Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Malfunction: Nearly 10 Years Later

In 2004 everyone was waiting for a promising new solo act to take the stage at Super Bowl. The anticipation felt similar to last night’s as millions waited for Bruno Mars to play at half time. Nearly ten years ago the name on everyone’s lips was Justin Timberlake. Back then the crooner had just followed up an impressive solo album in 2002 called Justified after departing his boyband roots in the pop group Nsync. At halftime he would take the stage with Janet Jackson, which would ultimately result in the coined term “wardrobe malfunction” and the biggest water cooler discussion of the Super Bowl in recent years.

As history goes on February 1, 2004, Timberlake and Jackson took to the stage at Super Bowl in front of 90 million people. They shimmied, they shaked, and at the end of Timberlake’s single “Rock Your Body,” the singer unexpectedly pulled off a piece of cloth on Janet Jackson’s outfit and revealed her naked breast resulting in “Nipplegate talk” for years to come. The most ironic line of the performance gone wrong remains to be the last lyric Timberlake sang seconds before he exposed Jackson: “Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song.”

At the time the looks on both of their faces said it all. As Timberlake stood in shock, Jackson did everything she could to cover herself up. In the end it was an unrehearsed stunt that went wrong, but that’s what happens when plans change after final confirmation of a performance is given. CBS tried to cover up the slip by shooting to a wide shot as fireworks exploded behind Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, but by then it was a little too late. The FCC took charge and fined CBS to the tune of $550,000 after receiving 540,000 indecency complaints.

In the end FCC chairman Michael Powell admitted that the incident was blown out of proportion, having said to ESPN: “I didn’t want this snowball, this juggernaut, to turn into pressure to go after Janet and Justin Timberlake. I thought we were getting into dangerous territory.”

He continued:

“I ended up testifying for nine hours on just this.On 9/16 of a second.”

Quickly after the performance Janet Jackson found herself at the center of the controversy. While Jackson had to tape an apology on behalf of CBS, Timberlake did not, hence putting all of the blame on Janet Jackson. The Daily Beast noted:

“In short. He threw Jackson under the bus, letting her take almost all the blame for the “wardrobe malfunction,” while shouldering none of it himself.”

Unsurprisingly, when Timberlake was reached for comment he said:

“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.”

Although both Timberlake and Jackson moved on from their careers since, the two pop acts haven’t spoken since the incident.