Remember “Nipplegate,” Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s halftime performance that put the “XXX” in Super Bowl XXXVIII faster than a censor bleep?
With the 10th anniversary of that ill-fated moment upon us, and awards season in full swing, it’s time to reflect on the most scandalous fashion mishaps in recent memory. Because when it comes to entertainment value, Seahawks and Broncos got nothin’ on nip slips and Beyoncé.
“Nipplegate”
Feb. 1, 2004. As the pièce de résistance for their Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime performance of “Rock Your Body,” Justin Timberlake was reportedly supposed to remove a top layer of fabric from Janet Jackson’s bondage-inspired, “booby-trapped” ensemble. But he ripped off more than planned, accidentally broadcasting Jackson’s right breast (and its pierced nipple) to 143 million viewers across the globe. Though Jackson was exposed for less than 1 second, the blunder led to widespread controversy and an immediate crackdown on “indecency” in the media.
The NFL banned MTV from involvement in Super Bowl halftime shows, and sadly, Jackson’s singles were blacklisted from many radio stations and music channels after companies incurred heavy fines from the FCC. (CBS, which aired the performance, was fined $555,000, the largest sum in history at the time.)
In 2007, Jackson made Guinness World Records for “Most Searched in Internet History,” and it is from this affair that the phrase “wardrobe malfunction” was coined.
Skip to 4:04 and see what all the fuss was about:
Kim Kardashian gets ripped for Jimmy Kimmel
Back in June 2012, before Kanye West introduced Kim Kardashian to the virtues of comfy basics and big-ass coats, the patron saint of body-con suffered a wardrobe calamity when her skin-tight leather frock ripped apart at the back minutes before a scheduled appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Never one to miss a photo op, Kardashian showed fans her popped zipper via Instagram and tweeted sincere words of concern (“About to do Jimmy Kimmel & my whole dress rips! Help!!! Time to sew me in…praying this works!”) before assistants saved the day and sewed her back into the dress.
It may not seem like a big deal in the real world, but in Kardashianland, a dress rip is almost worse than a nail chip! Undoubtedly it was Kim’s one and only “breakout performance.”
Sofia Vergara’s major crack-sident
Zuhair Murad dress ripped right where the sun don’t shine.
“20 min Modern Family won!! Dress malfuncion !!! Thank you emergency team!!!,” the actress tweeted along with a picture of the rescue mission, right before posting the money shot — to the delight of voyeurs the world over.
Ellen DeGeneres later spoofed the incident on her talk show in a hilarious skit compete with wig, accent, thong and all:
Beyonce’s winded performance
In the midst of her Mrs. Carter World Tour last year, Beyoncé got her wig snatched — literally — when her hair got caught in a fan during a Montreal performance of “Halo.” True to diva form, Bey kept on singing — the megastar didn’t miss a note as security guards worked to untangle her signature mane from the offending wind machine.
Fortunately, the singer walked away unharmed, and any damage to her pride was quickly allayed when she whipped up a riff on “Halo” that reflected the snafu (“I felt my hair was yankiiiiiiin, from the fan that’s always hatiiiiiin”) and posted it to Instagram.
Tara Reid’s career-defining nip slip
Tara Reid may be a credited actress in late-’90s teen classics such as “American Pie,” but most people know her for the nipple-slip debacle that occurred at Diddy’s 35th birthday bash in 2004.
Reid was on the red carpet, preening for photographers, when all of a sudden, a strap on her silky gown fell to reveal her entire left breast. The slip went unnoticed until a publicist assisted, pulling up the strap after a full 10 seconds (a century in paparazzi flashes).
It wasn’t the first or the last, but it is certainly the worst peek-a-boo moment in celeb history, especially considering the subsequent scrutiny of Reid’s nipple, which appeared misshapen from plastic surgery.
Watch Reid’s embarrassment and anger at merciless paps unfold here:
Faux-pas false alarm: Jennifer Lawrence’s SAG
At last year’s SAG Awards, viewers were horrified when Jennifer Lawrence stood up to accept her accolade for “Silver Linings Playbook” with what appeared to be a gigantic rip in her dress. Luckily, it was merely an illusion, a credit to the ingenuity of designer Raf Simons, who created the Christian Dior digs.
“The dress is made with different levels of tulle and satin and that is what the viewers saw when Jennifer lifted her dress slightly. It was not ripped and there was no malfunction . . . it was the design of the gown,” a spokesperson for Dior explained, confirming that Lawrence’s “rip” was no mistake.
The tumble she took on the way to the stage, however, is a different story . . .