True to his word, Timberlake then ripped away "Miss Nasty's" right breastplate, exposing her for all the world to see save for a star-like device we have subsequently come to know as a "nipple shield."
Though Jackson was exposed for only a moment before covering herself, the incident — which might have passed with relatively little hoopla in an earlier era due to its brevity and the general commotion — was recorded by millions of Americans on their handy new TiVOs, spread almost instantly across the Internet (where it became the most searched-for image ever), and replayed in slow motion ad infinitum (with strategic masking) by cable news channels that could scarcely contain their glee over the titillation of it all.
Timberlake added an instantly classic new term to the lexicon when he described the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction."
MTV and CBS both said they had no idea that their halftime show Sunday night would include such a display. Federal Communications Commission then-chairman Michael Powell called it "a classless, crass and deplorable stunt" and called for — literally — a federal investigation.
Jackson's record label Virgin released her single "Just a Little While" the following day, weeks ahead of schedule. Jackson apologized not once but twice, saying that her red lace bra was not supposed to yield to Timberlake's manly tug, and that "in the end it all went wrong."
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein conveyed the FCC's attitude toward the event well in a separate statement Wednesday: "The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show was arguably one of the most shocking incidents in the history of live broadcast television. Indeed, the Super Bowl was the most-watched program of the entire 2003-04 television season and American viewers, collectively, expressed their disappointment and disapproval. The Commission, entrusted with the responsibility to execute faithfully broadcast indecency laws, responded swiftly and appropriately."
Having drawn the line in the sand at what it perceives as the public's insistence, the FCC is not about to back away from it. Neither, it appears, is CBS.
Article comments
1 - mliving
Never mind Janet's boob.
The FCC should be kickin' Fox's Bill O'Reilly ass off the air for his bigoted and completely untruthful attacks on anyone who happens to disagree with his opinion.
You know. Those of us who know the truth!
crooksandliars.com
2 - Dynamo of Eternia
Talk about something that's been blown way our of proportion.
Ok, it shouldn't have happened. But really, what hard did this cause? Maybe a kid or two saw a boob.. a natural part of a woman's body? Somehow I doubt that they will be scared for life as a result.
They are putting more time, effort, and money into investigating this than most law enforcement does to investigate a murder. It's ridiculous.
And as pointed out, there was all kinds of bumping, grinding, and sexually suggestive things happening in that performance (and on TV in general) long before the wardrobe malfunction ever happened. Somehow everyone was perfectly fine with that, but the second a boob pops out, we've crossed some kind of terrible line into the 10th level of hell?
I also love how after this happened, the super bowl was suddenly being described as a 'family program', making this malfunction that much more worse in that context. It's kind of funny how football, and esspecially the super bowl, went from something that is typically watched by men who are loud, yell, and swear (at the game) while eating fatty snacks and drinking beer to something that is meant to be enjoyed by the entire family in the same manner as a movie like "Cheaper by the Dozen." Give me a break!
At the end of the day, this shouldn't have happened, but it did. Pick up the pieces and move on. There's no reason why this should be continuing on like this over two years later. It's over, it's done with. Do what you have to do to make sure it doesn't happen again and move on.
3 - Eric Olsen
of course it's ridiculous that they are still dealing with it two and a half years later, but CBS has appealed the fine twice now, and now implies they are taking it to court. If they had paid the fine, which was first announced in September of '04, it would have been over long ago.
The reason the FCC won't reconsider is becuase there was so much public outcry.
4 - Jet in Columbus
Thanks for updating and keeping this story alive. It's important to keep reminding people of just how important this story is. In my article about the FCC, Networks and Howard Stern, I was just as appalled, and I agree with you 101 Percent...
5 - Eric Olsen
thanks Jet - I as I said: I blame it on TiVO
6 - Matt Paprocki
It's not CBS's fault. It's the PTC, who apparently represent all Amercian viewers by banning together to basically spam the FCC with how offended they were by a nipple. I could dig it up, but I believe the stat to be that 90% of FCC complaints come from them. For whatever reason, the FCC thinks they represent the typical TV watching American.
CBS should fight this to no end. Otherwise, its setting a stupid precedent that the PTC can get their way whenever they find some crap like this offensive, and they find just about everything indecent. If you enjoy TV the way its intended, we need to find a way to convince the FCC that these people stop getting their way.
I don't even know where to start with that crusade.
7 - Eric Olsen
another problem is that the FCC has had these rules all along, but only recently started enforcing them
8 - Jet in Columbus
Eric, I'd add the word "Selectively" between started and enforcing.
9 - Falstaff
You are all correct on many counts:
First, the PTC is responsible for 90-95% of all complaints to the FCC. They claim 1 million members, yet they game the FCC complaint system to effectively make TV viewing decisions for 110 million U.S. TV households. Hardly democracy in action.
Second, the same FCC that decides to fine a critically-acclaimed Martin Scorsese documentary "The Blues: Godfathers and Sons," for raw language, turns the other way and lets the Oprah Winfrey Show off the hook despite the fact that it featured a very frank afternoon discussion of teen sex. This proves that the government is incapable of making subjective viewing decisions that can only be made by parents and individuals.
Third, the government fails to accept the fact that parents and individuals already have the TV ratings and content-blocking devices that they need to make and enforce their own TV viewing decisions. This makes government regulation of TV both unnecessary and undesirable.
Check out TV Watch, at www.televisionwatch.org, for a common-sense voice of reason in this debate.
10 - Eric Olsen
yes, I agree "selectively" is a core problem. Rules should be enforced fairly across the board - I'm sure that's part of why CBS and the other nets are so outraged: they got away with more or less ignoring the rules before
11 - Jet in Columbus
Additionally Eric, there's an old saying "give a mouse a cookie and he'll want a glass of milk".
We both know they won't stop there. The problem as I see it is IF they'll stop at all?