February 1 will make it 14 years since the infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII blunder of 2004.
JT and Janet Jackson took the stage together for a cat and mouse performance of Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body.” The song spent 24 weeks on the chart and Janet Jackson danced so no one could complain. It was all fine and dandy until Justin tore off the only fabric covering Janet’s right breast… on live TV. It was controversial to say the very least. It was decried as a “wardrobe malfunction” and the world moved on. Sort of.
This year, Timberlake is taking the stage again for Super Bowl LII’s Halftime Show. And the topic is being revisited as a public service by Zane Lowe. When Timberlake initially announced that he’d be performing for this year’s Super Bowl, old questions and comments resurfaced. It’s fair to say that the public needs closure.
In his interview with Timberlake, Lowe asks questions that people have had for over a decade.
Timberlake had no elaborate explanation of the event. “I stumbled through it,” he said per Pitchfork. “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.”
When asked whether Jackson and himself took steps toward conflict resolution post-performance, Timberlake said, “Absolutely. And I’m not sure that a lot of people know that. I don’t think it’s my job to do that because you value the relationships that you do have with people.”
Timberlake is present on all platforms this year with his highly anticipated new album.
Between his February 2 album release of Man of the Woods, and his tour which opens in Toronto, March 13, Timberlake will be swamped until June 2.
You can watch the interview below.