LONDON: Just months after giving birth to her first child at age 50, Janet Jackson has split with Qatari billionaire husband Wissam Al-Mana.
While one source said the split is amicable and the couple will co-parent their son, others said trouble had been brewing for months.
“She thought he had become too controlling during the pregnancy and she had already allowed him to dictate her appearance and even the way she performed at concerts,” the source who works closely with the couple said.
Other demands that the “Rhythm Nation” singer gave in to included toning down her 2014 concert tour — wearing clothing that covered her body, instead of the skin-revealing outfits fans had grown to love.
“It drove her crazy and she felt she was losing her fan base.”
Jackson also resented the reclusiveness of her husband, who rarely met with her friends or family, the source said.
Still, the couple hoped a baby would help.
They welcomed their son, Eissa Al-Mana, on Jan. 3 after nearly five years of marriage. After much deliberation over whether to have a lavish wedding, Jackson gave in to Al-Mana’s demands for a simple and private ceremony, sources said.
But Jackson was doing all the compromising — with little give from Al-Mana, 41.
A divorce settlement could be complex and costly as Al-Mana, CEO of the multinational Al-Mana business conglomerate, is estimated to have a fortune of around £800 million ($990 million) — at least four times Jackson’s net worth, reported the Daily Mail.
When the couple married, there was much speculation, never confirmed, that Jackson had embraced Islam, fueled by her appearance in a head scarf.
Janet Jackson splits from Qatari husband
Janet Jackson splits from Qatari husband
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
