Janet Jackson Baby Bump: Singer Makes Rare Public Appearance, Putting 100-Pound Weight Gain Rumors To Rest

Janet Jackson has shown off her baby bump for the first time, and in doing so, the 50-year-old singer seemed to put rumors to bed that she had suffered a dangerous weight gain.

Jackson, who is pregnant with her first child with billionaire husband Wissam Al Mana, was spotted making a trip in London to a baby furniture store. Some media outlets, including Entertainment Tonight, had pictures of Jackson’s appearance and the growing baby bump she showed off.

The shots showed Jackson with a black scarf and flowing black outfit, with her baby bump on full display.

As Entertainment Tonight noted, Jackson appeared focused on her task at hand during her first public appearance in months.

“An eyewitness tells ET that Jackson arrived at the store in a chauffeured black Mercedes along with her bodyguard, her assistant and two others from her entourage. Jackson was greeted by staff, who shut the doors for her visit and seated her at a table to seemingly go over some of their merchandise. According to the eyewitness, she also strolled the store and took an interest in one of the prams.”

The appearance came after weeks of rumors circulated that Janet Jackson was suffering dangerous complications to her pregnancy, and that she had already gained more than 100 pounds. While Jackson did look larger in the photos, it seemed to be closer to normal for a pregnancy and did appear close to the 100 pounds that some celebrity news outlets had claimed.

There has been a lot of interest in Jackson’s pregnancy, including pictures released earlier in the summer claiming to show the first glimpse of her baby bump. The picture, which showed Jackson running an errand, showed her singer behind a car and didn’t actually reveal her stomach.

There have also been reports that some media outlets were offering a huge payday for shots of Jackson’s baby bump, though these reports were never verified.

Janet Jackson has been offered huge sums of #money to show baby bump https://t.co/qrRH4vw8wJ pic.twitter.com/w7s8TI5aqc

— Blasting News (@BlastingNews) August 29, 2016

Janet Jackson had spoken for years about her desire to be a parent, but as she turned 50, it appeared that those dreams might not come true. That made it more of a surprise when Jackson announced in April that she would be postponing her tour because she was pregnant.

“I thought it was important that you be the first to know. My husband and I are planning our family, so I’m going to have to delay the tour,” she said in a video posted online (via Entertainment Tonight).

Earlier rumors made it seem as if the pregnancy wasn’t going along very well. A report from Hollywood Life earlier this month claimed that a doctor had placed Jackson on bed rest after she shot up to 250 pounds.

The outlet quoted dietitian Lisa DeFazio, who said that type of weight gain would have put Janet Jackson at risk for some very serious complications.

“Excessive weight gain during pregnancy can lead to serious health risks,” DeFazio said. “These include gestational diabetes which means the baby will be overweight (over 10lbs). It is likely the baby would have blood sugar issues upon birth and the baby may not fit in the birth canal, so the doctors would have to do an emergency C-section.”

But the current pictures of Jackson’s baby bump don’t appear to show someone who weighs 250 pounds, and Jackson was never known for having a tiny frame to begin with.

And the size of Janet Jackson’s baby bump might not be all that big considering her due date. While the singer has not said officially when she is due, reports indicate that it will be sometime in November, putting her in the final weeks.

[Featured Image by Evan Agostini/AP Images]