Janet Jackson is fully aware of the New York Times’ ‘Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson’ breaking down the infamous 2004 Super Bowl incident, but she wants no part of it — according to her former stylist Wayne Scot Lukas.
via Page Six:
“She wants that documentary to go away. She didn’t ask for a ‘Free Janet’ documentary. She’s not interested,” Lukas said.
Jackson declined to participate in the New York Times/FX project and urged Lukas and others to also not take part in it.
“She asked us not to do it. She wants to tell her own story,” he said.
The documentary explores how then-CBS CEO Les Moonves set out to ruin Jackson’s career after the embarrassing incident, while Timberlake’s career bloomed in its wake.
The former N’Sync singer received Grammy awards that year, but Jackson was disinvited from the awards show.
Viacom-owned MTV, which produced the halftime show, also barely played her new music videos despite naming her as the very first MTV Icon three years before the halftime show.
But other sources told Page Six Jackson is “over” the narrative that the Super Bowl somehow ended her career.
“It didn’t end her career. She still broke records with albums, and she was just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” one source said.
Lukas told us he taped an interview for Jackson’s own documentary, premiering in January, but she told him not to address the Super Bowl in it.
“They’re going to discuss it, and she’ll have her final say. I’m not privy to her final say, I just need to be aware of my story and I’ve been loyal for 18 years,” he said.
Still, he says he continues to get blamed for the performance and has even received death threats since the FX doc aired.
“I really wish Janet or someone could come out now and say, ‘Leave my friend Wayne alone, he didn’t do anything wrong…’ as long as you keep me in the mix, fingers keep being pointed at me,” he said.
A rep for Jackson did not comment, but hopefully, Jackson will finally put the Super Bowl saga to rest when her Lifetime and A&E doc premieres in January.
We won’t hold our breath. Something tells us that won’t even be the last we’ve heard of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
We can’t wait to see what Janet has to say in her upcoming documentary.
