Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Prior History
What does everyone think of this? The entire situation was really unfair.. he should've had the same punishment Janet did. Can't believe he treated her that way after all she did for his career before that..she was a huge part of his entire life
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Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Prior History Uncovered How Timberlake betrayed Jackson and benefited from society's prejudice and sexism
Prior to the Super Bowl incident, Janet notably had an essential role in Timberlake's personal life, career, and rise to fame. A biography of Timberlake stated "Much has been made of Michael Janet's influence on Justin's music, but he is only one of a number of influential artists who have shaped the musical style of Mr. JT, and he is not even the most influential member of the Janet clan. That accolade firmly belongs to Janet Jackson," who is "one of the most successful artists of the last twenty years." Timberlake attended Janet's ''Rhythm Nation Tour'' as an adolescent, and Janet's energetic dance routines and daring performing style made a deep impression on him.
He later stated "I went and saw her at the Mid-South Coliseum. And that's what started me off learning to dance because I was so intrigued with how she worked the stage. It was a show. She didn't just stand there and sing her songs. She came and performed." A friend of Timberlake's commented "He was always into Janet."
"Growing up, he thought Janet was so hot. He had posters of her in his room. So I can see that happening." - Danielle Ditto (Justin’s first girlfriend) on Janet Jackson
"I watched Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 video like a hundred gazillion times, that's how I learned to dance." - Justin Timberlake
Timberlake mentioned Janet as his dream girl in many interviews.
While Timberlake was a member of pop group 'N Sync, Janet selected the group to open for many dates of her blockbuster Velvet Rope World Tour, which helped promote and introduce the then-relatively unknown group and Timberlake to the public worldwide. Timberlake said he was "psyched" and later described the experience as "fulfilling." While on the tour, Janet furthur promoted the group by performing with 'N Sync on several dates, including joining the group for a live a capella duet of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", which a biography stated was a "highlight" moment for Timberlake which "gave Justin a chance to show his family and friends how far he had come." The group commented on the tour, saying it was the largest audience they had performed for at the time, adding "That was great because we got to see how a real professional tours. And not only that she is really sweet. We really enjoyed it." Timberlake said the experience was "One of the most wonderful experiences of my life", "I'm a big fan so it was great to be around her atmosphere every day", and also said "Janet Jackson would be an honor" when asked who he would like to collaborate with in the future.
Justin's first kiss with Britney Spears occurred while a Janet song was playing. Ironically, Janet is the biggest influence to Spears' career, and she often praises her.
Following the tour, Timberlake and Janet became "good friends", with Janet also praising Timberlake. A chapter in an unauthorized biography of Timberlake titled "I'm Sorry Miss Jackson" gave more details on Janet's impact on Timberlake, reading "Janet Jackson was one of the world's major recording artists at a time when Justin was hopping on the school bus or admiring her poster on his bedroom wall." "How many young boys with a picture of a dream girl on their bedroom wall are going to end up [potentially] locking lips with the object of their desire and having their nose an inch away from an exposed right breast?"
Janet visiting Timberlake and 'N Sync backstage while on tour.
Timberlake had frequently mentioned admiring Janet in many interviews during this time and throughout the following few years preceding the incident. When asked who he thought was "the sexiest woman on the planet", Timberlake had said "I've thought Janet Jackson has nothing but sex appeal, so I'd probably say her."
Timberlake and 'N Sync covers "That's the Way Love Goes" for Janet's MTV Icon special.
Timberlake also revealed he had plastered posters of Janet on his bedroom walls as a teen. Additionally, Timberlake also spoke about his admiration for Janet on her MTV Icon special, and with his group 'N Sync covered and recreated Janet's "That's the Way Love Goes" video for the tribute. 'N Sync was influenced by Janet's performing style and often imitated Janet's choreography in their music videos, most notably "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Bye Bye Bye". Ernest Hardy of ''LA Weekly'' commented "Even the most successful of the boy-band wave — ’N Sync, Backstreet Boys — owe much of their performing style to Janet", adding "Tellingly, when Justin Timberlake was in ’N Sync, he and his group bit Janet’s style hard; as a solo artist, he lifts shamelessly from her brother."
