Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Designer Makes Stunning Claim About Justin Timberlake 22 Years Later

Twenty-two years later, Janet Jackson's 2004 Super Bowl halftime show is back in the headlines. And the man who designed her outfit says the public still hasn't heard the full story.

Wayne Scot Lukas, Jackson's longtime fashion designer, is challenging the explanation that followed one of the most controversial moments in Super Bowl history. During a Nov. 3 appearance on "TMZ Live," Lukas claimed that the infamous exposure during Jackson's performance with Justin Timberlake was planned, rather than the accidental clothing mishap it was widely described as at the time.

His account comes as Timberlake prepares to release a four-part documentary series on Apple TV+ in December, with the Super Bowl incident reportedly among the subjects covered.

Lukas says he wasn't asked to participate. And after more than two decades, he has plenty he wants to say.

Janet Jackson's Designer Challenges the Super Bowl Story

The controversy began Feb. 1, 2004, during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston.

As Jackson and Timberlake performed "Rock Your Body," Timberlake pulled away part of Jackson's costume, exposing her right breast on live television. The moment lasted only a fraction of a second, but the consequences stretched on for years.

Jackson faced intense public scrutiny, while the phrase "wardrobe malfunction" became permanently attached to the incident.

Lukas now disputes that description.

"He [Timberlake] coined the term wardrobe malfunction, which blamed it on me," Lukas told TMZ Sports.

According to the designer, the performance originally called for Jackson to reveal her backside. He said the plan changed just two days before the show, with the decision made to expose her breast instead.

Lukas also claimed that cameras were supposed to cut away and the screen was meant to go black, preventing the reveal from being broadcast as it was.

Those are Lukas' allegations, not independently established facts. Jackson has maintained over the years that the exposure was accidental, making his account a significant departure from her public explanation.

Why Wayne Scot Lukas Is Speaking Out Now

For Lukas, the controversy was more than an embarrassing moment on live television. He says it damaged his professional reputation and cost him work.

"He never kind of made up with any of us," Lukas said of Timberlake. "We all lost a lot of work. I had morals clauses in my contracts, I was losing jobs. I just had to stay quiet and supported my friend Janet, and I did."

The designer also expressed frustration about being excluded from Timberlake's upcoming documentary, particularly given his involvement in creating the costume.

"No one asked me to speak about it and I'm the only one who really knows what happened because I designed the outfit," Lukas said.

He added that he changed the costume shortly before the performance and believes he has information that has never been fully shared publicly.

Lukas isn't necessarily looking for an apology. Instead, he wants Timberlake to address what happened, including the decisions made before the performance and the fallout that followed.

His comments reopen a controversy that has long raised questions about how Jackson and Timberlake were treated in the aftermath. Although both performers were onstage, Jackson bore much of the public criticism.

Whether Timberlake's documentary addresses Lukas' version of events remains to be seen.

What is clear is that, 22 years after a few seconds on a Super Bowl stage changed the conversation around both performers, the people involved still don't agree on exactly what happened.

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