Pop icon Justin Timberlake, the bad boy of pop, certainly knows how to stir up a crowd and cause some controversy.
To this day, he still causes outrage and just last year fans were left fuming after a 2003 resurfaced video showed him performing with Kylie Minogue and grabbing her behind. But that’s not the only thing that has caused him to be the centre of controversy.
Plenty of incidents spring to mind when you think of Justin’s controversial behaviour but Janet Jackson’s “nipplegate” is probably number one. Meanwhile, his relationship with Britney also proved to be a sore spot.
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The singer has been known to spark outrage for various reasons, but some of them take the top spot. As NSYNC celebrate their anniversary today (October 1) Daily Star has looked back at some of Justin’s biggest controversies.
Nipple gate
(Image: Frank Micelotta/Getty Image)
You can’t talk about Justin Timberlake controversies without talking about Nipplegate. In 2004 after driving the audience crazy with some iconic hits like All For You and Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson surprised fans by bringing Justin Timberlake onto the stage to perform Rock Your Body alongside her.
Fans loved it as they bumped and grinded for the whole song, but things went a little too far in the final moments when Justin pulled open Jackson’s corset, which exposed one of her breasts. The moment has later been referred to as a “wardrobe malfunction.” Janet has since explained that she is still “friends” with Justin.
Jabs at Britney
(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Justin and Britney Spears were a fan-favourite couple. With them both being labelled as the president and the princess of pop, there is no doubt that the duo were incredibly well-matched. However, in 2002 rumours started to surface that Britney had cheated on Justin and he didn’t argue with the claims.
After this Justin began to make some rather passive-aggressive jabs at the Oops I Did It Again singer. He released a music video for his single Cry Me A River and it included a blonde girl who looked a lot like Brit, and she is shown to be a cheater.
What is more, the star got personal on a radio show where he dropped a major bombshell that shocked Britney fans worldwide. On The Star & Buc Wild Morning Show Justin was asked by host Troi Torain if he “f***** Britney Spears.” Justin laughed and replied: “Oh man. OK, I did it!” This left fans shocked as Britney had previously revealed that she intended to wait until marriage before she slept with someone.
Kylie grope
(Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MTV)
The pop star caused utter outrage among his fans when he grabbed Kylie Minogue’s behind while she was performing alongside him in 2002. At the time of the incident, Timberlake had only a few months earlier released his first solo album Justified after rising to fame in the boyband, N*Sync.
During a solo where Minogue deftly recreated Deborah Harry’s original rap, Timberlake could be seen dancing behind her and then grabbing her behind. According to media reports, Timberlake had asked her ahead of time if he could grab her butt and Minogue had said no.
17 years too late apology
(Image: Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
In 2021 Justin finally took to Instagram to apologise to both Britney and Janet for his actions but many people thought that it was too little too late. In an Instagram post, he wrote: “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond.
“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. 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.
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“The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success. It’s designed this way. As a man in a privileged position, I have to be vocal about this. Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognise 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.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
