The Backlash Against Justin Timberlake Is Heating Up Once Again
Justin Timberlake might single-handedly be responsible for bringing sexy back, making sure everyone "can't stop the feeling" and mainstreaming the Canadian tuxedo, but that's not all. He's also had his fair share of criticism, especially following the way he was portrayed in the New York Times and FX documentary "Framing Britney Spears" on Hulu. Some of the footage in the doc showed Timberlake speaking candidly about his sexual relationship with his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears and not really giving her the backup or support she needed when the media criticized her.
Apparently realizing that it's never too late to take ownership of past wrongs, Timberlake released a statement back in February on Instagram. "I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed. The industry is flawed," he wrote. "It sets men, especially white men, up for success. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this. Because of my ignorance, I didn't recognize it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again."
Timberlake might want to prepare another similar statement because he's getting a lot of heat again — this time for a totally different doc that once again depicts him distancing himself from another pop star caught in the crossfire of the media's criticism.
Justin Timberlake has some explaining to do
According to Page Six, Justin Timberlake is being dragged on social media thanks to the Hulu documentary "Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson." The doc takes a look at the infamous "nipplegate" in which Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast for 9/16ths of a second during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Jackson's career was never the same after the incident while Timberlake's soared, with several chart-topping hits and rising popularity. It also brought the term "wardrobe malfunction" to the public's mainstream vocabulary.
But just like the "Framing Britney Spears" doc, "The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson" is doing Timberlake no favors as it once again paints him as a pop star villain who got away unscathed in perhaps one of the most controversial moments in television history. "This is why I have never f***ed with Justin Timberlake. He's a culture vulture and left my good sis Janet out on a limb. So happy Ms. Jackson's truth will finally be told #JusticeForJanet," one person wrote on Twitter. "Me hating Justin Timberlake all over again while watching this Janet Jackson Superbowl documentary," another critic added.
So far Timberlake himself has not commented on the Janet Jackson documentary, but then again he might be too busy trying to figure out how to cancel his Hulu subscription before the next one comes out.