Janet Jackson says she and Justin Timberlake have ‘moved on’ from 2004 Super Bowl controversy. She wants the world to follow suit.
'Everyone is looking for someone to blame and that's got to stop,' Jackson said during part three of her Lifetime docuseries on Saturday
It’s been nearly two decades since R&B legend Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake‘s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a shocking NSFW moment that, for many, was more memorable than the game itself.
The public backlash that took place after the incident was unpacked on Saturday during the second half of Jackson’s self-titled Lifetime docuseries, Janet.
Part three of the four-part documentary includes a scene shot in Miami in 2018 after Timberlake invited Jackson to reunite with him on stage at Super Bowl LII.
“Looking back on what happened, would you want to do this Super Bowl show?” Randy Jackson asked his sister during the scene.
“Not really. And we have history with CBS,” Janet replied.
The Super Bowl halftime show’s ending became the most rewound moment in TiVo’s DVR history and rocked the internet days before Facebook was founded. It resulted in FCC fines for CBS and permanently changed the way live television is broadcast.
It also motivated CBS to ban Jackson and Timberlake from the 2004 Grammys, but the Cry Me a River singer was allowed to perform at the awards show after a tearful apology, according to Huffington Post.
In recent years, Timberlake has been scrutinized for the lack of repercussions he faced after the controversy, but Jackson made it clear on Saturday that she’s not holding a grudge.
“Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion. And, of course, it was an accident that should not have happened, but everyone is looking for someone to blame and that’s got to stop,” Jackson said during her doc’s third episode.
“Justin and I are very good friends, and we will always be very good friends,” she continued. “We spoke just a few days ago. He and I have moved on, and it’s time for everyone else to do the same.”
Jackson’s remarks on Saturday made it clear that her feelings about the halftime show backlash have changed over the years.
In 2006, she agreed with many culture critics that “all the emphasis was put on me” after the wardrobe malfunction. When Oprah Winfrey asked the Control singer if she felt Timberlake had “left her hanging,” in the aftermath, Jackson said, “To a certain degree, yeah.”
But she defended Timberlake during her documentary and recalled the moment he asked her if he should speak out during the fallout.
“We talked once and [Justin] said, ‘I don’t know if I should come out and make a statement,'” Jackson said. “And I said, ‘Listen, I don’t want any drama for you. They’re aiming all of this at me.’ So I said, ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything.'”
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