Janet provides backing vocals on Timberlake's "(And She Said) Take Me Now" per request by Timberlake, and had also initially been approached to provide the female vocals on "Rock Your Body".
Timberlake later asked Janet to sing backing vocals on "(And She Said) Take Me Now", a song from his debut solo album ''Justified'' which was initially planned to be released as a single, commenting "I wrote the chorus from a girl's perspective, and I just thought we should get a female on the part. Her name was the first that popped up in my head just because I love her voice. It sounds like feathers. I mean, she sounds like an angel." Upon the release of the album, Timberlake's public relations team began rumors of him and Janet dating, in a similar fashion to how he would later use ex-girlfriend Britney Spears for publicity and public acceptance with hit "Cry Me A River." The rumors were denied by Janet. Timberlake also denied the rumors, though remained coy when asked to provide details, stating "She's a beautiful lady. She's the sexiest female I think I've ever seen." Janet was also originally asked to provide the female vocals on Timberlake's hit "Rock Your Body".
Timberlake's PR team began rumors of him and Janet dating, which were denied. At the time, Janet was romantically linked to actor Matthew McConaughey.
In the liner notes of "Justified", Timberlake wrote "Janet Jackson- You are a beautiful person inside and out. I can't wait to work with you again. Thank you for being my friend." Janet and Timberlake had later discussed potentially recording a duet for Janet's ''Damita Jo'' album, as well as a rumored collaboration for a Quincy Jones album, though neither came to fruition.
Super Bowl incident
An MTV representative confirmed the move was conceptualized by the MTV staff, in which the show's producers mockingly ripped their clothing in response to Timberlake's closing lyric during rehearsals. This led to Janet and Timberlake improvising the move, in which Timberlake tore off Janet's kilt, which was decided to look unappealing. Frattini stated "When we did the original rehearsal, there was conversation about a fake skirt she would wear, and that Justin would actually pull open the skirt and take off the skirt. In rehearsal, they actually tried to rip open the skirt, which kind of went with the lyrics of the song." The production team then discussed another option, which led to the costume tearing, although the outfit was intended to stay in place and only reveal a lace undergarment. Jackson's outfit was designed by famed designer Alexander McQueen, with Jackson later commenting "I don't blame him; he didn't rip it. Alexander is so great at what he does — he's a genius."
Janet's representative explained the incident, saying "Justin was supposed to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. The garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed. Speaking to USA Today, Janet said "It's truly embarrassing for me to know that 90 million [actually 140 million] people saw my breast, and then to see it blown up on the Internet the size of a computer screen ..." "But there are much worse things in the world, and for this to be such a focus, I don't understand."
Janet commented on Timberlake distancing himself from the incident and seemingly changing with fame. Janet had previously known Timberlake personally and aided him when she selected his former group 'N Sync to open for her Velvet Rope World Tour at the start of their career, also performing with the group on several dates. "I really want to be honest about this, but I just feel that anything I say about him will be taken the wrong way," said Janet. "I do think that Justin is very talented and that he has a very big career ahead of him." "But he seems to have changed recently. He's gotten a bit cocky." "You know, some people can handle success and some people can't. "I'm starting to wonder if (the latter) is the case with Justin. And it hurts me to say that."
Immediately following the incident, Timberlake sounded unapologetic for his actions, telling Access Hollywood, "That was fun", "Hey man, we love giving you all something to talk about." Timberlake released a statement saying "I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It was not intentional and is regrettable." However, Timberlake was not required to film a video apology as Janet was. Entertainment publicist Marvet Britto stated "I would have had her and Timberlake apologizing side by side right from the beginning, since they performed side by side."
Timberlake was allowed to attend the Grammys and MTV Video Music Awards. Janet was blacklisted from the events.
