Janet Jackson has downplayed the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during her performance with Justin Timberlake in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004.
“Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion,” the 55-year-old pop star said in her documentary Janet.
“Of course, it was an accident that should not have happened, but everyone is looking for someone to blame and that’s gotta stop.”
Jackson insisted she had no animosity towards Timberlake after he exposed one of her nipples on live television.
“Justin and I are very good friends and we will always be very good friends,” she said. “He and I have moved on and it’s time for everyone else to do the same.”
In the two-part documentary, Jackson said she tried to protect Timberlake from the backlash to the incident.
“We talked once and he said, ‘I don't know if I should come out and make a statement,’ and I said, ‘Listen, I don't want any drama for you. They're aiming all of this at me,’” she recalled. “So I said, ‘If I were you, I wouldn't say anything.’”
The incident spawned debates about gender bias and systemic racism in the music industry. Last year, Timberlake publicly apologized to Jackson. “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, in a message he shared on social media. "I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
In an interview with Allure published last month, Jackson admitted: “It’s tough for me to talk about that time.
“Whether I want to be part of that conversation or not, I am part of that conversation. I think it’s important. Not just for me, but for women. So I think it’s important that conversation has been had. You know what I mean?
“And things have changed obviously since then for the better.”