Janet Jackson was destined for fame. But would a peek-a-boo boob undo decades of hits? Timberlake
walked away, and CBS pulled the plug, but if fans know anything, it's that Janet is forever.
"They build you up. And then once you get there, they're so quick to tear you down."
2004 was set to be a massive year for Jackson. She had been tapped to headline the halftime show at
the upcoming Super Bowl 38, and she was slated to release a new album soon after.
Just days before she took the stage, MTV announced that fellow superstars
Jessica Simpson, Nelly, P. Diddy, and Kid Rock would be joining the performance,
and Jackson's choreographer teased a surprise appearance by Justin Timberlake — who had
yet to be publicly announced. The inside pro also notably quipped,
"I don't think the Super Bowl has ever seen a performance like this."
At the time, Jackson was also promoting her upcoming album
"Damita Jo." And while she might have expected critical reviews of a record full of fresh,
new sounds, she couldn't have ever imagined what happened next.
Janet fans were primed for a killer Super Bowl halftime show. But viewers had no idea Justin Timberlake would be joining
Jackson's performance. After crushing her opening medley then stepping offstage for an interlude,
Jackson reemerged for her hit "Rhythm Nation." With just over a minute left, Timberlake surprised
the audience when he jumped on stage, and the two sang his hit "Rock Your Body."
But just as Timberlake clinched the final lyrics "gotta have you naked by the end of this song,"
he mistakenly ripped Jackson's top, revealing her entire breast
to millions of viewers. The so-called "Nipplegate" incident would lead to the coining of the term
"wardrobe malfunction." And public backlash was immediate.
According to Vox, the FCC would impose a $550,000 fine on both Super Bowl network CBS
and Jackson — while Timberlake faced no penalty for his involvement in the show.
As The Wrap noted, Jackson experienced a brief victory in court when a panel of judges ruled
that she and CBS were "wrongly fined." But even though the incident was confirmed
by MTV to be an accident — including apologies from both Jackson and Timberlake — the media
unleashed its wrath squarely on Jackson. While the MTV network had initially taken her side,
a network exec quickly reversed their position, claiming of the incident,
"Janet Jackson engineered it."
In typical fashion, the Grammy Awards were scheduled for the Sunday following the Super Bowl, and both Jackson and
Timberlake were slated to perform. But just days before the Awards show, news broke that Jackson
would not be participating in the event as planned, according to the New York Times.
Timberlake, though, attended the event as usual, and took home two trophies: one for Best Male Pop
Vocal Performance for "Cry Me A River" and another for Best Pop Album for "Justified."
He also referenced the fated halftime show and apologized again during his acceptance speech,
calling the incident "regrettable."
"I was disinvited."
"How did you feel about that?"
"Um, I don't wanna be anywhere that I'm not wanted."
Just after the Grammys aired, fans discovered that Jackson had been disinvited from the show
for refusing to apologize during the ceremony — despite having issued an apology almost
immediately after the incident occurred. As Entertainment Weekly reported, Timberlake
faced the same ultimatum, but since he promised to apologize, he was allowed to attend. Jackson had
been slated to appear in a tribute to her friend Luther Vandross and was replaced by Patti Labelle.
Jackson attempted to return her focus to promoting her album, "Damita Jo."
In its first week, the album pushed just over 380,000 units, according to Today,
but was bested for the top spot on The Billboard 200 by Usher's "Confessions" album.
Her previous album, "All For You," hit number one on the chart, as did four of her prior albums.
"Damita Jo," however, was met with mixed reviews. Some praised its production and
sound, while others lambasted it for being overtly sexual. Ultimately, "Damita Jo" was
a commercial flop for Jackson. And as Rolling Stone reported, that was thanks in part to radio
and TV stations — namely MTV and VH1 — refusing to play her music because of the Super Bowl fallout.
Jackson tried to soldier on with "Damita Jo," making the rounds on the late night
talk TV circuit. Warning David Letterman about the rehashing of her recent past, she said,
"I don't want to relive any of that."
"It's really been an exciting year for me, so, uh…did anybody happen to see the Super Bowl?"
Jackson would also be made to call up the Super Bowl controversy on "Saturday
Night Live," but it would be years before she would speak of it again.
"I think it's important. It's a collaborative effort."
After two years had gone by, the dust seemed to settle in the media.
