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Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stylist details what really went down with wardrobe malfunction

Yahoo Entertainment
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Janet Jackson was one of the biggest stars of the late 20th century, carving out her own career in the music industry despite her famous last name.

In 1993, the singer ushered in a new era with the release of “Janet“, an album that unapologetically celebrates female sexuality.

Rolling Stone called it “revolutionary,“ declaring, “Black women and their friends, lovers and children have a victory in 'Janet.'“

But on Feb. 1, 2004, the support she had both within and outside of the music industry was tested.

When Jackson was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, MTV promised an event audiences “will remember for years to come.“ That was an understatement.

During her performance, Jackson belted out hits like “All for You“ and “Rhythm Nation“ — but there's only one moment engraved in pop culture minds forever.

At the end of her set, Justin Timberlake came out for a surprise performance of his hit song “Rock Your Body.“

When Timberlake delivered the final line — “Bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song“ — he tore off part of Jackson's costume, exposing her right breast on live TV.

It was the “wardrobe malfunction“ seen around the world as there were around 100 million people watching the game live that night.

The five-time Grammy winner's career stumbled while Timberlake's soared. The systematic racism and gender bias at play was explored in a 2021 New York Times and FX documentary.

But speaking to Yahoo, Jackson's stylist at the time Wayne Scot Lukas claims, “Everybody is telling misinformation. It did not malfunction. I call it the most functioning wardrobe in history.“ Here's the real story about what happened.

Story by Taryn Ryder and experience created by Quinn Lemmers, Luis Saenz and Tim Chaffee

Eighteen years later and Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime performance is still one of the most talked about moments in the game's history. The wardrobe malfunction seen around the world has been the subject of two recent documentaries, including the Jackson-produced A&E docuseries where she spoke publicly about the incident in more than a decade. Now, on the eve of the latest big game, Jackson's stylist at the time, Wayne Scot Lukas, speaks with Yahoo Entertainment about the "absolute lies" surrounding the incident dubbed "Nipplegate" and what he says really happened leading up to that moment on Feb. 1, 2004.

"Anybody who tells you about the wardrobe malfunction other than me, Janet or maybe Justin has no idea what they're talking about," says Lukas.

Lukas, who was Jackson's stylist from 1993 to 2008, says everyone was ecstatic about the Super Bowl opportunity nearly two decades ago.

"It's huge for a celebrity to get that chance," he explains, noting how the wardrobe malfunction overshadowed everything she did up until that moment. "People don't remember this Super Bowl was an amazing performance. Janet had three costume changes and the dancers had two."

Of course, the only costume engraved in everyone's mind is the black leather outfit and red bra she donned during the finale. Although it was Jackson's top that accidentally came off, Lukas says there was an initial plan for her backside to be revealed.

"It was acceptable to show a butt back then," Lukas explains. "The idea was [Justin] would sing, 'Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song' and he would step on the back of Janet's skirt. And when he stepped on it, one panel was gonna pull off. You were just going to see [a glimpse] of Janet's butt."

Lukas says he was inspired by an iconic Sex and the City episode where Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones was gifted a pearl thong. He tracked down the company that made it.

"I was going to use the same pearl [thong], but put a leather bow on it at the lower part of Janet's back. So it looked like she was in bathing suit and you'd see these pearls disappearing into her butt, which was still enough coverage for television. We made sure that it was respectful and MTV [which was overseeing the halftime show for CBS] knew that the back of the skirt was going to rip off. But it's not true when they said it didn't work and it was canned a couple days before," he claims, saying it was Jackson who ultimately decided to scrap the idea one day before the show.

"Janet decided she didn't want to be so bare on stage. So she asked me, 'Can you recut my pants and put me in these pants underneath something?' She handed me a pair of Juicy Couture sweatpants," he continues. "I looked at her and I said, 'Janet, you can't be in Juicy Couture sweatpants on the Super Bowl stage.' She goes, 'Lukas, this is what I feel comfortable in right now. I don't want to flash my body. I just want to be covered.' The outfit changed because Janet wanted to wear pants."

There are stark differences between the singer's recent Janet Jackson documentary versus the New York Times's Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, which Lukas claims is full of "misinformation." The stylist takes issue with the latter making it seem like the wardrobe malfunction could have been staged. At the time, MTV even claimed Jackson "engineered" it.

Before Jackson's performance, her choreographer, Gil Duldulao, teased "some shocking moments." What happened on live television would qualify as a shocking moment. However, Lukas maintains Duldulao was only referring to Timberlake's appearance.

"Nobody ever alluded to the wardrobe malfunction," he states. "It was Justin. Justin really was the secret."

Lukas also has a problem with the NYT documentary mentioning Jackson's nipple shield.

"People go, 'Then why was she wearing a pasty?' It wasn't a pasty. It was a nipple shield that Janet wears almost every day," he explains.

So what was supposed to happen at the end of Jackson and Timberlake's duet of "Rock Your Body"?

According to Lukas, the cameras were supposed "to cut to black" when Timberlake moved toward Jackson's chest. Then, the cameras would flash to the fireworks in order to let the audience's imagination run wild.

"You were supposed to be like, 'What just happened?' That's not what [producers] did," he recalls. "In Janet's case, the top came off, the camera lingered on her and it stayed on her. ... The light should have immediately went down. You choreograph these things so importantly to protect your star."

Lukas adds, "I don't know really know how far it was supposed to go, but you weren't supposed to see it. That was never supposed to be something you saw. I call it the most functioning wardrobe in history. That's what I call it."

Lukas claims it's not true that Jackson left the stage in tears, despite the singer's sister, Rebbie, noting that in Jackson's own documentary.

"She did not cry one minute. She was not upset. She was not falling apart," he says, but cautions that does not mean it was staged.

"If Janet planned this, if she did something to be so divisive, she would stand tall and not cry. If she didn't plan it and it all fell apart, she still wouldn't cry. She'd be like, 'Whatever, screw you.' She's a strong woman," he says.

Jackson stayed quiet after the incident, something she said in her documentary was intentional.

"I was told to lay low and not talk to anybody," Lukas recalls. "Everybody stayed quiet. The problem was, it was too late because Justin came off the stage and said it was a wardrobe malfunction, which means he blamed me... Justin always ran his mouth, what was he 25 back then?" (Timberlake was 23.)

Timberlake's career skyrocketed after the Super Bowl, and subsequent apology tour, while Jackson's career stalled. However, she made it clear in Janet Jackson the two are fine. ("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 good friends.") Timberlake, who didn't respond to Yahoo's request for comment, admitted years ago he "stumbled through" the scandal.

"I lost jobs. You know, we suffered. Her choreographer suffered. We suffered after," says Lukas.

Lukas, who is featured in Jackson's A&E documentary, says his relationship with the superstar is not strained.

"If I did something wrong, don't you think she would have fired me?" Lukas adds. "We worked together four more years and then our lives went separate ways, but we're still friends. ... I would trust her with my family. I would trust her with my ideas and I would trust her with my heart. And I've never seen a better mom."

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative to Jackson for comment, but did not receive a response.

Photo Credits: Getty Images, Virgin Records America, Rolling Stone

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