In the wake of accusations of sexism and misogyny against Justin Timberlake regarding his treatment of ex-girlfriend Britney Spears, and the “wardrobe malfunction” with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl, he apologized to both of them in a post on Instagram.
“I saw the messages, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,” he wrote. “I deeply regret the moments in my life when my actions contributed to the problem, when I spoke out of turn or did not defend what was right. I understand that I failed in those moments and in many others and I benefited from a system that tolerates misogyny and racism.
“I want to apologize specifically to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson individually, because I care and respect these women and I know that I failed.”
In both cases, the reasons for their apologies go back almost 20 years: he and Spears dated when they were both teen stars, and during that time, he said publicly that he had slept with her (she claimed he was waiting until she got married), and later vaguely accused her of betraying him – a narrative that appeared in the video for her 2002 song “Cry Me a River”, which featured an actress who looked like Spears.
This situation has recently reappeared in the documentary “Framing Britney Spears”, which focuses on the tutelage she has been in since 2008, but addresses more sexually and critically how she has been treated by the media and others throughout her career.
The Super Bowl scandal revolves around what Timberlake described as a “wardrobe malfunction”, in which he pulled some of Jackson’s clothing and exposed his breast, causing massive public protests and an aggressive investigation by the Federal Commission on Communication. Although the situation was never fully explained publicly, Jackson endured the weight of criticism while Timberlake – who was the one who pulled his clothes off – managed to evade responsibilities and become one of the biggest music stars in the world in the following years, and even came back as the artist of the Super Bowl break in 2018. In contrast, Jackson’s career suffered a serious blow to popularity and public opinion and, in many ways, never fully recovered.
Timberlake’s post concludes: “I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and, more importantly, because this is a broader conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be a part of and grow with.”
Framing Britney Spears producer and director Samantha Stark said Varietylast week she did not approach Timberlake to comment on her treatment of the singer. “We did not ask Justin Timberlake for a comment, just as we did not ask several other people who appear in archival footage to comment,” she said. “Respondents make comments about media coverage around the breach … Unlike other people we ask to comment, we do not make any charges against Justin. We just let the footage run. “
Jackson, Spears and Timberlake representatives either declined or did not immediately respond to Varietyrequests for comment.