CBS and MTV maintained on Monday that they had been unaware of the plan for *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake to expose the breast of Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl beforehand. A CBS source tells The Washington Post that there was never any choreography during the rehearsals last week that hinted Timberlake would get that close to Jackson to pull at her top. “We feel like we were duped by the whole thing,” the source said. “Could it have been an accident? Who knows? … The only people who would were Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake.” The Post adds that the FCC probe will encompass the entire halftime program — including the brief exposure of singer Jackson’s breast and the sexualized dance routine precipitating it — to determine if it violates indecency standards set in law and enforced by the FCC. If indecency violations are found, each of Viacom’s 200 owned and affiliate stations could face a penalty of up to $27,500.
MTV Networks President Judy McGrath said the finale of the Jackson-Timberlake act caught the network by surprise. “I’m mostly horrified as what I think would have been an entertaining, exciting great halftime show that ended so badly in five seconds none of us knew anything about,” she said.