{"id":2369743,"date":"2026-04-12T15:22:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2369743"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:22:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:22:37","slug":"mr-marcus-recalls-the-moment-janet-jackson-recognized-him-backstage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/mr-marcus-recalls-the-moment-janet-jackson-recognized-him-backstage\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr. Marcus Recalls the Moment Janet Jackson Recognized Him Backstage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr. Marcus says one of the most surreal moments of his career happened when <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/janet-jackson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Janet Jackson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Janet Jackson&quot;}\">Janet Jackson<\/a> recognized him backstage at the singer\u2019s concert in New Orleans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During a new interview on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@TheArtOfDialogue\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Art of Dialogue;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Art of Dialogue&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Art of Dialogue<\/em><\/a>, released April 6, the veteran adult film performer, whose real name is Jesse Spencer, recalled meeting Jackson shortly after Hurricane Katrina while attending Essence Festival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr. Marcus said he had traveled to New Orleans to promote his book, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4bXmxZH\" data-i13n=\"elm:affiliate_link;elmt:premonetized\" rel=\"sponsored\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The p**n Star Guide to Great Sex;elm:affiliate_link;elmt:premonetized;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;affiliate_link&quot;,&quot;yAffiliateService&quot;:&quot;premonetized&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The p**n Star Guide to Great Sex&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" class=\"link \"><em>The p**n Star Guide to Great Sex<\/em><\/a>, and had appeared as a guest speaker during the festival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jackson was one of the event\u2019s major headliners and later performed at the Superdome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Mr. Marcus, the city was still visibly recovering from Katrina at the time. He remembered walking through New Orleans and seeing water lines still marked on buildings nearly a year after the storm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After Jackson\u2019s show, he said he was invited to an afterparty by one of the drummer\u2019s bandmates and made the long walk across the city to attend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Once he arrived, however, getting close to Jackson proved difficult. Mr. Marcus said security initially blocked him from entering the upstairs VIP area where Jackson was sitting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He eventually found another staircase, made his way upstairs, and ordered a drink at the bar. That is when, he said, a member of Jackson\u2019s band spotted him and pulled him toward the private section.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cCome on, I want you to meet Janet,\u201d he recalled the drummer telling him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr. Marcus said the moment quickly became chaotic when his drink spilled across his white shirt just before he was ushered behind the velvet rope. He said Jackson then stood up, walked over, and greeted him directly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cShe said, \u2018I know you. You be in those movies,\u2019\u201d Mr. Marcus recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The performer admitted he was so caught off guard that he barely managed a response. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to respond,\u201d he said. \u201cI just mumbled something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Mr. Marcus, the brief exchange ended almost immediately, with Jackson returning to her group while security quietly guided him away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/janet-jackson-signs-publishing-deal-150206834.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jackson remains one of pop music\u2019s most recognizable stars decades after the release of Rhythm Nation 1814;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jackson remains one of pop music\u2019s most recognizable stars decades after the release of Rhythm Nation 1814&quot;}\">Jackson remains one of pop music\u2019s most recognizable stars decades after the release of <em>Rhythm Nation 1814<\/em><\/a>, while Mr. Marcus built his name in the adult film industry, appearing in more than 1,800 films.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr. Marcus\u2019 career later became overshadowed by controversy. In 2013, according to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/people\/2013\/06\/04\/porn-star-mr-marcus-jailed-in-syphilis-case\/2390281\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:USA Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;USA Today&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading no contest to exposing co-stars to syphilis and altering medical test results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/pop-culture\/a\/tanya-ghahremani\/mr-marcus-admits-to-starting-syphilis-scare-that-caused-the-adult-film-industry-to-shut-down\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Prosecutors said he returned to work after modifying the results of a second screening, although he later maintained he believed he was no longer contagious.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Prosecutors said he returned to work after modifying the results of a second screening, although he later maintained he believed he was no longer contagious.&quot;}\">Prosecutors said he returned to work after modifying the results of a second screening, although he later maintained he believed he was no longer contagious.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite that history, Mr. Marcus said his memory of meeting Jackson has stayed with him for years. He described the singer as \u201cvery shy\u201d and \u201cvery reserved,\u201d adding that he had long admired her music, especially <em>Rhythm Nation<\/em>, which he said he listened to while working early-morning furniture delivery jobs before entering the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Related News<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/music\/a\/bernadette-giacomazzo\/janet-jackson-control-40th-anniversary\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Janet Jackson Celebrates 40th Anniversary of &#8216;Control&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/janet-jackson-signs-publishing-deal-150206834.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Janet Jackson Signs Global Deal with Believe Music Publishing\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/NErxDYaFvj4iaV1h9WIliA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/708d83c27d18473a1ed79b38400fdb11\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Janet Jackson Signs New Publishing Deal Covering Her Full Catalog<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/pop-culture\/a\/bernadette-giacomazzo\/bill-bellamy-janet-jackson-dating\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Bill Bellamy Says He Had a Chance to Date Janet Jackson But Didn't Want to Ruin the Friendship\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Q.VlmI8SYz8YIoae7k_lTQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/6543d151e80edec6add08c7ab542e8e3\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Bill Bellamy Says He Passed on Dating Janet Jackson: &#8216;I Fumbled&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><b>Related News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/celebrity\/articles\/real-housewives-alum-jen-shah-214615329.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:'Real Housewives' Alum Jen Shah Takes Full Responsibility for Fraud Scheme After Prison;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;'Real Housewives' Alum Jen Shah Takes Full Responsibility for Fraud Scheme After Prison&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">&#8216;Real Housewives&#8217; Alum Jen Shah Takes Full Responsibility for Fraud Scheme After Prison<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/tv\/articles\/maury-povich-50-cent-being-185620431.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Maury Povich on 50 Cent Being a Fan: 'Maybe I Did Have an Impact';elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Maury Povich on 50 Cent Being a Fan&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Maury Povich on 50 Cent Being a Fan: &#8216;Maybe I Did Have an Impact&#8217;<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/newsletters?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_cta5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>Making Culture Pop.<\/b> Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr. Marcus says one of the most surreal moments of his career happened when Janet Jackson recognized him backstage at the singer\u2019s concert in New Orleans. During a new interview on The Art of Dialogue, released April 6, the veteran adult film performer, whose real name is Jesse Spencer, recalled meeting Jackson shortly after Hurricane [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2369744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[308613,351157],"class_list":["post-2369743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-janet-jackson","tag-marcus"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mr-Marcus-Recalls-the-Moment-Janet-Jackson-Recognized-Him-Backstage.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2369743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2369745,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369743\/revisions\/2369745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2369743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2369743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2369743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}