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14 Years Later, Here's What Justin Timberlake Has To Say About That Janet Jackson Super Bowl Scandal

The singer reveals where he stands with the icon after the dreadful wardrobe malfunction.

Justin Timberlake is gearing up to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on in Feb. 2018, but people are still talking about his now infamous 2004 halftime show that he performed with Janet Jackson, in which Timberlake accidentally revealed Jackson’s bare breast on live television. Throughout the years, the Man of the Woods artist has been criticized on how he handled the situation in the media and how he treated Jackson following the scrutiny. But 14 years later, in a new interview with Zane Lowe, Timberlake is finally ready to clear up a couple of misconceptions, namely where he and Jackson’s relationship stands.

Despite popular belief, Timberlake confirms that he actually reached out to Jackson following the incident, which was previously dubbed “Nipple Gate.” Many critics accused the singer of leaving the icon to fend off the "wolves" alone. But JT confirms that he and Jackson “absolutely” made peace after the heat died down.  “And I don’t know that a lot of people know that,” he said. “I don’t think it’s my job to do that because you value the relationships that you do have with people.” 

As for the scandal overall, Timberlake said he’s reflected on it and put it behind him. “I stumbled through it, to be quite honest,” he explained of what happened on stage in 2004. “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.'”

Despite the overwhelming criticism he received at the time and even to this day, Timberlake said he never hesitated when asked to perform on the Super Bowl stage for a second time. “To be honest, it wasn’t too much of a conversation,” he added. 

There’s been a lot of speculation whether the “Filthy” singer will invite Jackson to share the stage with him once again. While initial reports alleged that Jackson was banned from NFL events, the organization confirmed that was not true. So, we’ll just have to see whether or not the halftime performance will turn into a long overdue reunion on Feb. 4. Watch the full Justin Timberlake interview with Zane Lowe below. 

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