Is Skai Jackson a Secret Jackson Family Member? Are She and Janet Related?

Former child star Skai Jackson is all grown up with a child of her own, and now that she’s older, more people are starting to question whether she shares any familial ties with singer Janet Jackson. There’s no denying that, on some occasions, Skai and Janet bear a striking resemblance. Even before Skai entered her early twenties, the similarities were noticeable, like when she channeled her inner Janet for Halloween 2022 by recreating some of the singer’s most iconic looks.

One showed Janet in a white tank top sitting in a wicker chair with her curls pulled up, and another featured her with her hair down, wearing a tied black top.

From facial features to their shared last name, it’s no surprise that fans have speculated the two might be related. But do Skai and Janet have any familial ties, or is it all just a wild coincidence?

Skai was born in Staten Island, N.Y., to parents Jacob Jackson and Kiya Cole, and no, she isn’t related to Janet Jackson. Considering how high-profile the Jackson family is (and has been for decades), you better believe if Skai were connected to them, we’d already know.

Interestingly enough, while Skai gets her last name from her dad, Jacob Jackson, he doesn’t exactly share any standout facial features with the famous musical family. That’s not to say you have to look alike to be related, but if anything, Skai’s mom Kiya actually resembles Janet more than Jacob does.

Little is known about Jacob, as he’s lived most of his life out of the spotlight and hasn’t been as involved in Skai’s life as her mom. Skai’s parents divorced when she was young, and Kiya raised her as a single mother in N.Y., according to People. Skai hasn’t featured her father in any of her Instagram posts, though she did give him a shoutout for Father’s Day in 2020 on Facebook.

What also squashes the idea that Janet and Skai are related is their different upbringings. Joe Jackson was raised in Indiana, the same state where he and his wife, Katherine, raised their children before relocating the family to California in the early 1970s.

While Joe had four siblings, Luther Jackson, Lawrence Jackson, Lula Mae Jackson, and Verna Mae Jackson, none have been publicly linked to Skai or her family. At this point, it seems the shared last name between Janet and Skai is just a coincidence.

That said, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that if there were a connection and neither side wanted it known, they’d keep it quiet. Janet hasn’t been especially vocal about many extended family members beyond her niece, Paris Jackson.

So, if Skai’s father happened to be distantly related to one of Joe’s brothers, and that side of the family wasn’t seeking the same level of success as Joe, it’s possible they were shut out and kept private. Still, there's no evidence of any familial ties between them. And as for those 2022 Halloween pics where Skai dressed like Janet, perhaps we can credit makeup and wardrobe for helping her to pull off that striking resemblance.