FX, Hulu Set ‘New York Times Presents’ Film on Janet Jackson Super Bowl Incident

Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake after the 2004 "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. (Image credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

FX and Hulu this November will chronicle performer Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction in a new The New York Times Presents film debuting Nov. 19.

Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, features rare footage and interviews with several people who were at the controls of the halftime show during Super Bowl XXXVIII when performer Justin Timberlake briefly revealed Jackson’s breast during the performance, FX said. The show examines the racial and cultural currents that collided on the Super Bowl stage, and explores how the incident impacted one of the most successful pop musicians in history. 

The film, which will premiere simultaneously on FX and Hulu, also features new reporting by the Times, as well as insights from music industry insiders, cultural critics and members of the Jackson family as it illuminates the extraordinary fallout, and former CBS CEO Les Moonves's role in it, said FX and Hulu. 

Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson is directed by Jodi Gomes, who also serves as a producer. Executive producers for The New York Times Presents are Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, Mary Robertson, Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick and Stephanie Preiss.

Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson follows The New York Times Presents’ Controlling Britney Spears, the follow-up documentary to Framing Britney Spears that focused on the singer’s conservatorship battle. The New York Times Presents also produced The Killing of Breonna Taylor.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.