Janet Jackson's former stylist Wayne Scot Lukas is urging the music icon against participating in Justin Timberlake's reported Apple TV docuseries, reopening debate over their controversial 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance.
"I don't think she should do it. I think she was treated dirty during this," Lukas told Page Six in an interview published November 8. The designer, who created Jackson's Super Bowl costume, also said the controversy cost him work.
His comments follow Variety's report that Timberlake will release a four-part documentary series on Apple TV in December. Three sources confirmed the project to the publication, with one saying Jackson would appear to discuss the halftime incident.
Directed by Fisher Stevens, the filmmaker behind Beckham, the series will reportedly also address comments made by Timberlake's former girlfriend Britney Spears. At the time of Variety's report, representatives for Timberlake, Jackson and Apple had either declined to comment or had not responded.
The Super Bowl controversy erupted in February 2004 when Timberlake pulled away part of Jackson's costume during "Rock Your Body," exposing her breast on the live broadcast.
Lukas has challenged the description of the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction." Speaking on TMZ Live earlier this month, he claimed the costume reveal was planned, with cameras intended to cut away and the picture to go black. His account places responsibility on the execution of the broadcast rather than a failed costume. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Jackson has offered a different explanation of the televised exposure. In her 2022 documentary, she described it as an accident, said she and Timberlake remained friends and encouraged viewers to move on.
Neither artist had confirmed Lukas's latest account, according to Complex's November 5 reporting. His renewed criticism now brings another perspective to an incident the forthcoming series is reportedly preparing to revisit.
