Fans of pop superstar Janet Jackson are banding together to celebrate the singer on an anniversary that still lives in infamy as one of the harshest moments of her career.
Writers for iHeartRadio express that as millions of people prepare for Super Bowl LII and its halftime show fronted by Justin Timberlake, who infamously performed with Jackson during her Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2004, Jackson’s fan base are proclaiming February 4 to be “Janet Jackson Appreciation Day.”
On that day, according to an announcement from Janet’s Legacy Matters — a Facebook group founded to combat the media’s attempt to erase Janet’s legacy — fans are being implored to stream her music and share their favorite memories about the singer on social media.
The move is being done as a counteraction to Justin Timberlake’s questionable invite to reappear on the Super Bowl stage 14 years after he last appeared with Jackson on Super Bowl XXXVIII and performed with the icon. During that now-notorious act, Timberlake accidentally removed a piece of Jackson’s garment and revealed her breast for one-sixteenth of a second, a move that caused both of their career trajectories to change dramatically.
In the after-effect, which came to be known as “Nipplegate,” Jackson suffered nearly irreversible damage to her career, as SB Nation shared, as she became blacklisted by Clear Channel Communications, which owned Viacom and CBS Radio.
Timberlake, on the other hand, went on to have exponential amounts of success and, subsequently, according to many, threw Jackson under the bus as he continued to reap reward after reward seemingly without any damage as a result from his actions.
The “Janet Jackson Appreciation Day” announcement can be viewed below.
#JanFam Join us TOMORROW at noon for #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay !
Hosted by @janetslegacy and @Chameleon876 Brilliant idea: @MatthewACherry Photo credit: @JanetJacksonUK #StreamJanet #NewAgenda @JanetJackson @flytetymejam @JoeyHarrisInc pic.twitter.com/8Ff2iepxhf
— #JanetsLegacyMatters (@janetslegacy) February 3, 2018
In response, many of Jackson’s fans have thrown their support behind the celebratory move. Check out some of their responses below.
#JanetJacksonAppreciationDay #SuperBowlSunday #HalftimeShow #Trending #Mobilize ?? @MatthewACherry pic.twitter.com/g7YQgGdhIL
— Black Tweet Movement (@MovementTweet) February 2, 2018
February 4th, 2018 will be #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/REcuMMLSL0
— kelela fan club president (@Brandisandre) February 2, 2018
Listening to Janet Jackson all weekend long. Tomorrow we celebrate #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/wrnW36q3nm
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) February 3, 2018
Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance is set to promote his most recent release, Man of The Woods . High rumor has it that Timberlake may be reuniting with his former band *NSYNC for the performance, but nothing has been confirmed. Jackson is currently on break following her most recent road excursion, the State of the World Tour.
