Janet jackson unauthorized biography of howard

2004 controversy over broadcast indecency

The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004, from Houston, Texas, on the CBS television network, is notable for a moment in which Janet Jackson's right breast and nipple—adorned with a nipple shield—was exposed by Justin Timberlake to the viewing public. The incident, sometimes referred to as Nipplegate or Janetgate, led to an immediate crackdown and widespread discourse on perceived indecency in broadcasting.

The halftime show was produced by MTV and was focused on the network's Choose or Lose campaign (the year 2004 was a presidential election year in the United States). The exposure was broadcast to a total audience of 150 million viewers. Following the incident, the National Football League (NFL) excluded MTV, which had also produced the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXV, from future halftime shows. In addition, CBS parent company Viacom and its co-owned subsidiaries, MTV and Infinity Broadcasting, enforced a blacklist of Jackson's singles and music videos on many radio formats and music channels worldwide. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined CBS for an indecency violation of $27,500 and increased it to $325,000. They eventually fined CBS a record $550,000 for the incident, but that fine was ultimately voided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011, and a case to reinstate the fine was refused in 2012.

The incident was ridiculed both within the United States and abroad, with a number of commentators opining that it was a planned publicity stunt. The next week, Timberlake apologized at the Grammy Awards ceremony, saying Jackson's nipple was accidentally exposed and was meant to be covered by a bright red brassiere. Some American commentators, including Jackson herself, argued it was being used as a means to distract the public from the ongoing Iraq War. The increased regulation of broadcasting ra

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During an interview with the Guardian published Saturday, ostensibly to promote the second leg of her concert tour, Janet Jackson claimed she heard Kamala Harris was not Black and that the vice president’s father was White.

“Well, you know what they supposedly said? She’s not Black,” Jackson said of Harris when asked about her thoughts on the 2024 presidential race. “That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”

Many reporters and social media critics were quick to point out that Harris has long identified as Black and spoken about her background throughout her career. She also attended Howard University, a historically Black school. Her father, Donald Harris, is from Jamaica and was the first Black person to be tenured in Stanford’s economics department.

The Washington Post, along with other news outlets, initially reported that Jackson apologized for the comments, based on a statement from a man named Mo Elmasri, who said he represented Jackson and is listed as the singer’s manager on IMDBpro. A person close to Jackson who spoke on the condition of anonymity later told The Post that Elmasri does not represent the singer. Jackson’s representatives said Sunday she has not issued an apology. Jackson has not responded to a request for comment.

The Guardian interviewer, Nosheen Iqbal, wrote that she was “floored” by the five-time Grammy winner’s comments, and then asked the singer if she thought “America is ready for [Harris] — if we agree she’s black? Or, OK, a woman of colour?”

Jackson responded: “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.”

Iqbal tried to clarify: Does Jackson think there will be a peaceful transition of power in the United States?

“I think there might be mayhem,” Jackson said. “Either way it goes, but we’ll have to see.”

Jackson’s inaccurate comments come amid a rise of misinformation and false claims that Harris isn’t Black. I

Stop the presses.

We thought we knew all there was to tell about singer Michael Jackson and his family, what with such handy guides as the unauthorized biography about Jackson, his autobiography, sister LaToya's own book, their mom's book and Hard Copy.

Au contraire.

Now, there's Janet.

Michael Jackson's little sister is the subject of Out of the Madness: The Strictly Unauthorized Biography of Janet Jackson (Harper Paperbacks; $4.99), was released last week.

"The book was written because we don't know much about Janet," said J. Randy Taraborrelli, who edited the book for his friend and agent Bart Andrews. Taraborrelli also provided source material, some of which already was reported in his previous book about Michael.

"We certainly know enough about the other wacky Jacksons to fill volumes, but what do we really know about Janet?"

The 303-page book discusses Jackson's rise to fame, relationships with family members, and her marriage and divorce. The singer is touring in Japan and could not be reached for comment, said publicist Fran Curtis.

"It would appear from most accounts she is the normal one," said Taraborrelli, who admittedly admires the singer. "I think it has to do with a couple of things. I think because she's the youngest, I think she learned a lot from the behavior of the older siblings. In fact, I think she learned a lot how not to handle situations. . . . What is clear to me (is) that she never allowed any of them, including her father, to get to her."

So what else can we learn about Janet? The book says:

Janet had her first nose job when she was 14, her second four years later.

"She's given to raw emotion at times. She will swear, be upset and be angry but she's a little more contemplative than the rest of them. The rest of them are more raw-tempered than Janet. She will usually stop and think about what's going on. They always call upon Janet for a reasonable point of view."

Janet