Justin Timberlake is reportedly preparing a four-part Apple TV documentary that includes Janet Jackson discussing their Super Bowl halftime performance.
Variety cites three sources familiar with the project, with one identifying Jackson as a participant. Described as a “tell-all,” the series is expected in December. Fisher Stevens is directing, according to the report.
Another source said Timberlake discusses recent comments from former girlfriend Britney Spears.
Representatives for Timberlake, Jackson and Apple either declined to comment or did not respond to the publication’s requests. An official title and exact premiere date have not been announced.
Jackson Previously Said She and Timberlake Had Moved On
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Jackson addressed their relationship in her own 2022 documentary, Janet Jackson., which aired on Lifetime and A&E. “Justin and I are very good friends,” she said, according to Good Morning America. She said they had spoken recently and wanted the public to stop assigning blame over the performance.
She also recalled a conversation shortly after the controversy in which Timberlake asked whether he should make a statement. Jackson said she advised him against it because the criticism was being directed at her and she did not want him drawn further into the dispute.
Timberlake later invited her to perform with him when he headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2018. Jackson declined. Although she liked the idea of performing, she explained that accepting would mean revisiting an experience she preferred to leave behind.
Timberlake Apologized to Jackson and Spears in 2021
The original incident occurred at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston on February 1, 2004. During “Rock Your Body,” Timberlake pulled away part of Jackson’s costume, briefly exposing her breast on live television.
Jackson faced extensive criticism and lost radio and music-video support in the aftermath, as Rolling Stone recalled in its coverage of the proposed series. Timberlake’s career continued with substantially less disruption.
In February 2021, following the release of Framing Britney Spears, Timberlake posted an apology to both women. He acknowledged that his actions, comments and failures to speak up had contributed to their treatment. “I know I failed,” he wrote in the statement reproduced by KQED.
He also acknowledged benefiting from an industry that favored men, particularly white men, and said he had not understood the extent of that advantage while events were unfolding. He committed to taking responsibility for his own conduct.
Spears Published Her Account of Their Relationship in 2023
Timberlake and Spears dated from 1999 to 2002. Their breakup became a major subject of entertainment coverage, particularly after he released “Cry Me a River” and its music video featuring a woman who resembled Spears.
In her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, Spears wrote that she became pregnant during their relationship and had an abortion. In an excerpt published by PEOPLE, she said she had imagined having a family with him, but that he felt they were too young to become parents.
Stevens and Timberlake Previously Worked Together on ‘Palmer’
The reported director already has a working relationship with both Timberlake and Apple. Stevens directed him in Palmer, which the streaming service released on January 29, 2021.
In that drama, Timberlake played a former high school football star returning to his Louisiana hometown after prison. He becomes responsible for a young boy, played by Ryder Allen, whose mother has left him in the care of others. Apple lists Juno Temple, June Squibb and Alisha Wainwright among the supporting cast.
Timberlake has also been the subject of an earlier nonfiction film. Jonathan Demme directed Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids, released by Netflix in October 2016. The concert film captured the end of his 20/20 Experience World Tour at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, with the 25 members of his touring band sharing the stage.