Janet Jackson Wanted Tupac To Take AIS Test Before Filming Kissing Scene For “Poetic Justice,” New Book Claims

Janet Jackson Wanted Tupac To Take AIS Test Before Filming Kissing Scene For “Poetic Justice,” New Book Claims

There was seemingly a lot of drama on the set of #PoeticJustice.

#JanetJackson allegedly asked producers to have Tupac Shakur take an AIDS test before they filmed a kissing scene for the 1993 romantic drama, according to a new Tupac biography from famed author #JeffPearlman. Pearlman claims Janet, who was engaged to René Elizondo Jr. at the time, wasn’t feeling Tupac’s playboy image and had concerns about how the rapper was spending his time off the set.

Apparently, leading up to the kiss, Tupac made remarks about “overwhelming Jackson with his lips and mouth,” which prompted the songstress to call a meeting with producer Steve Nicolaides. Pearlman says Nicolaides told him Janet didn’t “want to swap saliva with [Tupac]” until test results came back proving he was “healthy and clean.”

He adds that the producer took the request to the rapper, who went on a heated rant against Janet and refused to take the test. Despite the alleged tension, the two went on to film the scene, and Poetic Justice became a cult classic.

Jeff Pearlman’s book on #TupacShakur, Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur, drops today (Oct. 21).

Do you think Janet’s (alleged) request was reasonable given the era, or over the line?

Authored by: Twila-Amoure McDaniel