On February 1, 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII became one of the most memorable nights for the legendary sporting event. But it’s not what happened during the NFL championship game; it’s what occurred during the halftime show. For decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has been one of the key moments of the most-watched sporting event of the year.
Aside from viewers tuning in to watch the game, non-sports fans also join in to view the halftime show each year. In 2004, roughly 150 million viewers tuned in to watch the halftime show featuring Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, and Jessica Simpson.
During the final song of the performance, “Rock Your Body”, Justin Timberlake grabbed Janet Jackson, tearing away a portion of her costume that exposed her breasts. Cameras caught the entire incident live on air with 150 million viewers tuned in. It quickly became the highlight of the performance, with news outlets primarily focusing on that part of the show. Instantly, viewers suspected this may have been a pre-planned publicity stunt.
Jackson’s Fashion Designer Calls On Justin Timberlake To Tell The Truth
Sometime in December, without a definite date set, Justin Timberlake is releasing a four-part tell-all docuseries on Apple TV. This new docuseries has yet to be named as well. For years, people have speculated that the incident was no accident, a planned publicity stunt. It’s been a common rumor for years, but now the truth may finally be revealed in this tell-all docuseries. The series is directed by Fisher Stevens, who previously directed Palmer, a 2021 film starring Justin Timberlake.
Ahead of the release of this tell-all docuseries, Janet Jackson’s fashion designer at the time of the performance has spoken up. In a new interview with TMZ published on November 3, 2026, Wayne Scot Lukas claims the incident was planned. Additionally, he claims the “malfunction” aspect of the incident hurt his career as a fashion designer. He also claims he wasn’t in on it, but he’s “the only one who knows what’s really happened” since he designed the outfit. Now, 22 years later, he’s calling on Justin Timberlake to back up his claim and tell the truth in his tell-all.
For years after, Janet Jackson has consistently denied that the incident was planned. Lukas claims the incident aimed to outshine the famous kiss between Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera the year before.
In recent years, Justin Timberlake has been relatively quiet since his DUI in June 2024. He did, however, join Jay-Z on stage in Paris on September 10, 2026. Coincidentally, Jay-Z has recently named himself to perform the upcoming Super Bowl LXI halftime show on February 14, 2027.
Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
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