Timberlake also addressed the incident at the Grammy Awards the following week, which Janet was banned from attending after being scheduled as a presenter, saying "I know it's been a rough week on everybody. What occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable and I apologize if you guys are offended." Timberlake gave an additional interview at the Grammy event and stated "All I could say was, 'Oh, my God. Oh, my God,'" Timberlake said. "I looked at her. They brought a towel up on stage. They covered her up. I was completely embarrassed and just walked off the stage as quickly as I could." "I'm frustrated at the whole situation." "I'm frustrated that my character is being questioned. And the fact of the matter is, you know, I've had a good year, a really good year, especially with my music." Timberlake later declared "It was something that went wrong. Then I felt like, I'm going to show everyone that this was something that didn't affect me, and I'm going to show up at the Grammys." Janet was intended to appear at the Grammy Awards, but her invitation was withdrawn due to the incident. Janet was originally scheduled to appear as a presenter for a tribute to Luther Vandross performed by Celine Dion, Richard Marx, and Alicia Keys, and was chosen due to previously collaborating with Vandross on the number one hit "The Best Things in Life Are Free." According to People Magazine, Janet "had been slated to speak before the accolade but was being pressured to bow out gracefully – or face being uninvited", before later being completely barred from attending, while Timberlake was still allowed to attend and perform at the event.
Janet was blacklisted by radio and music channels regarding fines from the incident, while Timberlake did not receive the same treatment. The first of her singles affected was "Just a Little While", which had generated strong airplay and acclaim prior to the incident.
While promoting his sophomore album Future Sex/Love Sounds over two years later, Timberlake expressed regret for his behavior, saying "In my honest opinion now ... I could've handled it better," Justin admits. "I'm part of a community that consider themselves artists. And if there was something I could have done in her defense that was more than I realized then, I would have. But the other half of me was like, 'Wow. We still haven't found the weapons of mass destruction and everybody cares about this!'" In retrospect, Timberlake thinks he should have been held more responsible. "I probably got 10 percent of the blame, and that says something about society," he explains. "I think that America's harsher on women. And I think that America is, you know, unfairly harsh on ethnic people." When asked to comment in retrospect a decade after the incident, Timberlake stated "I take that I chose not to comment on it still, after 10 years. I'm not touching that thing with a 10-foot pole." Timberlake's character was called into question following the performance, and he received a large amount of criticism after distancing himself from the controversy and leaving Janet to take the blame for the incident.
Michael Musto of The Village Voice commented on the media's reaction to the incident, saying "Janet became a symbolic Joan of Arc to burn at the stake. I actually do think her breast was used as a diversionary tactic—I'm not sure to distract from Iraq specifically—but it did distract from important issues, from things we actually should be appalled by. The story got an undue amount of attention when the tact is, nobody has proved how her breast harmed anyone."
Impacts on Janet and Timberlake Following the incident, Janet's singles and music videos were blacklisted on many radio formats and music channels worldwide by conglomerates who were heavily fined and taken to Supreme Court by the FCC. Conglomerates involved in the blacklist include Viacom and CBS, and their subsidiaries including MTV, the show's producer, as well as Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications, two of the largest radio broadcasters. The boycott was placed into effect prior to the release of Damita Jo, continuing throughout the course of following albums 20 Y.O. and Discipline. A senior executive for Viacom stated "[We are] absolutely bailing on the record." "The pressure is so great, they can't align with anything related to Janet. The high-ups are still pissed at her, and this is a punitive measure." Timberlake did not receive the same treatment from the aforementioned companies. A writer for Idolator commented the blacklisting and denouncement of Janet was "one of the saddest things in pop music over the last decade".
Blacklisting from the incident affected promotion and airplay for Damita Jo and Jackson's following two albums.
In January 2014, Rolling Stone disclosed "CBS and MTV’s parent company Viacom, angered that an unannounced addition to the Super Bowl performance has now cost them all future halftime shows, hits back at Janet by essentially blacklisting her, keeping her music videos off their properties MTV, VH1, and radio stations under their umbrella. The blacklist spreads to include non-Viacom media entities as well", adding "Thanks to the radio and music television blacklist, the LP underperforms compared to Janet’s previous releases [...] Despite the backlash, the album eventually goes platinum several times over."
Single "Just a Little While" was the first to be affected, being released shortly after the incident due to an early leak. On its release, it became the most added and played song on pop radio formats, increasing nearly five-hundred percent in airplay and also garnering "sizeable" digital downloads. The song was quickly removed from radio following the blacklist, virtually disappearing from airplay. Prior to the incident Janet was a mainstay at pop radio, with previous lead single "All for You" reaching number one for seven weeks, and her videos constantly in rotation on MTV.
