Janet Jackson to celebrate 40 years since her debut album with a 4-hour Lifetime documentary

By William Hughes  |  March 4, 2021 | 4:06am
TV Features Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson to celebrate 40 years since her debut album with a 4-hour Lifetime documentary
Photo: Ian Gavan

It’s been almost exactly 40 years since the release of Janet Jackson, the first studio album from Janet Jackson, starting a career that took her from “second best-known musical superstar of the Jackson family” to “first-name basis with the entire planet” status. Although the then-16-year-old star would have bigger albums—including her return to self-titled stardom with the record-setting janet. a decade later, Janet Jackson announced her arrival in the musical world, and on the Billboard charts.

To highlight the anniversary, Jackson has signed on to participate in an upcoming documentary about her life and career, set to broadcast on A&E and Lifetime next year, just in time for the big 4-decade date. Having filmed over the last three years, the authorized doc will explore her rise to superstardom, her relationship with her famous family, and, yes, the 2004 Super Bowl incident with Justin Timberlake. (The recently-contrite Timberlake addressed said incident during his nascent apology tour, noting that he “failed” Jackson, who was unfairly saddled with much of the public backlash after the sight of less than a second’s worth of her naked body, exposed by her supposed collaborator, somehow drove the United States viewing public into an orgy of Puritanical blame.)

Fitting, given Janet’s self-built reputation, Jackson will serve as an executive producer on the documentary, opening up unseen archive footage to the crew constructing the four-hour project. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the new doc was announced as part of A&E’s upfront presentation earlier today.

 
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