Paying tribute to another pop icon, Britney Spears took to her Instagram to praise Janet Jackson for keeping her dreams and heart alive.
In the since-deleted post, Spears praised Jackson for being the deepest and brightest woman at the same time.
“She went through so much but I feel she is someone I will look up to for the rest of my life,” Spears wrote. “Thank you for your music and your divine way of untangling intelligence to a far more clear view than anyone could ever imagine.”
Britney Spears’ post comes more than 20 years after Janet Jackson received intense backlash over her Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake. During the 2004 halftime show, Timberlake ripped the top of Jackson’s costume to reveal one of her breasts to the crowd.
At the time, Timberlake stated it was an accident. However, Jackson was banned from performing at Super Bowls while Timberlake was able to perform solo in 2018.
In Feb. 2021, Timberlake wrote an apology letter on Instagram to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson about what he had done to the women over the years. He has since deleted the post.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake wrote at the time. “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 understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
“I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Jacket Jackson both individually,” he continued. “Because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
Justin Timberlake Apologized to ‘Absolutely Nobody’ Two Years After Britney Spears, Jacket Jackson Apology
Nearly three years after writing the apology letter to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake seemingly walked back his words.
Just before singing Holy Grail at a show last month, Timberlake announced he’d “like to take this opportunity to apologize — to absolutely f—ing nobody.”
Timberlake’s comment came just after Spears apologized for some of the things she wrote about in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. Among the topics included Timberlake forcing her to have an abortion while they were dating in the late ‘90s.
“If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry,” Spears wrote in the since deleted post. She then gave a shout-out to Timberlake for his new single Selfish. “It is sooo good,” she praised.