Exclusive: Timberlake Says He's Appalled
LOS ANGELES (KCBS) In an exclusive interview Wednesday, Justin Timberlake told CBS 2 News that he was appalled by what happened, and that his own family was offended by his racy Super Bowl halftime duet with Janet Jackson. The singer insisted he thought only Jackson's bustier, not her breast, would be revealed when he pulled on her costume.
CBS 2' s Mark Coogan caught up with Timberlake at the Staples Center, where he was rehearsing for this weekend's Grammy Awards.
A frustrated Timberlake told Coogan he wanted to get something off his chest, then launched into his side of the story surrounding the now infamous Super Bowl halftime stunt.
He said he is excited to be in town for the upcoming Grammy Awards show, but is frustrated by what has grown into an international incident since last Sunday, and by the fact that his character was being questioned.
"I do understand that there were a lot of people that were completely offended by what happened, including my own family. And I think that's probably the part that's frustrating the most for me and it's completely, completely, completely, regrettable," he told KCBS.
Timberlake said that he's had a really good year, especially with his music, and doesn't need such publicity.
He's been on tour for months, he said, and had been asked by his manager to do something at the Super Bowl. He said he turned it down at first, but then agreed when Jackson called him. He said they found a way to work his song and hers into the same performance, so he decided to do the show.
"I don't feel like I need publicity like this. And I wouldn't want to be involved with this stunt, especially something of this magnitude."
Timberlake said that prior to the show he got a call from Jackson and her choreographer saying they wanted to do a "costume reveal."
"Now I was under the impression that what was going to be revealed in the costume reveal was a red bustier," he said.
He said he did not have time to rehearse it before taking the stage, and was then shocked at the outcome.
"When what happened, happened, all I could say was 'Oh my God, oh my God.'"
He said they brought a towel up on stage, and he covered her up as they walked off. "I was completely embarrassed and just walked off the stage as quickly as I could."
He said later that night he was asked to explain what happened, so he did.
"And now it's turned into an unfortunate, incredibly huge situation," he added.
"The only other thing that I could say is that I do understand, I do understand, how unfortunate this is."
He said having a delay during this Sunday's Grammy Awards show, to give producers a chance to electronically block any offensive material, is a good idea as far as he is concerned. But he said the producers won't need their thumbs on any button when he performs.
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