The last time Jackson publically discussed the controversy was in 2006.
Janet Jackson Will Discuss the Justin Timberlake Super Bowl Drama in New Documentary
It's time for Janet Jackson to tell her story—and it couldn't come at a better time.
On March 4, Lifetime and A&E announced that a two-part, four-hour documentary currently titled JANET will air in early 2022. A statement from A&E promises that JANET will offer "full unprecedented access to the music icon."
The two-night event will reportedly cover the most monumental aspects of Jackson's personal life and career, EW reports, including the death of her brother, Michael Jackson, becoming a mom at 50, and her infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime show performance with Justin Timberlake.
Although People reports the project was filmed around the time Jackson's father died in 2018 and coincided with her return to the stage, the announcement couldn't be more timely. Following the release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary last month, backlash aimed at Timberlake reignited a conversation about the way Jackson was treated following the wardrobe malfunction that tarnished her reputation while leaving her male co-performer relatively unscathed.
Janet Jackson discussed the fallout of the performance in a rare interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2006. “All the emphasis was put on me. Not on Justin,” Jackson told Winfrey two years after she was blacklisted by most of the music industry. While she remained diplomatic, the “Rhythm Nation” singer did add that there are “certain things you just don't do to friends,” regarding interviews Timberlake gave at the time that made light of the situation.
Timberlake recently apologized to Jackson and Spears in a lengthy Instagram post nearly 20 years after the fallout relationship with Spears and 17 years after the Super Bowl moment. “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right," he wrote on February 12. "I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
Jackson has not directly responded to the apology, but she did share an emotional video the following day thanking fans for pushing her 1986 album Control to the top of the charts on its 35th anniversary. “I am so thankful for all of you being in my life," she said. "You're so special to me.”
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Emily Tannenbaum
