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By Molli Mitchell
Senior TV & Film Reporter (SEO)
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Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson is set to explore one of music's biggest scandals of the 21st century: the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Created by New York Times Presents—the team behind the Emmy-nominated Framing Britney Spears, and, more recently, *Controlling Britney Spears—*the new documentary will focus on the aftermath of Jackson's controversial performance with then-rising pop star, Justin Timberlake.
Despite the fact Timberlake briefly exposed Jackson's breast to millions of viewers and spectators, it was mainly Jackson who bore the brunt of the backlash, which had a detrimental impact on her career.
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Here, we take a closer look at the events covered in the upcoming film, as well its release date.
What is Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson About?
The 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show (Super Bowl XXXVIII) has become one of the most memorable performances of all-time—for all of the wrong reasons.
Securing the coveted gig that year, Jackson performed with rising pop star Justin Timberlake. But during a duet of Timberlake's hit "Rock Your Body," the former NSYNC singer briefly exposed Jackon's right breast to millions of viewers, which became widely known as "Nipplegate" or "Janetgate" in popular culture.
The infamous moment was crippling for Jackson's career, with her music being blacklisted by CBS and MTV. Her upcoming scheduled Grammy performance was also canceled.
Timberlake's career. meanwhile, continued to flourish. He headlined the event again over a decade later in 2018, whereas Jackson never returned and her career did not reach the same sort of heights after that moment.
As well as the event itself, Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson will explore the aftermath of the halftime show, and the impact it had on Jackson's image. It will also take a look at all of the factors at play, including racism and misogyny, which fuelled the negative backlash Jackson received.
Appearing in the documentary are NFL and MTV executives, who recall what happened that evening, alongside members of the Jackson family, and music industry and culture experts.
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Seventeen years on from the incident, Timberlake apologized to Jackson after the release of Framing Britney Spears, where he faced criticism for his treatment of Spears following their break up in 2002.
He took to Instagram on February 12, 2021, where he 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. I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism."
He also addressed Spears and Jackson directly, writing: "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."
When Is Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson Released on FX and Hulu?
Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson will premiere on FX on Friday, November 19 at 10 p.m. ET. It will also be available to stream via Hulu at the same time.
To watch the documentary, you must either have access to the FX network or be a Hulu customer.
You can sign up to Hulu, where you can access FX content for $6.99 per month after a 30-day free trial now.
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