Janet Jackson's piercings again came to the forefront on February 1, 2004 when, during the NFL Super Bowl half time show—in front of 100 million viewers—her top was partially torn off by Justin Timberlake as a finale, exposing a pierced nipple and a decorative nipple shield. According to the Drudge Report, the skit was approved by CBS (right up to the top executives—although they swear this was never in the rehearsals), and MTV who produced the half time show had promised in advance that viewers would see "Janet's shocking moments."
Because this occurred during primetime with many families and children watching, both the CBS switchboards and the police switchboards became immediately tied up. Viewers demanded an explanation, and some went so far as to call for charges to be pressed against Janet Jackson for baring her pierced breast during a family show. The NFL has told MTV that it is "unlikely" that they will produce another half time show in the future.
Justin Timberlake, who did the actual "exposing"—as he sung the lyric "I gotta have you naked by the end of this song"—makes the unlikely claim that it was an accident, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction," saying, "it was not intentional and is regrettable." MTV back-pedaled as well, releasing a statement saying it was "unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance."
