Justin Timberlake has insisted he’s “made peace” with Janet Jackson, more than a decade after the two stars became embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in TV history.
Back in 2004, Justin and Janet appeared live on stage during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, where they performed his song ‘Rock Your Body’ together.
At the lyric “better have you naked by the end of this song”, Justin was supposed to tear off the front of Janet’s costume, revealing her red lace bra, but wound up pulling off the bra as well, exposing her bare breast - adorned with a nipple shield - for around half a second.
The incident was blamed on a “wardrobe malfunction”, a phrase which has gone on to become a part of pop culture lexicon, but after the ensuing media furore, Janet’s career never really recovered.
Justin’s, on the other hand, has continued to thrive, but as he prepares to return to the Superbowl next month, the ‘Filthy’ singer has claimed there is no bad blood between himself and Janet.
When asked whether he’d “made peace” with Janet over the incident, during an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, Justin explained: “Absolutely. Yeah.
“And... I don’t know that a lot of people know that. I mean, I don’t think it’s my job to do that, because you value the relationships that you do have with people.”
HuffPost UK has reached out to Janet Jackson’s representatives for further comment.
With Justin currently gearing up for his own solo Super Bowl Halftime Show, many fans have called for Janet Jackson to be given a guest spot during his performance.
As if recovering from what went to be dubbed ‘Nipplegate’ wasn’t enough pressure, recent Superbowl Halftime Shows have all won critical acclaim, from Lady Gaga’s hit-packed set last year to Beyoncé’s politically-charged and empowering appearance during Coldplay’s performance in 2016.
Listen to Justin discussing the incident in the video below: