Described as a person who holds grudge for a long time, the CEO and chairman of CBS allegedly targeted the 'All for You' singer after she accidentally exposed her nipple during the halftime show in 2004.
- September 8, 2018
AceShowbiz - Les Moonves, the CEO and chairman of CBS who has been accused of sexual harassment by several women, is allegedly also a person holds grudge for a long time. According to the Huffington Post, Janet Jackson was one of his targets following her infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.
During the halftime show performance, Justin Timberlake ripped off a piece of Jackson's bustier on stage and exposed her breast on live television. While Jackson and Timberlake said the incident was purely accidental, Moonves didn't think so and was convinced that the two stars did it in a bid to stir up controversy.
Moonves was so embarrassed by the incident and was reportedly furious at the "Together Again" hitmaker ever since. The TV exec allegedly banned Jackson and Timberlake from the 2004 Grammys broadcast which aired on CBS the week after the Super Bowl. But the former NSYNC member was eventually allowed to perform after he "tearfully apologized for the incident," sources said.
Jackson, on the other hand, didn't make a similar apology and Moonves became fixated on her ever since. He then ordered Viacom-owned VH1 and MTV to stop playing Jackson's songs and music videos, which affected the sales of the songstress' album "Damita Jo", which was released in March 2004.
Seven years after the nipplegate, Moonves was angry when he found out that Jackson had signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster, which is owned by the CBS Corporation, for her book "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself. Simon & Schuster".
"How the f**k did she slip through?" he furiously asked, according to a source. He told another source that heads would roll as a result of the deal. It's not clear, though, if Moonves ever took action against any individual who gave Jackson the book deal.
Many sources refused to speak on the record to the Huffington Post, fearing Moonves' retaliation. One of them said, "I'm not interested in having that man following me to the grave and trying to screw me over the whole time."
CBS has declined to comment on the story.
