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Over the weekend, American pop superstar Janet Jackson opened up about allegations brought against her late brother Michael and controversies she faced in the early 2000s.
In the second part of her documentary which aired Saturday night on Lifetime network, Janet revealed that her career was affected when Michael was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
While defending her brother and maintaining that “he didn’t have it in him”, the Any Time Any Place singer said that she lost out on a lucrative beverage company endorsement.
"My brother would never do something like that, but I'm still guilty by association. That's what they call it, right?" Janet said.
She added that although her brother made a monetary settlement with the boy's family, it was not an admission of guilt.
The 55 year old singer actress and dancer also got candid about an embarrassing moment that took place way back in 2004, but that the world has yet to forget.
While performing with Janet on the halftime show of the popular sports league championship, pop singer Justin Timberlake infamously ripped off a part of her top, exposing her breast.
The incident has since been humorously dubbed ‘nipplegate’ but it has not been a laughing matter; instead, it has sparked discussions on racial and gender equality. Critics note that Janet’s career was negatively impacted by the occurrence, while Timberlake’s popularity skyrocketed on the contrary.
“The New York Times released a documentary in November 2021, titled Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, examining the cultural and racial clash that ensued on stage — however, it only includes interviews with NFL and MTV executives who were present at the game that night,” People magazine writes in a recap.
In a statement, Music Televison (MTV) said: “The tearing of Janet Jackson's costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance. MTV regrets this incident occurred and we apologize to anyone who was offended by it.”
Janet revealed that following the occurrence, she felt that the backlash was being aimed at her.
"We talked once, and he said, 'I don't know if I should come out and make a statement’. I said, 'Listen, I don't want any drama for you. They're aiming all of this at me.' So I just said if I were you, I wouldn't say anything, "Jackson said.
CNN reports that Jackson felt targeted not just by fans, but professionally.
“The documentary touches on her being disinvited to the Grammy Awards as a result. Her boyfriend at the time, Jermaine Dupri, spoke on camera about that time period and said that he ultimately stepped away from his duties on the Grammys' board because, ‘I felt like they were disrespectful to Janet, and I resigned at that point,’” CNN writes.
Janet insisted that the whole incident was blown out of proportion, an accident that ‘should not have happened’.
“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 very good friends. We spoke just a few days ago, and he and I have moved on, and it's time for everyone else to do the same,” Jackson said.
