Janet Jackson’s Family Still Angry At Justin Timberlake For Super Bowl Controversy, Want #JusticeForJanet
Janet Jackson’s family is apparently still angry at Justin Timberlake for the Super Bowl halftime drama he played a part in more than a decade ago, with members of the famous family speaking out about the effects she is still feeling from the infamous incident and Timberlake’s failure to stand up for her.
Timberlake and Janet Jackson appeared together as the halftime entertainment for the Super Bowl in 2004, a now-infamous performance in which Timberlake ripped a piece of Jackson’s clothing off mid-show, inadvertently showing her nipple to 140 million viewers across the world.
The incident led to some massive changes for live broadcasts and brought infamy to both Jackson and Timberlake, but all appears to be forgiven for Timberlake. The Grammy Award winner is slated to take the stage for halftime at the Super Bowl LII halftime show — something that isn’t sitting well for at some members of Janet Jackson’s family.
Janet’s father, Joe Jackson, said he believes there is an onus on Timberlake to help make amends for the damage the incident caused Jackson in her career. Timberlake had been accused of “throwing Jackson under the bus” in the wake of the incident, failing to stand up for her as she came under fire for the incident.
“If he’s such a gentleman, he’d make sure Janet [Jackson] is there,” Joseph Jackson told the New York Post.
Joe Jackson is not the only one who thinks that Janet Jackson is in need of atonement. This weekend, the hashtag #JusticeForJanet was trending online, with fans saying it was not fair that all was forgiven for Timberlake while Jackson still suffered repercussions for an incident that was ultimately beyond her control.
While Janet Jackson said she forgave Timberlake for not defending her after the incident, other family members are not so quick to forgive.
“Justin’s solo career took off after that and Janet was blackballed,” another family member told the New York Post. “He says they are good, but let’s see him prove it and bring her out.”
Why Janet Jackson (and not Justin Timberlake) took the fall for "nipplegate," and how the controversy changed the course of both artists’ careers https://t.co/1m8EkDu9nt
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 3, 2018
There is some speculation that Justin Timberlake may make an amends this weekend. As SB Nation reported, there are rumors leading up to the Super Bowl that Janet Jackson may be a surprise guest during Timberlake’s halftime performance. Others believe that Timberlake may reunite with the other members of NSYNC during the performance. Organizers have been tight-lipped about any possible guests, however, as is tradition leading up to the Super Bowl halftime show.
