Fans are convinced that the onstage chemistry between Janet Jackson and her backup dancer Darius “Dario” Boatner is the real deal and not just part of her jaw-dropping show.
Jackson, 57, and the 23-year-old shocked concertgoers when they passionately locked lips during the Houston stop of her “Janet Jackson: Together Again Tour” earlier this month.
The steamy lip action occurred during the breakdown of her 1997 hit “I Get So Lonely.” In the glow of red light, the veteran entertainer caressed Boatner’s face and lips before moving her mic and leaning in for the seconds’-long smooch.
The two looked rather close after a June 11 show at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California, according to video footage from a post-show reception shared on her Instagram Story.
In one clip, the “Control” superstar can be observed holding hands with the “All American: Homecoming” actor and another man as they moved through a crowd of people.
Another clip showed her holding on to Boatner’s arm before he is seen lingering nearby as Jackson embraced and chatted with actress Angela Bassett.
The off-stage interaction between the much younger dancer and the music icon was enough for social media users to assume that they may have an actual romantic connection.
“Didn’t she learn from jlo and Madonna…. your dancers are just for the meantime in between time, not long time” and “I think we need to stay out of Ms. Jackson’s business SHE GROWN,” read two of the comments from onlookers.
“Second clip : Look at Stella giving Janet her props for getting her groove back,” wrote another person, referring to Bassett’s role in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.”
“Auntie must’ve got an divorce!? If not still GO AUNTIE GO” and “Took her back to her DeBarge days,” read two more remarks.
Janet was most recently married to businessman Wissam Al Mana before ending the five-year union in 2017. They share one child together, a son named Eissa.
Songwriter René Elizondo Jr. is her second husband, to whom she was married from 1991 to 2000. It took three years for them to reach a settlement in their nasty divorce proceedings.
The youngest of the Jackson family’s first marriage was to James DeBarge in 1984. They were together for a year before his drug use led to the demise of their relationship. Last year, the five-time Grammy Award-winning artist opened up about the tumultuous love in her self-titled four-part documentary, which aired on Lifetime and A+E.
Following suit with the theme of bringing up Jackson’s exes, a few brought up Jermaine Dupri. “Somebody check on Jermaine Dupri,” wrote one person, while another said, “I was really hoping for a spin the block with JD.”
The former couple seemingly was head over heels with each other between 2002 and 2009. In the “JANET JACKSON” docuseries, the 1990 MTV Video Vanguard Award recipient revealed that she wanted to marry and have children with the music producer.
But their fairytale romance was cut short after she learned he had been unfaithful. Since then, hopeless romantics have falsely speculated about their attempts to rekindle their love. In 2021, fans went into a frenzy when she wished her him a happy birthday.
Last year, their magnetic energy was misinterpreted by fans again after photos of Jackson and Dupri celebrating her 56th birthday in Las Vegas made their way online. But most recently, relationship rumors sparked after Dupri made an appearance at her tour stop in Atlanta.
Their performance of “Do It 2 Me” had more than a few people in the audience convinced that they were “spinning the block,” and giving their relationship another try. However, in a May interview with HotNewHipHop, “The Rap Game” creator shut down those claims.
For now, only Jackson and Boatner know the truth about their relationship. Just last month, audience members were caught off guard when she seemed to touch the crotch of another backup dancer, Mariusz Maniek Kotarski.
