Janet Jackson said she has moved on from her infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during her 2004 Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake.
During Jackson’s self-titled Lifetime docuseries Janet, the pop icon discussed the incident that barred her from performing at another Super Bowl halftime show with the organization and CBS network.
Years after the controversial performance occurred, Timberlake invited the 55-year-old in 2018 to reunite on stage at Super Bowl LII in Miami, The Grio reported.
Part three of the four-part series showed the “All For You” artist with brother Randy Jackson as they talked about the memorable performance and the “Cry Me a River” singer’s invite.
“Looking back on what happened, would you want to do this Super Bowl show?” he asked Jackson during the scene.
“Not really. And we have history with CBS,” Janet replied.
Though the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most unforgettable performances in sports history, it resulted in a series of FCC fines for CBS. Both Jackson and Timberlake were penalized by the network for the musical act.
CBS banned both artists from appearing at the 2004 Grammys a few weeks later. However, the Huffington Post reported that the 41-year-old could perform after he issued a tearful apology.
For years, the Memphis native has received criticism after CBS and the National Football League allowed him to return to the largest televised event in sports. On Saturday, Janet encouraged others to move on from the incident.
“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.”
In the documentary, Jackson defended the pop artist after asking if he should speak on what happened nearly two decades ago.
“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.’”
After the episode, Twitter users didn’t hesitate to express their feelings about Timberlake and reminded him that although Jackson has forgiven and forgotten – they did not.
Me watching #JanetJacksonDoc Janet Jackson defends Justin Timberlake, asks fans to move on from wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl halftime performance.
Me: umm, no.
Also me: pic.twitter.com/K0L2LfpZJF—
Kiki
@jtimberlake the way you stand for a woman is how @jermainedupri stood for @JanetJackson when the grammys did her dirty. He didn't have to ask her how to stand w her. As a man he stood like a man…Period https://t.co/9kswPJDjZT
— Yolanda Hinton (@YolandaHinton14) January 31, 2022
Janet Jackson: I've forgiven Justin Timberlake! Please leave him alone!
Black Twitter: pic.twitter.com/BY7iWDPdXI
— DEI Age: The WokeGuard (@ThoughtsByJae) January 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/JCMM07/status/1487769964572516352
https://twitter.com/BackOnSomeBS/status/1487631943827087363
https://twitter.com/jamillaj170/status/1487925761612918789
Black people ain’t rocking with Justin, but glad to see she’s moved on.