Criticism
Following the Super Bowl, Timberlake continued to experience the same success with his career and did not receive the blacklisting faced by Janet
Janet was forced to release an apology video to comply with CBS' demands, although Timberlake was not made to do so.
Many critics stated Janet was treated too harshly by the media and public, while Timberlake's career was virtually unharmed by the incident. In 2014, former FCC chairman Michael Powell, who had enforced fines on the conglomerates involved with the broadcast following the incident, stated the treatment of Janet was "unfair" and Timberlake did not receive a proper reaction, saying "I personally thought that was really unfair". "It all turned into being about her. In reality, if you slow the thing down, it’s Justin ripping off her breastplate." MTV News stated "some felt he shifted the blame solely to Janet, whose breast he exposed as he sang, "I'll have you naked by the end of this song."
People Magazine stated Timberlake was referred to as "the Teflon man" at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards because the incident did not effect him as it did with Janet. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone stated "Justin isn't exactly Mr. Loyalty -- he totally left Janet Jackson to take the heat after the Super Bowl." E! Online also commented "Timberlake wasted no time placing the bulk of the blame for the incident on Janet." "And, of course, the woman takes the blame even though the man stripped her. Pathetically typical." A reporter for VH1 said "JT still gets a side eye for leaving her out to dry." One observer claimed "Despite her 'wardrobe malfunction' – for which we think Justin Timberlake wasn’t punished nearly as severely for — Janet put on a pretty amazing show." The New York Times noted "[a]fter her right breast upstaged the Super Bowl, she was criticized by the first lady, vilified by media executives and abandoned by her co-conspirator, Justin Timberlake; less excitable commentators suggested she was merely a shrewd publicity-stunt woman with a new album to promote." Another argued "The Grammy's tells Janet she won't be able to present an award as planned, yet they still have her accomplice, Timberlake, scheduled to perform."
Aidin Vaziri of The San Francisco Gate provided a similar attack; stating "Not only did he send his old crush Janet Jackson out for a long walk on a short pier, but he showed everyone who mistakenly assumed he was ready to grow out of his sequined boy- band duds that he was just a big crybaby who probably still sleeps in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers sheets." Janet's parents expressed concern, commenting "What I didn't like is there wasn't one person on that stage, there were two people. After a while, there was only Janet Jackson. That's all there was. Janet Jackson", adding "Janet don't pull that thing open herself. He did it. We were surprised that they didn't say anything to Justin about it."
Janet spoke the incident in several interviews while Timberlake remained quiet, pictured here on Good Morning America.
An anecdote from LA Weekly provided a scathing attack on Timberlake's character regarding the aftermath of the incident, saying "Meanwhile, Janet’s Super Bowl accomplice, young master Timberlake, has proven himself to be the bitch-made-pop-star you always knew he was. As though aiming to get his own chapter in Greg Tate’s book Everything but the Burden: What White People Are Taking From Black Culture, Timberlake shed all wigger affectations the moment he felt the heat of real controversy. He dropped the hip-hop gear, grabbed a suit and tie, and literally held his mommy’s hand as he strolled into this year’s Grammy Awards, where he all but burst into tears as he apologetically explained onstage how he’d been bamboozled into taking part in Janet’s shameful shenanigans. Poor thing."
Several African American critics expressed concerns of media prejudice regarding Timberlake being unacknowledged for his involvement. "It doesn't take a genius to notice that he pays homage to a lot of African-American singing greats," said Hot 97 radio host Miss Info, who added many callers "feel like he's been accepted by a multicultural audience, and they want him to stand by his multicultural musical coworkers." Razer Gufman of Newsday questioned Timberlake initially stating "That was fun [...] we love giving you something to talk about" immediately following the incident, while changing his reaction upon the FCC's announcement of an investigation, leaving Janet to handle all responsibility. Timberlake later claimed he was "completely shocked and appalled" by the mishap; likening himself to being above such incidents: "I've had a good year," he said. "I don't feel I need publicity like this." Those statements raised issues of Timberlake's loyalty to African American-derived music as a whole, which Timberlake has used in forms of pop fused with R&B music to gain credibility as a solo artist. Erik Parker of Vibe asserted, "Timberlake has ingratiated himself with an audience that often regards blue-eyed soul with suspicion. When that audience feels betrayed or exploited, there's going to be some type of repercussions." Furthermore, a news correspondent had said “He sold Janet out to save his own skin, showing his true colors. It’s a classic case of profiting from Black culture but jumping ship when things get hot.” Regarding Timberlake attending the Grammy Awards while Janet was barred from the event, radio host Ed Lover said "I did a poll about whether if Janet was to be barred, should Justin be barred also, and the resounding answer was yes." "My audience thinks there's some racism involved there."
