Justin Timberlake to headline Super Bowl halftime show, 14 years after Janet Jackson’s so-called ‘wardrobe malfunction’

Justin Timberlake will return to the Super Bowl halftime show next year, the NFL announced Sunday night, 14 years after one of the pop star’s most notorious live performances on that same stage. Blame it on that “wardrobe malfunction”.

Timberlake and his performance partner, Janet Jackson shocked — shocked! — an estimated 140 million people with an incident that became known as “Nipplegate”.

At the conclusion of their well-choreographed 2004 performance of Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body”, the singer reached over to Jackson’s chest and tore off a section of clothing to reveal her breast.

The resulting uproar resulted in an FCC fine — later rescinded — and a statement from Timberlake that coined a new term: “I am sorry if anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance at the Super Bowl”, he said. “It was not intentional and is regrettable”.

The incident helped propel Timberlake to even greater fame, while simultaneously damaging Jackson’s career.

Asked by NBC Sports analyst Mike Tirico during a sit-down interview as part of Sunday night’s NFL broadcast whether the malfunction was discussed during negotiations, Timberlake responded with a grin and a stutter. “That … that … that won’t happen this time”, he said.

Timberlake added that he’s been studying halftime performances to make sure that he doesn’t mimic earlier spectacles.

“What I really want to do is take the opportunity to put together a performance that feels like it unifies”, Timberlake said. “I feel like that would be the ultimate accomplishment, and then the icing on the cake is at some point within that 12 minutes that everybody is shaking their booty”.

Added Timberlake, referring to another NFL analyst: “I have a goal to make Al Michaels dance”. He then pitched a new Twitter meme: “By the way, we can start a hashtag — #almichealsshakeyourbooty. That would be the icing on the cake”.

Actually, the icing on the cake would be Timberlake inviting Jackson back onto the stage for a true show of unity, which some fans are calling for on social media.

Los Angeles Times