We're slowly approaching the 20 year anniversary of Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction during Justin Timberlake's 2004 Super Bowl half-time show. Jackson immediately faced backlash after her breast popped out of her top while Timberlake barely faced any criticism. However, that narrative changed in recent years. A new documentary titled, Malfunction explores the pop culture moment and more specifically, JT's role in the incident.
Wayne Scot Lukas served as Janet Jackson's stylist for the performance, though he explained that there was no wardrobe malfunction that occurred. During a recent interview with Access Hollywood, he said that the outfit did was it was intended to do. "I was hired to do a job. I did exactly what I was supposed to do," he explained.
Lukas has worked alongside Janet for decades, so he's fully aware of the logistics of a wardrobe created for dancers and performers. "My job is to have snaps and pins and velcro so that even in her quick change if she forgets to snap something back on, it stays on. That's my job. I stand 100% by my story that I did exactly what I was supposed to do, what I was hired for, and if I ever hurt my friend, I wouldn't have worked with Janet for six years after the Super Bowl" he said. "I would've been fired that day."
Lukas added that Timberlake threw him under the bus during a post-performance interview where he deemed the situation a "wardrobe malfunction."
"He coined that phrase and when he said that, I thought, 'Friendship over.' Friendship over. Wardrobe malfunction? I don't malfunction," he continued, explaining that he was making $10K a day during those times. The idea that his design is why the performance went south felt like a slap in the face.
Ultimately, Lukas said that the blame was ultimately supposed to be placed on one of the producers who were supposed to blackout the performance before Janet's breast was exposed.
Peep the full interview below.
