Jesse Jackson, the well-known civil rights leader and Baptist minister, admitted to an extramarital affair that led to the birth of a daughter; however stayed married to his wife Jacqueline for over 6 decades until his demise on February 17, 2026.
He had been married to his wife Jacqueline since December 1962, and they had five children together.
The exclusive news came out after the National Enquirer was about to publish details, so Jackson decided to get ahead of it with a public statement on January 18, 2001.
He came out and admitted he had an extramarital affair with a 20 years younger woman named Karin Stanford, who worked for his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Washington.
In the statement, he said:
This is no time for evasions, denials, or alibis.
Further, he went on to reveal that he was the father of a child named Ashley Jackson, born outside his marriage in May 1999. Jackson further added, “I fully accept responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions.”
He also made clear how he felt about the little girl, stating,
As her mother does, I love this child very much and have assumed responsibility for her emotional and financial support since she was born.
Jackson mentioned his own background, saying, “I was born of these circumstances, and I know the importance of growing up in a nurturing, supportive and protected environment,” which is why he was committed to giving his daughter and her mother the privacy they deserved.
Similarly, Jackson also mentioned that his wife, Jackie, and their children knew about it.
At the time, Jackson was providing support, including monthly payments, and he described the whole situation as creating “an extremely painful, trying and difficult time” for his wife Jackie and their children.
He asked for forgiveness from his family, friends, and supporters, and said he would take some time off from public work to focus on healing and reconnecting at home.
Amid the scandal, people talked a lot about the timing because Jackson had been serving as a spiritual advisor to President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal just a few years earlier.
There were questions about hypocrisy, but Jackson stepped back briefly as he promised.
Later that year, in an August 2001 interview on ABC’s 20/20, Karin Stanford spoke about wanting Jackson to stay involved as a father and mentioned that their relationship had become strained, with fewer visits to Ashley.
She said she had gone to court to formalize the child support, which was around $4,000 a month at one point, and turned down a confidentiality agreement from his side.
Despite the hurt and public attention, Jackson’s marriage to Jacqueline held together. Reports from the time noted that the family prayed together and worked toward reconciliation through God’s grace.
His wife stood by him, and no reports of separation or divorce circulated online. They remained married for more than six decades.
When Jesse Jackson passed away on February 17, 2026, at age 84, family statements and obituaries listed Jacqueline as his surviving wife. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, including her, after a long life of activism.
The Affair Brought Money, Questions, and Scrutiny but Did Not Hurt Jesse Jackson’s Finances in a Major Way Over Time!
The affair brought some focus on money issues connected to Jesse Jackson’s work.
News reports said his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition gave Karin Stanford around $35,000 as a severance package when she left her position and moved to California, covering relocation costs and other support.
Jackson paid child support himself, starting at about $3,000 each month from his personal money.
Questions came up about whether nonprofit funds were used properly, which led to updated tax forms for one of the groups to fix missing details.
He shared that he made roughly $120,000 a year from the organizations he led, along with earnings from things like his old CNN program. Reviews and audits showed nothing illegal happened, even if the attention made things harder. Still, the scandal didn’t seriously harm his finances.
His net worth held steady and reached about $4 million by his passing in 2026. Family assets from the late 1980s sat between $400,000 and $600,000, and 2001 records showed no big drop in income. He kept earning through speeches, books, and civil rights efforts for many years afterward.
Leave a Comment