“Janet is ready to comeback and I think it will happen,” says Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson thinks Janet Jackson will do the Super Bowl halftime show says “Janet is ready to comeback and I think it will happen,” he told us at BET's Soul Train Awards, which will air on Jan. 26. “The way I bought her up she was made for comebacks and this is no different."

 

Will Justin Timberlake reunite with Janet Jackson for a PG-rated repeat of Super Bowl XXXVIII?

(Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Janet last did a Superbowl show in 2001

with Justin Timberlake, which caused controversy when her nipple was exposed at the end of a dance number in an incident that was instantly dubbed "Nipplegate." Timberlake is making his return to the SuperBowl stage in Minnesota in February and there's been rampant speculation that Janet, who became a mom in January at the age of 50, will join him.

According to Joe, booking a gig at the big game will give his daughter closure.

"Janet always wanted to know she was not banned after what happened before," he said. According to Joe, who turns 90 next year, there have been discussion about Janet and teaming up with Timberlake again.

"We know conversations have taken place secretly, but no-one is daring to say too much publicly until contracts are signed," he claimed. The Jackson family patriarch says that the NFL's declining ratings would get a boost from putting the "What Have You Done for Me Lately" singer on stage.

"We must not forget this show is about ratings," he said. "No one publicly is going to discuss that, but the world and media know that the NFL are in a sticky place over fans reactions to their players taking the knee and protesting the national anthem."

It's not just Janet and the NFL who want to see this happen, according to Joe.

"The audience are expecting a show and I feel that they are expecting to see her too," he thinks. "It is what they want."

Joe also says that sponsors and TV network's need not worry about a "Nipplegate 2" being broadcast across the globe.

"That won't happen this time," he promised.

Fans wanting to see more of Janet this Sunday can do so in Newark, N.J. where she's performing at the Prudential Center.