Justin Timberlake has rarely been a Chatty Chasez when it comes to addressing the infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy of 2004 (a.k.a. Nipplegate), but in a new chat with Zane Lowe‘s Beats 1 Radio Show, the self-proclaimed Man of the Woods commented on the subject and conceded he could have handled things a bit better.
In an interview chunklet made available online ahead of its Thursday airing, JT comments on the fallout of the “wardrobe malfunction” involving his hand, Janet Jackson’s breast and a disproportionate amount of criticism being absorbed by Janet rather than himself.
“I stumbled through it, to be quite honest,” said Timberlake on how he handled the aftermath. “I had my wires crossed and it’s just something that you have to look back on and go like, ‘Okay, well you know, you can’t change what’s happened but you can move forward and learn from it.’”
According to Timberlake, he and Janet found a peaceful resolution following the incident.
“I don’t know that a lot of people know that,” he shared. “I don’t think it’s my job to do that because you value the relationships that you do have with people.”
In the near decade-and-a-half since Nipplegate, general public sentiment on the actual wardrobe tear has noticeably changed. At the time, Timberlake was essentially teflon compared to the negative consequences that Jackson was hit with, but now the prospect of Justin Timberlake: Super Bowl Halftime Attraction comes with controversy and questions with what message the hire sends in the current climate. If Justin and Janet are cool, here’s hoping she can stop by for a bit of the Super Bowl spotlight in Minnesota.
