The bottom line is that Janet is an undeniable legend and CBS nor any other network had a problem parading Justin Timberlake in our faces this whole time (even immediately after the incident) so cut the shit and put some respect on Miss Jackson’s name.
Janet Jackson is an icon, a legend, and she is the moment. With that being said, even the Grammys planned to honor Janet with a huge tribute last weekend but those plans reportedly fell through after discussions about how to address the way CBS treated Jackson following her infamous Super Bowl Halftime performance. Yes, they are STILL on that.
According to insiders close to The Grammys, there was an issue with giving Janet the Global Impact Award. The Black Music Collective invited her to a pre-Grammy event by the Recording Academy to accept the award, but Janet was unable to go because of her schedule.
According to TMZ, the discussion of how Janet could accept the award during the broadcast came up, but that presented a different issue. Janet never received any compensation or apology from CBS for their treatment of her as if she was a criminal for years following the wardrobe malfunction incident.
Justin Timberlake tore Janet’s top off during Super Bowl XXVIII in 2004, which was broadcast on CBS, exposing her breast. After the incident, the network faced a great deal of backlash, and that year’s Grammy invitation was withdrawn by CBS CEO Les Moonves for Janet.
According to TMZ, discussions between Janet’s team and Grammy organizers about how CBS could either apologize or find a way to admit how she was treated by the network came to an end because things became too “complicated.”
That coupled with the fact Janet couldn’t attend the Black Music Collective event, she ultimately didn’t get the Global Impact Award and it was awarded to rapper Lil Wayne instead.
This is always a frustrating conversation for me. Many of us watched how the industry attempted to dismiss Janet’s legacy after that incident despite all that she’s undeniably contributed. Meanwhile the man who was literally right there on stage with her continued to be celebrated and even was invited back for a mediocre halftime show of his own. It’s sickening, actually.
What do you guys think? Should CBS have stepped up and addressed how Jackson was treated?
