Janet Jackson's Designer Urges Timberlake to Be Honest on 2004 Super Bowl

A decades-old Super Bowl controversy has fresh fuel. Wayne Scot Lukas, Janet Jackson's longtime fashion designer, says Justin Timberlake should finally be honest about the infamous 2004 halftime moment, and he rejects the idea that anything was an accident or a simple wardrobe malfunction. The remarks have revived a long-running pop culture debate.

Speaking on TMZ Live, Lukas argued the outfit performed exactly as planned, claiming the design was reportedly altered shortly before showtime. He says cameras were meant to cut away and the screen should have gone dark, and he places blame on producers rather than the performers involved. Lukas denies it was accidental.

Lukas adds that Timberlake never apologized to him, though he insists he needs no apology. The comments land just before Timberlake's four-part Apple TV+ documentary arrives in December, which is expected to revisit the incident. Lukas says nobody invited him to take part in that project. He says honesty matters most.