Justice Is Served: Janet Jackson’s Brothers Have Accepted Justin Timberlake’s Apology
Finally some great news! We can all go back to liking Justin Timberlake. His apology to Janet Jackson for “contributing to the problem” has been accepted! Time to move forward and put that ugly business behind us once and for all. While Janet hasn’t said shit about it, her brothers Tito, Marlon, and Jackie Jackson told Andy Cohen they have graciously accepted Justin’s apology. That means getting to the theater early to get good seats as soon as Trolls 3 opens! As much as I love going to the movies, I’m going to save my first post-vaccine visit to see the now absolved Justin dance his furry little butt off! It’s what Tito would want.
Back in February, Justin dusted off his Notes App and transcribed exactly what his publicist told him to, which amounted to a vague mea culpa for “not speaking up what was right” and apologized to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson “both individually” (but in the same sentence) “because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.” Whatever that means. What he didn’t fail to do was earn the respect of Janet’s brothers who appeared on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy show. People reports:
Janet Jackson’s brothers are publicly reacting after Justin Timberlake’s recent apology for his involvement in the infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show wardrobe malfunction.
I’m going to have to stop you right there, People. Show me where in Justin’s apology he mentioned the Super Bowl, the wardrobe malfunction, or his “involvement” therein? Looks like yet another year not winning a Peabody award, People! But I digress.
During a virtual appearance on Wednesday’s episode of SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, host Andy Cohen asked Tito, Marlon and Jackie Jackson about their feelings toward Timberlake. The brothers shared their appreciation for the singer and made it clear they feel that it’s time to move on.
“First of all, I just want to thank Justin Timberlake. … It takes a man to step up and do that, so we do thank him,” Marlon said during the show.
“But we’d like to move forward because that was out there, the negativity about it,” he continued. “But … as they say in the old days: Long as they’re talking about you, good or bad, you still in the public’s eye.”
Coming from the Jacksons, that is alarming. Janet certainly wasn’t feeling the “all press is good press” vibes surrounding the situation. Brother Jackie added that “he thinks the apology ‘means a whole lot’ because of how much the situation hurt his sister.” Janet herself said as much in a 2006 interview with Oprah.
Janet stated that she felt “all the emphasis was put on me,” following the controversy “as opposed to us.” Asked if she felt like Timberlake had “left her hanging,” the singer replied, “to a certain degree, yeah.”
Here’s the interview.
I fear we’re never going to get a satisfying reckoning about how that performance came to be (though it would be a great subject for an investigative podcast), and asking the rhythm section of The Jackson 5 to pipe in on the subject isn’t gonna help matters. If we’re really just going to move forward, can we please, please leave Justin behind?
Pic: YouTube