People don’t forget!

By now everyone knows that Justin Timberlake is returning for the Super Bowl halftime show for the third time in his singing career and as happy as we assume him to be with this, not everyone seems to share in that joy.

On Sunday, the National Football League confirmed the 36-year-old singer as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2018, with JT himself confirming the news in a mini sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The singer’s performance marks the first time he’ll have been back since the infamous 2004 performance with Janet Jackson, and fans quickly took to social media to express anger at the hypocrisy of Justin’s return, calling for an apology from the musician.

Janet Jackson was incorrectly rumoured to be ‘banned’ from performing at the Superbowl (Picture: Film Magic)

Their performance was remembered for Janet’s ‘nipplegate’ moment which stole the show.




Janet and Justin performed the smash hit Rock Your Body, but as he sang the lyric, ‘I’ll have you naked by the end of this song’, he pulled at a part of Jackson’s costume, exposing her right breast, which was covered only by a silver star.

Janet apologised for her 2004 wardrobe malfunction and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) forced the show to run with a delay to avoid something like that happening again.

Many fans feel that the backlash drastically affected Janet’s career in a negative way as after the malfunction, Janet was banned from the 2004 Grammy Awards where she was set to present. Timberlake, however, was still allowed at the awards show and even performed.

Fans took to Twitter to express how they felt about this.

Unless Justin Timberlake starts his set by introducing Janet Jackson with an apology and then continues watching quietly while she does 12 minutes of her catalog solo, the Super Bowl can keep this halftime show. — Crystal Methanny (@RafiDAngelo) October 23, 2017

Janet Jackson: banned. Justin Timberlake: welcome back. Look, guys, a guy getting to do what a woman can’t is just on brand for 2017, okay? — Leanna Renee (@leannuh_renay) October 23, 2017

IF JANET JACKSON IS BANNED, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHOULD BE BANNED AS WELL, @NFL pic.twitter.com/JWRfLkGXK1 — rohan.gif (@Reauxhanrex) October 23, 2017

Justin Timberlake is performing at the Super Bowl … and Janet Jackson is STILL banned for something HE HAS YET TO APOLOGIZE FOR pic.twitter.com/TfqCESROpk — rohan.gif (@Reauxhanrex) October 23, 2017

Me being excited for Justin Timberlake’s #PepsiHalftime but also disgusted by the NFL’s sexism in their treatment of Janet Jackson pic.twitter.com/PrCbtDg829 — Juju (@jbridge4th) October 23, 2017

In January 2014, former FCC chairman Michael Powell admitted that the reaction to and treatment of Jackson was unfair.

‘I personally thought that was really unfair. It all turned into being about her,’ Powell said. ‘In reality, if you slow the thing down, it’s Justin ripping off her breastplate.’

Although many fans have been calling for the ban on Janet Jackson to be liefted, Metro.co.uk can confirm that Janet was not banned by the NFL in the first place.

When asked if Janet Jackson was banned from performing at the show an NFL spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘There is no ban.’

TMZ also reports that an NFL spokesperson said: ‘We are not going to comment on any speculation regarding potential guests. There may be no guests. Along with Pepsi, we’re excited to have Justin Timberlake.’

The Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show will air on NBC on February 4, 2018.

MORE: NFL say Janet Jackson is ‘not banned from performing at the Super Bowl halftime’

MORE: Justin Timberlake to headline Super Bowl’s 2018 half-time show 14 years after Janet Jackson’s nipplegate