Justin Timberlake’s Manager Just Escalated the Super Bowl Drama with Janet Jackson
Way back in 2004, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed together at the Super Bowl. What started out as a promising performance ended in the wardrobe malfunction heard around the country. When Timberlake accidentally exposed Jackson’s breast on live TV, the ramifications for the “Made For Now” singer were positively devastating.
Jackson was repeatedly raked over the coals by the media, some people even insinuating that the humiliating experience was done intentionally. And while Jackson was banned from the Super Bowl, Timberlake did not experience the same career ramifications. In fact, the “Just Dance” singer has made jokes about the experience, at Jackson’s expense, and refused to issue a public apology as recently as 2016.
Justin Timberlake recently received backlash for his treatment of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears
But it appears that Timberlake is finally attempting to do some damage control following the release of the 2021 documentary The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears. When fans called out how Timberlake treated his ex-girlfriend, Spears, as well as other successful women in the entertainment industry, Timberlake issued a fairly generic apology via his social media profiles.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake wrote. “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right.” Continuing on, Timberlake issued an apology to both Spears and Jackson, though he made no references to the Super Bowl or any other specific instances in which he’d erred.
The ‘Just Dance’ singer apologized via his Instagram and Twitter pages
“I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed,” the Friends with Benefits star penned. “I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be a part of and grow from.”
Jackson has yet to publicly react to Timberlake’s apology, thus the media attention quickly died down. But Timberlake’s long-time manager, Johnny Wright, decided to fan the flames of the Super Bowl drama again. Recently, Jackson took to her Instagram page to post some words of encouragement that she found inspiring.
Timberlake’s manager reignited the Super Bowl drama with Jackson
“Always choose to heal, not hurt. To forgive, not despise. To persevere, not quit. To smile, not frown. And to love, not hate,” the post read. Naturally, the post resonated with many of the “All For You” singer’s fans. However, Timberlake’s manager took the post as an opportunity to reignite the tension between his client and Jackson.
“You should take this advice and to apply it to your relationship with Justin,” Wright commented on Jackson’s post. Of course, many of Jackson’s fans were disgusted by the comment and pointed out that it took Timberlake 17 years to take the bare minimum of accountability for his part in the Super Bowl snafu. Others simply couldn’t believe the audacity of what Timberlake’s manager was implying with his comment.
Is Johnny Wright desperate for his client to be in the news?
Clearly, Jackson has moved on from the unfortunate experience, so it’s unclear why one of Timberlake’s reps wants to reignite old drama. Unless Wright is desperate for his client to be back in the news, we’re unsure of what he thought his comment would accomplish.
