Janet Jackson Just Broke Her Silence on the Justin Timberlake Drama

Janet Jackson has finally responded to all of the Justin Timberlake drama in the wake of the Free Britney Spears documentary…without mentioning his apology. 

On February 13, Jackson took to Twitter to thank her fans for the sudden wave of support in the past week. After Timberlake faced backlash for his treatment of Spears following their 2002 breakup, people also began demanding an apology from the pop star on behalf of Jackson over his actions following their infamous Super Bowl halftime show performance in 2004. 

“I was at home just the other day by myself and I began to cry. I was crying because I was so thankful for all that God has blessed me with. All that he has given me. For Him being in my life,” Jackson said in a video, wearing a black mask, beanie, and sunglasses. “And I am so thankful for all of you being in my life. You’re so special to me. And I want to thank all of you for making ‘Control’ number one once again after 35 years. I never in a million years, I would never think that this would happen. I really appreciate you and I love you so, so much. Thank you.”

Jackson did not mention Timberlake or his apology, which he posted on Instagram on February 12. “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” the “Cry Me a River” singer wrote. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

He continued, “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.”

In a rare interview with Oprah back in 2006, Janet Jackson opened up about the hurt Timberlake caused when he joked about the wardrobe malfunction while she was being blacklisted from the music industry. She admitted to feeling that Timberlake left her hanging “to a certain degree.” 

“I have to say just to let people know that Justin has reached out—we haven’t spoken, but he has reached out to speak with me,” she told Oprah. “Like I said, friendship is very important to me and certain things you just don’t do to friends. In my own time, I’ll give him a call.”