Together again? Not so much.
Janet Jackson has shut down any rumors that she will be joining Justin Timberlake during this year's Super Bowl halftime show.
'To put to rest any speculation or rumors as to whether I will be performing at the Super Bowl tomorrow; I will not,' Jackson said in a statement released Saturday. 'Thank you for your support and I do look forward to seeing you all very soon.'
(Not) together again! Janet Jackson has confirmed she is NOT performing in the Super Bowl halftime show with Justin Timberlake... 14 years after 'Nipplegate'
Timberlake is returning to the halftime show 14 years after a wardrobe malfunction with Jackson caused a national controversy. Timberlake was Jackson's special guest during her performance at that year's game and ripped off a piece of her clothing, revealing her nipple. Timberlake later described it as an unintended 'wardrobe malfunction.'
CBS, which aired that Super Bowl, was fined $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission, but the fine later was overturned.
The hashtags #JusticeforJanet and #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay became trending topics on Twitter days before Timberlake's record third trip to the stage at the Super Bowl, at which the Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots at the U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Flashback: During the 2004 halftime show, he was performing onstage with Janet Jackson when a 'wardrobe malfunction' occurred that entered American history
At a press conference on Thursday, Timberlake mentioned Jackson's name, along with Jay-Z and 'NSync, when talking about rumored guests to join him onstage. He was not asked any direct questions about Jackson or the infamous wardrobe malfunction.
When the NFL announced late last year that Timberlake would be returning to the Super Bowl, the decision triggered a backlash from women, minorities and others who felt Jackson was unfairly forced to pay a far higher price than Timberlake faced. Some argued that Jackson, as a black woman, fell victim to a racist and s3xist double standard and received harsher treatment than Timberlake, as a white man, did, and they said he benefited from 'white male privilege.'
When asked during an interview last month if he and Jackson have since made peace, Timberlake said, 'Absolutely.'
He said he and Jackson have talked privately about what happened.
'I don't know that a lot of people know that,' Timberlake stated. 'I mean, I don't think it's my job to do that, because you value the relationships that you do have with people.'
Justin reportedly has 'a trick up his sleeve' — but it's not Janet or NSYNC
Wardrobe malfunction: Justin Timberlake's 2004 'nipplegate' controversy with Janet Jackson
Infamous: Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast at 2004 Super Bowl
It was a notorious event which etched terms 'wardrobe malfunction' and 'nipplegate' in pop culture vocabulary forever.
In 2004, Justin Timberlake made waves as he removed a piece of Janet Jackson's costume which exposed her breast during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
The body part was exposed for less than a second before CBS cut to an aerial view of Reliant Stadium in Houston, however, the image had already been sent to an estimated 143 million viewers.
After exposing Jackson's chest- which featured a nipple ringthe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a new rule for live television performances, implementing a five-second broadcast delay.
The FCC then fined CBS a record $550,000 which was fought in Supreme Court but was ultimately voided by the Third Circuit pf Appeals in 2011 and a case to reinstate the fine was refused in 2012.
One unlikely legacy that the incident may have left behind is that YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim claimed that it is what led to the creation of the video sharing website.
Last month Timberlake opened up about the incident during an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music's Beats 1.
He stated that he and Janet have 'absolutely' made peace about it, adding that 'I don't know that a lot of of people know that.'
Ouch: The body part was exposed for less than a second before CBS cut to an aerial view of Reliant Stadium in Houston, however, the image had already been sent to an estimated 143 million viewers
Justin continued: 'I don't think it's my job to do that because you value the relationship that you do have with people.'
His full answer when asked by Zane about the moment was: 'I stumbled through it, to be quiet honest. 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."'
His first Super Bowl halftime show was in 2001 as part of the boy band, 'N Sync.
Daily Mail