Janet Jackson: CBS Tried to Make Amends For Super Bowl Nipple Gate at 2023 Grammy’s and Failed
While everyone is focused on Rihanna’s pregnancy announcement at the 2023 Super Bowl Half Time Show, Janet Jackson’s performance decades earlier will go down in history as controversial. A wardrobe malfunction exposing part of Jackson’s breast led to her being seemingly blackballed by major players in the incident, while her performance partner Justin Timberlake went unscathed. This year, CBS reportedly had plans to make amends but ultimately failed.
CBS tried to honor Janet Jackson with award at 2023 Grammy’s but backed out after Jackson’s team demanded an apology for Super Bowl incident
According to TMZ, Grammy executives and CBS planned to honor Jackson to reconcile how she was vilified after the Super Bowl fiasco. She was set to receive the Global Impact Award. As part of the deal, Recording Academy members wanted the Poetic Justice star to attend a pre-Grammy event with the Black Music Collective, but she had a conflicting event.
Simultaneously, Jackson’s team wanted CBS to either apologize or figure out a way to publicly acknowledge how she was treated by CBS in the past. Conversations ceased after they couldn’t come to an agreement.
Because Jackson couldn’t attend the Black Music Collective event, she didn’t receive the award at the show. Rapper Lil Wayne received the award instead.
She hasn’t attended the Grammy’s since her invitation was rescinded after the Super Bowl incident
Jackson had been a staple at the Grammys throughout her career. Both she and Timberlake were scheduled a week after the Super Bowl performance. But after the scandal, former CBS executive Les Moonves was livid and embarrassed. He also felt Jackson planned the incident to some degree.
Sources alleged Moonves wanted an in-person apology from both Timberlake and Jackson before the show, as well as a live apology on stage. CBS was broadcasting the show and partnered with MTV to cast talent for the Super Bowl a week before.
Timberlake reportedly flew to LA to meet with Moonves to give him what he wanted. Jackson refused. As a result, Jackson did not attend the Grammys that year. Timberlake performed and won two awards that evening. He also gave an apology while accepting the award. Jackson hasn’t attended the awards ceremony since.
The icon lost multiple deals over the scandal
Around the same time of the incident, Jackson was set to star in a Lena Horne in a miniseries. Shadow and Act reports the role was reportedly a lifelong dream of Jackson’s. A 2003 Variety article quotes Quinn Taylor calling Jackson the “ideal” choice for the project. “I can’t think of more ideal casting. Janet Jackson and Lena Horne — it’s like peanut butter and jelly.
But amid the scandal, Horne allegedly “balked at having the younger star play her,” but ABC refused to let Jackson go. Ultimately, Jackson quit the project. A Disney character in Jackson’s honor dressed as her costume in the ‘Rhythm Nation” music video was removed from the park. Her album sales for her 2004 Damita Jo tanked, and she ultimately parted ways with her record label.
