What We Know About Janet Jackson's Son Eissa

While Janet Jackson has been famous for nearly her entire life, the lack of privacy the legendary pop star experienced during her formative years has made her incredibly protective over her private life as an adult. She is quite good at living stealthily, too, as Jackson has even been able to hide multiple marriages over the years (until after they were done). Unsurprisingly, Jackson is careful about what she shares about her only child, son Eissa, especially as he gets older. Jackson has also gone on the record to say that Eissa will not be pushed to follow the family line and join the entertainment industry as a youth. Keeping her son out of the public eye is no doubt Jackson's way of ensuring he has more of a childhood than she did.

Jackson welcomed Eissa on January 3, 2017, with her then-husband Wissam Al Mana. The couple split three months later — and Jackson reportedly made millions in the divorce — but remain committed to giving Eissa a nice life in London, England. Jackson shared the first photo of Eissa days after her split but has largely kept her son off of social media since. 

Given her extreme level of fame, however, paparazzi have provided the occasional snapshot of Janet and her kid. Additionally, Jackson has herself shared small nuggets of information with the public in interviews and on Instagram, typically while beaming with pride as she discusses her only child. Here is a look at what we know about Janet Jackson's son Eissa.

By this point in time, it should be assumed that anyone born into the Jackson family will have at least a minimal interest in music. Beyond the successful careers of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, and Janet Jackson, plenty of others in the clan have proved themselves musical. This includes multiple second-generation musicians, such as Tito Jackson's three sons, who perform using the band name 3T, and Michael's daughter Paris Jackson. It is looking quite likely that Janet's son Eissa will one day join the family business, as he loves music — starting with Bruno Mars, according to his mother. But Janet had made it clear that, for now, Eissa will have to flex his musicality at home. She is adamant that he wait until he is 18 if he wants to pursue music professionally.

According to Janet Jackson, Eissa started showing an interest in music as a toddler and began taking music lessons at age 2. "First he chose the violin. He loves classical music," Jackson explained on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." "First day of school, he took the violin to school. Third day of school, he says, 'Mama, I want to take a cello to school.' I said, 'Baby, you don't have a cello.' He says, '... Turn my violin into a cello, please Mama.'" No word on whether Eissa is still taking cello lessons, or if he has since moved on to the drum set gifted to him by Questlove.

Despite having the means to hire a collection of nannies, Janet Jackson has been adamant that she does not want someone else caring for her child unless absolutely necessary. "It is hard being a working mother," she told Stellar (via the Daily Telegraph in 2019). "I don't have a nanny. I do it all myself. If my mother did it with nine children, there's no reason I can't. Of course, when I'm working someone watches him, but it's my baby and me. It's not easy at times, but my life has changed. Obviously my baby comes first." In that same interview, Jackson said she brings her son on the road with her so there are no prolonged stretches when they are not together. She even ensures that her rehearsal time is now half as long as it used to be, pre-Eissa.

In 2022, insiders told People that Jackson's life has totally changed since becoming a mom and that Eissa is "her world." That is unsurprising since it is quite clear that Jackson spends a lot of time with her son doing activities — if Instagram is to be believed, at least. While Jackson does her best to shield Eissa's face whenever possible, she has joyfully posted about the thing she and her son get up to at home. For example, a 2020 post featured a cool playhouse with the caption, "My baby and I built a lil island retreat #IslandLife." Another 2020 post expressed how the pair were taking on spring cleaning together. "Like Mama like son," she wrote.