Janet Jackson recalls wardrobe malfunction while performing for the Queen

Janet Jackson just revealed the shocking details of a major wardrobe malfunction. No, not That one. The fashion blunder occurred while she was performing in her iconic Rhythm Nation clothing.

“Funny story,” she said, discussing her best fashion moments over the years. British Vogue“I performed for the Queen of England and we did Rhythm Nation. And sure enough, as soon as I squatted, my pants ripped all the way down to my buttocks.”

Jackson “couldn’t believe it happened… Then I started feeling air, so I knew it had really happened,” The pop legend’s solution? “I never turned my back on her, which, according to some of the choreography, I should have. I just looked forward,” she said.

Jackson has done it all over the course of her incomparable five-decade career, from holding the record for most American Music Awards nominations for a single album (12, for Control), to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to finding crossover success as an actress on series like Different strokes and in movies like Poetic justice.

Still, her infamous wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl continues to haunt her. The incident, which saw her breast exposed during a performance with Justin Timberlake, set off waves of backlash that are still being felt today. Jackson was stripped of her starring role in a then-upcoming Lena Horne biopic, she was investigated by the FCC, resulting in a fine of more than $500,000 being levied against CBS (which was eventually waived), and a statue of Mickey Mouse being erected in the Rhythm Nation outfit was removed from Disney World.

She revealed the inspiration behind the memorable outfit, which was created for the visuals and tour promoting her 1989 album Rhythm Nationformally titled Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation from 1814. “degrees Celsius 451“That’s where this came from, the inspiration for this. With the mockneck shirt, the hat with the sign on it,” she explained. “It’s a French movie, I think.”

Francois Truffaut’s 1966 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s dystopian classic starred Julie Christie and Oscar Werner. The costumes for degrees Celsius 451 consisted of tight, black jumpsuits constructed from modular panels and checks. The film was one of the first major costume jobs for the late Tony Walton, who worked on films such as Mary Poppins And The Wizard and was nominated for five Oscars, winning one for the art direction of the set decoration on All that jazz.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment weekly‘s free newsletter to receive the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, movie reviews and more.

Jackson described needing “someone to help” her vision for the Rhythm Nation era. “Who could do this for me?” she recalls, musing. Jackson’s famous brothers sent her to Bill Whitten, the man behind some of Michael Jackson’s most legendary sartorial moments, including that one rhinestone-studded glove. “All these signs had to be made,” Jackson explained, “and Bill did a great job.”

Jackson’s fashion influence continues. Victoria Monet recently referenced Jackson’s 2008 music video for the song “Feedback” in her own music video for “Alright,” itself a reference to Janet’s Rhythm Nation Kim Kardashian also wore Jackson’s crop top and flares from the 1993 music video for “If,” which Kardashian bought at auction in 2021.