It looks like Justin Timberlake can finally breathe again. Well, sort of.
In the two-part conclusion of her A&E documentary Janet Jackson. airing Saturday night, the pop icon ceased speculation that she and the “SexyBack” singer were on bad terms following their infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime show incident and his subsequent headlining of the concert without her in 2018. In a statement she recorded for the documentary, Jackson said:
“Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion. And of course, it was an accident that should not have happened. But everyone is looking for someone to blame, and that’s got to stop. Justin and I are very good friends. And we will always be very good friends. We spoke just a few days ago. Him and I have moved on, and it’s time for everyone else to do the same.”
In the four years since he performed again at the Super Bowl, Timberlake has been in the hot seat regarding his silence around Jackson’s blacklisting following their halftime show performance that ended in his exposing of Jackson’s breast. Accusations of the singer’s mistreatment of his female peers have been compounded by his portrayal in last year’s New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears—for which he issued an apology that included a perfunctory mention of Jackson. And last November, the media outlet released a second documentary called Malfunction exploring the repercussions Jackson faced following the infamous Super Bowl.
Since 2004, both Jackson and Timberlake have publicly stated that Jackson received the majority of the blame for the wardrobe malfunction. And Janet Jackson. briefly sheds light on the sexist and racist double standards the singer experienced at the time, including being disinvited from the Grammys while Timberlake was still allowed to attend.
Aside from a 2006 interview with Oprah, in which Jackson alluded to a rift in her and Timberlake’s friendship after hearing comments he had made about the incident, the singer has been mostly tight-lipped about her feelings toward the NSYNC frontman. Surprisingly, in the docuseries, the singer doesn’t speak critically of Timberlake or allude to any wrongdoing on his behalf at the time. She also reveals that he offered to say something publicly following the incident but told him that she “didn’t want any drama for [him].”
While Jackson claims that their friendship is patched up now, social media isn’t necessarily ready to let Timberlake off the hook.
“I don’t care what Janet told Justin Timberlake,” wrote one Twitter user. “That muthafucka should’ve insisted to publicly say something on her behalf!”
“Justin Timberlake is going to need to make another apology tomorrow because [of] the way the misogynoir worked around the Super Bowl performance with Janet,” said author Frederick Joseph.
Namely, the statement, which, according to a timestamp, was recorded this year and features Jackson in the same braided hairstyle she’s been wearing for the docuseries’ press tour, drew speculation that it was prompted last minute by Timberlake’s camp out of trepidation.
Despite Jackson’s best efforts to clear his name, it seems like the damage has already been done for Timberlake in the misogyny department. Likewise, it’s fair to assume that the crooner’s social media comments will be a disaster for the next few days.
