Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana divorced after 5 years, 3 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $200M. See the full timeline.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Jackson invoked a clause in her prenup that increased payout after having a child.
Janet Jackson, one of the best-selling pop artists of all time, and Wissam Al Mana, a Qatari businessman from the family that owns the Al Mana Group conglomerate, announced their marriage in early 2012. Jackson, the youngest of the Jackson family, was an American star; Al Mana was a private figure from a wealthy Gulf family with interests in retail, hospitality and franchising. The couple lived at times in London, where they had a matrimonial home, and their son, Eissa, was born on 3 January 2017, a few months before the split.
Jackson built her fortune over three decades through recording and touring. Albums such as Control and Rhythm Nation 1814 made her one of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s and 1990s, and her touring and recording catalog continued to earn for decades afterwards. Al Mana's wealth came from the family business, the Al Mana Group, which holds franchise rights for international retail and hospitality brands across the Gulf. The couple's wealth was therefore separate, and a prenuptial agreement was reportedly in place.
The couple married in 2012 and spent five years together. Jackson announced the separation on 1 May 2017 in a YouTube video, only four months after the birth of her son. Divorce and financial proceedings were heard in the Family Division of the High Court in London, with a private hearing on 15 June 2017, as the English courts had jurisdiction because the couple lived in a London home during the marriage. The final date of the divorce has not been widely reported.
The terms of the settlement have not been published. The most widely repeated claim comes from Page Six, which reported that the couple's prenuptial agreement would give Jackson $100 million if the marriage lasted five years, and that this would double to $200 million if they had a child. That account is unconfirmed press reporting, and the actual amount, if any, paid under the agreement has not been disclosed in court records. Custody arrangements for Eissa were also not made public.
If the reported terms are accurate, the size of any payment was fixed by contract rather than set by a judge. Lawyers commenting on the case noted that, under English law as set out in the Supreme Court's Radmacher v Granatino decision, a prenuptial agreement entered into freely and with proper understanding will normally be upheld, so its terms could significantly influence the outcome. They also noted that a clause increasing the payment on the birth of a child might be open to challenge, and that the outcome would depend on the court's view of fairness.
Neither side's business was publicly affected. Jackson returned to music, and from 2017 to 2019 toured worldwide with the State of the World tour and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. Al Mana remained a private businessman with the Al Mana Group. The practical effect of the divorce was on Jackson's personal finances and on arrangements for the care of Eissa, which were not made public.
Jackson's reported $200 million, if paid, would be one of the largest sums ever associated with a recording artist's divorce, but the figure remains unconfirmed. It is notable less for its size than for the contract behind it, a prenuptial agreement with a sliding scale tied to the length of the marriage and the birth of a child. In that respect it stands apart from court-ordered settlements such as Polsky's or Hamm's.
The case reached the High Court in London because the couple's matrimonial home was there, even though one party was American and the other Qatari. English courts have a reputation among lawyers as a favorable forum for the financially weaker spouse, which commentators noted at the time. Jackson gave birth to Eissa at the age of 50, and his arrival in January 2017 became central to the prenuptial clause reported in the press.
Wissam Al Mana's reported settlement was about $200 million.
They married in 2012 and divorced in 2017, a marriage of roughly 5 years.
Reports say they had a prenuptial agreement.
Yes, the family is reported to include 1 children.
Reported assets include: Cash settlement per prenup clause, properties.
If the reported terms are accurate, the size of any payment was fixed by contract rather than set by a judge. Lawyers commenting on the case noted that, under English law as set out in the Supreme Court's Radmacher v Granatino decision, a prenuptial agreement entered into freely and with proper understanding will normally be upheld, so its terms could significantly influence the outcome.