Pop star Justin Timberlake is known for his off-screen behavior as much as his songs and albums. The Mirror singer has made headlines many times in the 2000s for his publicized relationships with celebrities or other incidents. Timberlake was part of one of the biggest pop culture-defining moments in history when he ripped off singer Janet Jackson’s top, accidentally exposing her breasts during the Super Bowl Half-Time Show in 2004.
The incident was one of the most talked-about events in recent history, leading to widespread conversations about censorship and TV regulations. Janet Jackson bore the brunt of the controversy as her career faced a huge setback. However, in the years since the incident, many realized that Justin Timberlake, who was equally guilty in the incident, walked off it relatively unscathed. His post-incident interviews also indicated that he initially did not take it seriously.
What Happened At The Superbowl XVIII Halftime Show?
Pop star Janet Jackson was reportedly chosen to perform at the Superbowl halftime show in 2004, which was produced by MTV. It was an election year in the USA, and the network decided to include the halftime show in their Choose or Lose campaign, which encouraged young citizens to register as voters in the election.
Jackson had previously toured with Justin Timberlake on her Velvet Roap World Tour, where Timberlake’s band NSYNC was the opening act. Jackson and Timberlake had also reportedly performed duets in these concerts. Hence, the Senorita singer was chosen as a surprise guest for the halftime show.
During the performance, Janet Jackson’s team reportedly planned to have Justin Timberlake rip off part of Jackson’s costume and reveal a red-laced bra underneath. However, Timberlake’s pulling seemed to have affected the costume, and Jackson’s breast was exposed on live television. The network reportedly quickly cut to wider shots to minimize damage.
The incident attracted many complaints from organizations such as the Parents Television Council, which sent thousands of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC imposed a heavy fine of $550,000 on CBS, which was disputed. Janet Jackson issued an apology for the incident and mentioned that it was a ‘wardrobe malfunction’.
Jackson’s apology mentioned that MTV, NFL, and CBS had no clue about the performance and that it was her team’s decision to include it. She said in her statement,
“The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my halftime show performance was made after final rehearsals. MTV was completely unaware of it. It was not my intention that it go as far as it did. I apologize to anyone offended — including the audience, MTV, CBS, and the NFL.”
The incident was referred to and parodied many times over the years and became a huge part of pop culture. The incident was referred to as ‘Nipplegate’ and ‘Janetgate’.
How Did The Incident Affect Justin Timberlake?
In 2021, a documentary covering the incident and its aftermath was released. Titled Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, the documentary focused on the effects of ‘Nipplegate’ on pop star Janet Jackson. Jackson reportedly faced a huge career setback after the Superbowl halftime show and was blacklisted by many networks and labels.
Jackson was reportedly set to perform at the Grammy Awards in 2004 a week after the halftime show. However, she was uninvited for the show as she reportedly refused to apologize on stage for the incident. Justin Timberlake, however, agreed to do so and got to perform on stage. Janet Jackson’s songs after the incident reportedly received lesser airplay due to the incident, and her album Damita Jo was her lowest performing record ever.
However, Justin Timberlake was accused of escaping the incident relatively unscathed. The singer was equally guilty in the incident but seemed to have not faced the same amount of scorn and setbacks that Jackson did. After the incident, Timberlake did not even appear to have taken the incident seriously as his statements to interviewers were,
“I love giving y’all something to talk about…It’s every man’s dream.”
Justin Timberlake has since apologized for the incident and has mentioned that he was relatively unaffected by it. He said that he only recovered 10% of the blame for the incident and that America was harsh on women. Timberlake was also invited to perform at the Superbowl again in 2018.