Aftermath In Justin's single "SexyBack", Timberlake used an uncredited sample of Janet's vocals, which can be heard during the female voice singing "yes" throughout the song.
Following the Super Bowl incident, Timberlake was rumored to taunt Janet and other performers in Timbaland's single "Give It to Me" to invoke controversy, although this was denied. Timberlake referenced the incident when ripping off part of Kristen Wiig's outfit during an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2009. In 2011, Timberlake mentioned the incident during a guest verse on Free Sol's "Role Model", saying "Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m an asshole/Oops, did I take it too far? Super bowl/I’ma still grab my balls, I’m on a roll."
In November 2013, Timberlake performed a cover of Janet's "Let's Wait Awhile" on The 20/20 Experience World Tour before transitioning into his song "Until the End of Time", which was regarded as a "sign of affection or apology" to Janet.
he's vile. and the public is vile for blaming only her just because she is a woman. if she was performing with another woman and she ripped off Janet's clothes you can bet your ass both of them would be getting the blame
Explain again why was it his fault? People decided to blame Janet as simple as that. It was her performance and it was her idea after all right? Why is he blamed for doing something she wanted him to do? I don't think she deserves all the blacklash she had but to blame JT isn't any better. It was just an accident.
Timberlake shed all wigger affectations the moment he felt the heat of real controversy. He dropped the hip-hop gear, grabbed a suit and tie, and literally held his mommy’s hand as he strolled into this year’s Grammy Awards, where he all but burst into tears as he apologetically explained onstage how he’d been bamboozled into taking part in Janet’s shameful shenanigans. Poor thing.
Explain again why was it his fault? People decided to blame Janet as simple as that. It was her performance and it was her idea after all right? Why is he blamed for doing something she wanted him to do? I don't think she deserves all the blacklash she had but to blame JT isn't any different. It was just an accident.
It was an accident but the article's about how he treated her AFTER it happened and how his career wasn't affected like hers was..the media acted like he wasn't even part of it. He should've defended her and stood by her since they were friends before that and she was a huge influence to his career. MTV came up with the idea to pull off part of her costume but it wasn't supposed to show anything.
I'm glad you mentioned the Britney bit because I was like he obviously has a type.
This really is a pivotal feminist moment in the early 2000s that is repeatedly paid dust. I get it was Janet's body part, she was headlining the SuperBowl and it was her idea, but Justin gave full consent to the action and was just as responsible for the accident as she was.
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Originally posted by ALIEN
Timberlake shed all wigger affectations the moment he felt the heat of real controversy. He dropped the hip-hop gear, grabbed a suit and tie, and literally held his mommy’s hand as he strolled into this year’s Grammy Awards, where he all but burst into tears as he apologetically explained onstage how he’d been bamboozled into taking part in Janet’s shameful shenanigans. Poor thing.
he's soooo ****ing fake
Are you a Britney stan? I full well expect this thread to turn in to a bashing thread for stans of the female artists who were screwed over by Justin Timberlake.
I hate him everytime I hear about this. It's not even about blame, it's about support and he gave NONE. How are you gonna leave one of your biggest influences hanging like that? He was in a situation where he could have spoken out in her favour (considering he agreed to it!), but he didn't. He ran like a coward.... Ew.
A very interesting read. I definitely think that Janet was unfairly blamed, and Justin should have received more backlash than her since HE ripped her bra cup off.
he's vile. and the public is vile for blaming only her just because she is a woman. if she was performing with another woman and she ripped off Janet's clothes you can bet your ass both of them would be getting the blame
coming in 3..2..1