But Jackson's career was still suffering. In 2006,
she attempted a comeback, appearing on "Oprah" to discuss once and for all what
happened during the halftime show. Jackson explained the wardrobe malfunction, saying,
"He was to take and rip the piece off that he did ... but more came off than what was supposed to."
Admitting that she was beyond embarrassed, she said her subsequent apology had been
coerced by her management. And that she regretted making it because the
accident was just that — an accident. But just before Jackson appeared on "Oprah," Timberlake
had opened up about the incident with MTV. Timberlake called the backlash unfair, adding,
"If you consider it 50/50, I mean, I probably got 10 percent of the blame."
Also suggesting that America as a society was less
forgiving when it came to ethnic minorities, he said,
"I think that America's harsher on women."
Jackson agreed with the overall sentiment, telling Oprah that Timberlake had also
reached out to apologize, but that she would speak to him in her own time. She admitted,
"All the emphasis was put on me, not on Justin."
Just before her interview with Oprah aired, Jackson released her ninth studio album, "20 Y.O." commemorating the record she had released 20 years
earlier, "Control." But unfortunately, just like "Damita Jo," "20 Y.O." was met with mixed reviews.
And sales were only enough for a number two debut and peak on The Billboard 200 chart.
Also like her prior album, "20 Y.O." was ignored by radio and TV outlets,
partially accounting for low sales. But just two weeks earlier, Justin Timberlake's latest release
"FutureSex/LoveSounds" debuted at number one on the chart. And,
according to Billboard, it far outsold his previous 2002 album "Justified."
Over a decade later, experts have given Jackson's music another listen, with fresh ears. Critics
have evaluated both "Damita Jo" and "20 Y.O." through a contemporary lens and have decided
that both albums were unfairly criticized. It was a notion that they acknowledged had been pointed
out by Black journalists at the time. A review by Pitchfork confirmed that "Damita Jo" was dismissed
due to the timing of its release, as well as its subject matter. Reportedly, the album's boldly
sexual nature wasn't well received in light of everything that happened at the Super Bowl.
"Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion."
Pop Matters explained that "20 Y.O." — which navigated themes of racism and sexism — is
especially poignant in retrospect. But when it came to who was really
responsible for the controversy, it all came down to one vengeful CBS executive.
In 2018, The New Yorker investigated the former C.E.O. and chairman of CBS Corporation, Les Moonves.
Despite speaking out publicly against sexual harassment amidst the Me Too movement,
Moonves himself was accused by multiple employees of committing the same acts he
was decrying. Moonves would eventually resign from his position, but not before purportedly
doing everything in his power to destroy multiple women's careers, including that of Janet Jackson.
As The Huffington Post reported, Moonves was notorious for holding a grudge and would seek
revenge for years. For the record, it was CBS who aired Super Bowl 38, as well as the Grammys that
year. After the halftime show incident, when both Jackson and Timberlake were initially banned by
Moonves from attending the Grammys ceremony, only Timberlake's attendance was reinstated
after he made a personal apology to Moonves. But Jackson reportedly refused to apologize.
And her refusal sealed her fate, which happened to lie solely in the hands of the CBS exec.
Also under Moonves' purview at the time were MTV, VH1, and several radio stations,
which were all directed by Moonves not to play Jackson's music,
ultimately resulting in the demise of "Damita Jo" and "20 Y.O."
In the years since, while Jackson's career has never fully recovered,
she certainly hasn't stopped. She has enjoyed some success post-Super Bowl,
as well as an apology from Justin Timberlake — even if it was a decade late and after significant
public backlash. Critics and the general public have also acknowledged Jackson's mistreatment,
which resulted in a push to better support women who have been directly impacted by misogyny.
After "20 Y.O.," Jackson cut ties with her longtime label, Virgin Records, and released
"Discipline" in 2008 and "Unbreakable" in 2015 — both of which hit number one on The Billboard 200.
And despite the languishing of her iconic career, Jackson's net worth still pops off
at an estimated $190 million. In 2022, she even landed her own Lifetime documentary, with "JANET."
Thanks to her undeniable talent and relentless hustle, Jackson's five decades in the industry
have earned her the legendary status she commands with her work. And with her capability to rise
out of the ashes like a serious phoenix, we can't wait to see what she does next.
"I love that it's inspired people on so many different levels. That makes me feel really good."
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