Janet Jackson
On February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson performed as the halftime show's headlining act. She had gone above and above to make the performance memorable. Jackson hired Justin Timberlake to perform alongside her as the final number because his debut solo album had just been released and was a tremendous success. Jackson's shirt was pulled off by Timberlake throughout the performance in an attempt to unveil a new wardrobe. Instead, she was exposed in front of the Super Bowl's over 100 million spectators.
In 2004, the FCC, the media, and irate spectators who filed over 500,000 complaints all targeted Jackson for the incident on stage. At the time, the FCC chairman described Jackson's act as a "classless, vulgar, and terrible ploy." The media never ceased criticizing the artist over the incident; she was refused entry to the Grammy Awards; radio stations stopped playing her songs; etc. Timberlake escaped the encounter unharmed. If anything, it boosted his professional standing.
Jackson was criticized for creating the situation in order to stir up controversy and attention. Janet Jackson's career crashed in 2004 as a result of the relentless and concentrated media attention, and it didn't recover for nearly two decades. Her album was her lowest charting album since 1984 when it was released almost two months later.
A very uncomfortable Jackson was subjected to a barrage of questions regarding the incident during a March interview on Letterman (which you can watch above). Jackson made numerous attempts to divert the conversation from the Super Bowl. Although there were no bad guys in this affair, Jackson was depicted as such by the media.
Born: May 16, 1966
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actress, dancer
Years active: 1974–present
