Janet Jackson Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is one of the much-awaited sporting events all throughout the world. Aside from the football game itself, thousands and millions of spectators look forward to performances from top caliber stage performers during Super Bowl halftimes. In the 2004 Super Bowl, one controversial incident that rocked the whole world of both the media and the sports was the Janet Jackson Super bowl incident.
The Janet Jackson super bowl incident happened on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. During the super bowl halftime show of that day, along with fellow singer Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson accidentally exposed her breast when Timberlake tore off a part of the Janet Jackson’s wardrobe. Apparently, the Janet Jackson super bowl incident was a “wardrobe malfunction”, but the media and some other organizations believed otherwise.
The Incident
Among some of their different acts, both Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed duets of their songs like Rhythm Nation for Jackson and Rock Your Body by Timberlake. The said performance featured different dance sequence from both the singers. By the end of the song with its final lyrics saying “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song”, Justin Timberlake pulled off one part of Janet Jackson’s costume that reveal her right breast. Her breast was accentuated with a sun-shaped nipple shield to give the impression of a nipple piercing appearance. Immediately, the CBS broadcasting corporation cut the said coverage, but was not able to do that in time for the millions of viewers to catch them live on screen. The Janet Jackson super bowl incident was considered by many as a very indecent exposure, raising questions from more than two-hundred Americans to the Federal Communications Commission, telling that what happened was beyond decency.
With the Janet Jackson super bowl performance incident, the controversy has greatly prompted both the radio and the television broadcasts to be tighter with their controls, fearing of very high penalties that the Federal Communications Commission can levy unto them. Following the very controversial Janet Jackson Super bowl moment, the National Football league has announced that MTV is no longer allowed to to included in any super howl halftime show.
It was also during that same show that rappers like P. Diddy or Sean Diddy Combs and Nelly, were seen to be grabbing their crotches which only made the show controversial all the more. Another participant, Kid Rock, was also questioned for wearing a US flag that has holes on the collar and the sleeves, because a lot of viewers felt that what was shown was very offensive especially during that time where the country was in a “difficult times of war”.
The incident of the breast exposure of Janet Jackson led to headlines and controversies. In fact, the incident was ranked fifth on the MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olberman, just next day of said Super bowl incident. A media watchdog group called the Parents Television Council issued on that very same day a statement that firmly condemns the halftime show, telling that their group will have to file for indecency complaints on the Federal Communications Commission.
In Canada though, only fifty Canadians were recorded to have filed complaints about the said incident, as well as the people from Europe. But then, after thorough investigation, Viacom has paid almost four million dollars for penalties, just to settle the issue.
Today, the Super bowl halftime are more carefully addressed, making sure that the performers present decent performances so that the Janet Jackson super bowl incident. Accident or not, it all boils down into one thing: that every performer of the Super bowl halftime should be careful and responsible enough with his actions. Good thing though that the Super Bowl has remained one of the most viewed sporting events of all times, despite of the “wardrobe malfunction” of Janet Jackson.