Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII came to a close with the exposure of Jackson’s breast.
Timberlake and Jackson stated that this was a surprise to them just as it was to the crowd of 72,000 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston and an approximate 100 million viewers worldwide.
Timberlake issued a statement apologizing for the incident. He said, “I am sorry if anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance at the Super Bowl. It was not intentional and is regrettable.”
MTV, the producers of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, also apologized for Janet Jackson’s “unintentional” exposure of her breast. “The tearing of Janet Jackson’s costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance. MTV regrets this incident occurred and we apologize to anyone who was offended by it,” stated MTV.
Many other important individuals issued statements about the halftime show. The CBS network, which broadcast the game, also apologized. “CBS deeply regrets the incident that occurred during the Super Bowl halftime show,” CBS said in a statement.
According to the official website of Super Bowl XXXVIII, the NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said, “We were extremely disappointed by the MTV-produced halftime show. It was totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the content of the show. The show was offensive, inappropriate and embarrassing to us and our fans. We will change our policy, our people and our processes for managing the halftime entertainment in the future in order to deal far more effectively with the quality of this aspect of the Super Bowl.”