René and Janet have ever had a bad relationship.
We should point out that Janet and René decided to keep their relationship a secret in order to preserve their privacy and live a somewhat normal life. Janet once said, “It didn’t feel good at all to lie about our married status.” But I was prepared to go to any lengths to keep what we had. because I believe that marriage in general is very difficult in this industry. She also mentioned how, while they were together, they were practically attached at the hip. “I guess we were apart from one other for at most a week once, no, twice,” she said.
René Elizondo Jr., who is 59 years old, continues to live in California and works in the entertainment sector as a director, singer, photographer, and host of the podcast “Pretty Messed Up.” The fact that he married his longtime girlfriend, Britt Coelho Elizondo, in August 2010 and subsequently brought a daughter into their lives in October 2011 shows that he has since done the best of his efforts to move on with his life. In other words, René seems to be completely happy with his life now, with a career he likes and a family he values.
