Janet Jackson says she was found ‘guilty by association’ amid Michael Jackson allegations

The 55-year-old pop star also reflected on her 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance with Justin Timberlake

Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson (AFP via Getty Images)

Janet Jackson has addressed the child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson in a new trailer for the singer’s forthcoming self-titled documentary.

Janet chronicles Jackson’s personal and professional life, including Michael’s death in 2009 and her infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance with Justin Timberlake.

On Sunday (1 December), Lifetime channel released an extended trailer forJanet, announcing that the two-part documentary series will premiere on 28 January.

During the three-minute trailer, the 55-year-old reflects on her career and how it was impacted by the charges against her brother.

“There’s a great deal of scrutiny with having that last name,” Jackson said, over videos of her in recording studios and at red carpet events.

When asked whether the child molestation allegations against her brother affected her professionally, the “All For You” singer said that they did.

“Guilty by association. I guess that’s what they call it, right?” said the musician.

The King of Pop was first accused of child sex abuse in 1993. Ten years later, Gavin Arvizo alleged that Jackson had molested him at the singer’s Neverland Ranch when he was 13 years old.

Following an investigation into the pop icon, Michael was formally charged with child abduction and child molestation. He was acquitted in 2005.

In the trailer for Janet, footage of Jackson exiting the courtroom with her brother played over her comments on the scandal that continues to loom over her sibling’s music legacy.

The Grammy award-winner also opened up about the backlash she drew after her Super Bowl halftime performance with Timberlake in 2004, during which he tore off part of Jackson’s top and briefly exposed her breast on-stage.

She said: “They build you up, and then once you get there, they’re so quick to tear you down.”

Janet Jackson y Justin Timberlake actuando en el Super Bowl de 2004 (AFP via Getty Images)

The controversial performance, which brought Jackson’s career to a halt for a significant period of time, made fresh headlines last year, following the release of The New York Times documentary Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson.

Social media users criticised Timberlake’s “s**tty behaviour” at the time.

Fans urged the singer to publicly apologise to both Jackson and Britney Spears, who he previously dated, for fuelling a smear campaign against the “Toxic” singer following allegations that she cheated on him.

Timberlake apologised to Jackson and Spears in an Instagram post last February.

He wrote: “I specifically want to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect those women and I know I failed.”