Justin Timberlake Looks Back at Janet Jackson Super Bowl Debacle

Justin Timberlake sat down at the Beats One studio with Zane Lowe ahead of the release of his new album, “Man of the Woods,” where he discussed his upcoming Super Bowl LII performance.

Many were shocked at Timberlake’s selection to play the storied event, considering the last time he performed, during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, he exposed co-performer Janet Jackson’s breast in an incident that was later referred to by some as a “wardrobe malfunction” and by others as Nipplegate.

 

“Naturally, that’s something we talked about,” Timberlake said, when the subject of the snafu was brought up.

“To be honest, it wasn’t too much of a conversation,” he continued. “It’s just one of those things were you go like, yeah what do you want me to say, we’re not going to do that again.”

He told Lowe that he “stumbled through” the XXXVIII performance.

“I had my wires crossed and it’s just something that you have to look back on and go like, Ok, well you know, you can’t change what’s happened but you can move forward and learn from it.”

He also confirmed to Lowe that he and Jackson were able to resolve the situation afterwards and make peace.

Timberlake also lent some insight into his lack of collaboration with Pharrell Williams, with whom he hasn’t worked since his debut solo album, “Justified,” which Williams produced along with Chad Hugo, as part of the duo The Neptunes.

“Clipse was signed to Jive Records, which I was signed to,” Timberlake said, referring to a hip-hop duo who provided a rap on Timberlake’s first solo single “Like I Love You,” and who Williams worked with closely. “I don’t know what went on with their deal, but I do remember that Pharrell was very adamant about getting them out of the deal. So it became from my understanding, it became challenging for him to work with any Jive artist at that point.

“If I’m being totally honest about it I was extremely hurt being caught up in the middle of it,” he continued, “but at the same time I had a s—load of money stolen from me by somebody else when I was in the group, I had already gone through legal troubles, and I kind of felt like I’m at this point where I feel like I have so much ahead of me, I don’t want to be in the middle of the record label and somebody that I consider a friend. So I feel like I kind of removed myself from the situation.”

Part 1 of Lowe and Justin’s interview will air Thursday, Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. PT on Beats 1. Tune in here.

Watch the previews below.

Related: The Real Reason Justin Timberlake Left *NSYNC

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