Janet Jackson and her husband, Rene Espinoza

Janet Jackson (left) and her husband René Espinoza pose for photographers at the release party for her album The Velvet Rope. This was in Culver City, California, on September 9, 1997. (The album was officially released to the public the next month.) The Velvet Rope was Janet Jackson's sixth studio album, and the follow-up to her hit 1993 album Janet. Janet Jackson and René Espinoza were married from 1991 until their divorce in 2000. He does seem glum here.