Janet Jackson has finally spoken out following the infamous 2004 Super Bowl scandal she was embroiled in alongside Justin Timberlake.
The 'Cry Me a River' singer, 40, has long faced scrutiny over the fallout of the halftime show that year, in which he accidentally exposed Jackson's breast to a 140 million-strong audience as they performed his hit 'Rock Your Body'.
The aftermath saw Timberlake's record sales spike following the so-called "Nipplegate," however Jackson was essentially blacklisted from the industry, and her music was instantly removed from radio stations and TV channels as a result.
Jackson, 55, has finally set the record straight on the pair's friendship in a message to fans recorded earlier this year in Miami for her two-night Lifetime and A&E documentary, Janet.
"Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion. And, of course, it was an accident that should not have happened, but everyone is looking for someone to blame and that's got to stop," she said of the ordeal.
"Justin and I are very good friends, and we will always be very good friends," Jackson continued. "We spoke just a few days ago. He and I have moved on, and it's time for everyone else to do the same."
While speaking to brother Randy Jackson in the documentary, Janet recalled Timberlake asking her at the time if he should speak out publicly amid the backlash.
"We talked once and [Justin] said, 'I don't know if I should come out and make a statement,'" Janet said.
"And I said, 'Listen, I don't want any drama for you. They're aiming all of this at me.' So I said, 'If I were you, I wouldn't say anything.'"
But Janet told Oprah Winfrey in 2006 that she felt "all the emphasis was put on me" following the incident, "as opposed to us."
Asked if she felt like Timberlake had "left her hanging," she responded: "To a certain degree, yeah."
In 2018, Timberlake addressed the issue in an interview with Beats 1's Zane Lowe ahead of his halftime show performance at Super Bowl LII, and claimed he "absolutely" took time to make amends with Janet after the incident.
He said: "I don't know that a lot of people know that. I don't think it's my job to do that because you value the relationships that you do have with people.
"I stumbled through it, to be quite honest. I had my wires crossed and it's just something that you have to look back on and go like, 'Okay, well you know, you can't change what's happened but you can move forward and learn from it.'"
