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Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl halftime show ‘fallout’ being made into documentary

Production company behind Framing Britney Spears is reportedly working on a documentary about 2004 performance

Rachel Brodsky
Los Angeles
Monday 26 April 2021 18:59 BST
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The production company behind the explosive documentary Framing Britney Spears, Left/Right TV, is reportedly working on a documentary about Janet Jackson's 2004 performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.

The infamous performance caused a sensation at the time because of a “wardrobe malfunction” where Justin Timberlake ended the duo’s set by ripping off a section of her costume, exposing her breast. Today, many believe that the moment helped launch Timberlake's post-NSYNC solo career and caused Jackson's to falter.

In the US, Jackson’s songs and videos were pulled from radio stations and television channels as the backlash focused almost entirely on her.

A source reportedly told Page Six about the in-the-works documentary: “It’s going to be all about the fallout and the suits who f***ed over Janet [at] Viacom,” the company that owned MTV – which produced the halftime show – and CBS, which broadcast the game.

“They’re reaching out to everyone who was involved: dancers, stylists, directors. Everyone,” said the source.

Jackson’s former stylist Wayne Scot Lukas, who designed her halftime show costume, recently told Page Six that Timberlake had actually encouraged the wardrobe malfunction to compete with ex-girlfriend Spears’ recent performance with Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards.

“He insisted on doing something bigger than [when Spears kissed Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards]. He wanted a reveal,” Scot Lukas said.

Though Timberlake famously called the Jackson incident a “wardrobe malfunction” at the time, Lukas said: “I wouldn’t call it a wardrobe ‘malfunction’ in a million years. It was the most functioning wardrobe in history. As a stylist, it did what it was intended to do.”

In the wake of Framing Britney Spears, which delves into how the former NSYNC star wove a cheating narrative into his hit solo single “Cry Me A River” after he and Spears parted ways in 2002, Timberlake faced harsh backlash on social media for seeming to throw Spears under the media bus at the time.

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In February, Timberlake issued an apology to Spears and 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 an Instagram post. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

Timberlake added a specific apology to Spears and Jackson, writing: “I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

Like the Spears doc, Left/Right is reportedly making this documentary with The New York Times, and it will air on FX and Hulu as well.

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