Rene Elizondo, Jr. makes a shocking announcement to the media when he announces that not only is he filing for divorce from Janet, but also the fact that the pair had been secretly married for the past nine years. Janet quickly explains through her own press statement that she kept her marriage a secret in an effort to have a normal family life without media scrutiny. She goes on to say that as the marriage developed over the years, her and Rene actually became more business and creative partners than lovers. Only a small number of close family and friends had known throughout their marriage that the two were married. Just like the general public, some members of their family also learned of their marriage when they announced their divorce.
Janet co-stars alongside Eddie Murphy in the hit comedy Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. In the movie, Janet's character, Denise Gaines, has plans to marry Professor Sherman Gaines, played by Eddie Murphy. Their plans are threatened when Sherman's alter-ego Buddy makes sudden unexpected appearances. The movie opens at #1 with a box office gross of $42 million in its first weekend. It grosses a total of $123.3 million in the U.S.
After execs at Universal Pictures had become too intimidated to ask Janet to record a song in support of the film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which she co-stars in, Janet surprised Universal by approaching them herself and offering to record a track for the film. The result was the pop hit "Doesn't Really Matter." The single peaks at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart.
MTV honors Janet with their first ever mtvICON ceremony to honor her achievements in music video. The ceremony features performances of Janet's songs by Macy Gray, *N Sync, Destiny's Child, Pink, Usher, and more.
"All for You" was the lead single released from Janet's upcoming studio album of the same name. The song breaks records when it becomes the highest debuting airplay-only single ever, entering the Billboard Hot 100 at #14. It became the first ever song to be added to every single mainstream radio station in the country in a single week. It peaks at #1 each of the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, and dance charts.
Janet records her seventh studio album All for You teaming up again with longtime partners and producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and for the first time with Rockwilder, who produced several tracks. The collection features love songs, sensual "baby making songs" and tracks that allude to her recent divorce. The album was later re-released with two additional remixes and a limited edition bonus DVD. It peaks at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart and #1 on the R&B albums chart.
Janet quickly takes her All for You album out on the road with her fourth concert tour, the All For You Tour, which begins in Portland, Oregon. The tour is plagued by difficulties and setbacks as illness and other problems force many concerts to be postponed and cancelled. She cancels the entire international leg of the tour, citing security issues after the September 11 terrorist acts in the U.S. After performing 72 concerts, the tour ends on February 16, 2002 in Honolulu, Hawaii in a concert that is broadcast on HBO and later released onto home video.
"Someone to Call My Lover" was the second single released from the All for You album. The song samples heavily from the popular America track "Ventura Highway." Jermaine Dupri works with Janet for the first time, records a remix version of the song and a remix video to go along with it. The two would later become romantically involved. The single peaks at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #11 on R&B, and #1 on the dance charts.
"Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song is About You)" was the third and final single released from the All for You album. The track incorporates the Carly Simon hit song "You're So Vain." A special single version is released as a remix that includes Missy Elliot. It is not commercially released in the US, however a music video is made to support it. It peaks at #28 on the Hot 100, #26 on R&B, and #7 on the dance chart.
The final on the All For You Tour was filmed in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 16 and then aired the following night on HBO. The concert was then released onto VHS and DVD on September 3, 2002. It is Janet's second HBO concert special and second concert home video; the first being her Velvet Rope Tour in 1998.
Janet sings the chorus on Beenie Man single's "Feel It Boy," the lead single from his album Tropical Storm. Its release sparked controvery as gay rights groups call for a boycott of the single, citing Beenie Man's "history of homophobic dancehall lyrics." In 2004, Janet expressed her regret for the duet, saying, "If I had known that [he had recorded songs with homophobic lyrics], I would not have worked with him. It's shocking to me. We're on the same label, so I should ahve known. But at the same time, I wish someone from the company would have told me, knowing how... I feel about the gay community." Although it never saw a commercial release in the U.S., the single peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the rap chart.
Janet sings the vocals on the chorus of Justin Timberlake's song "(And She Said) Take Me Now," which appears on his Justified album. The song is not released as a single.
Rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri reveals to Honey Magazine that him and Janet have been in a romantic relationship for the past year. "We decided to talk about it because a lot of people come up with bullshit that Janet has been with this one and that one when we were together," Dupri says.
To create buzz for Janet's planned and untitled upcoming album that would be released in 2004, Virgin Records hires DJ Chris Cox to create a megamix of Janet's previous and most popular songs that she recorded while signed with Virgin Records. "Megamix 04" is released to radio and clubs, and a music video comprised of clips of her past videos is created. The megamix reaches #3 on the dance charts.
The biggest controversy of Janet's career happens when her right breast is exposed by Justin Timberlake during her halftime show performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas. After Janet performed the songs "All for You" and "Rhythm Nation," Justin Timberlake made a surprise and previously unannounced appearance and performed the song "Rock Your Body" with janet. At the end of the song, as Justin sang the words, "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," he ripped off a piece of her clothing, exposing her breast on national television. Justin quickly refers to it as a "wardrobe malfunction," a phrase that quickly became associated with the event. Janet denies that the exposure was intentional and says that it was a costume failure. MTV, which produced the halftime show, denies involvement with the incident. The FCC fines CBS, and the United States Congress passes a bill that would impose stricter penalties to broadcast companies, which President George W. Bush signs into law. The controversy would follow her for years to come.
The day after Janet's controversial Super Bowl halftime show performance, Virgin Records released Janet's new single "Just a Little While" to radio in the U.S. The song is the first single from Janet's upcoming album Damita Jo. Despite filming a music video for the song, it was not released to television in the U.S. The single peaks at #45 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the dance chart.
Only a couple of weeks after "Just A Little While" was released to radio, Virgin Records releases a second single from the upcoming Damita Jo album titled "I Want You." The two simultaneous singles compete with each other for radio airplay. Unconfirmed reports say that the song was originally titled "Have Your Way With Me," however the title was changed at the last minute, perhaps as a result of the Super Bowl halftime show backlash. A video is made for the song, however it does not air on MTV, who produced the Super Bowl halftime show. Many fans and music journalists begin to question if the network decided to disassociate itself from Janet. The single has no commercial release in the U.S. It peaks at #57 on the Hot 100 and #18 on the R&B chart.
Janet's eighth studio album Damita Jo gets its title from her own middle name. Once again having songs on the album produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, she also has several other songs produced by Dallas Austin, Kanye West, Bobby Ross Avila, IZ, Scott Storch, BAG & Arnthor, Babyface, and Rockwilder, making it the most diverse album of her career to date in regards to the number of producers working on an album. The album only sees three released singles and a planned concert tour does not come to fruition. It is also her most sexually explicit to date, requiring a clean version to be released that completely eliminates the songs "Warmth" and "Moist" and alters the title and some lyrics of the song "Sexhibition" to "Exhibition." The album peaks at #2 on the Billboard Top 200, and #2 on the R&B albums chart.
"All Nite (Don't Stop)" was the third and final single released from the Damita Jo album, which had been released only one month prior. Similar to what happened with "I Want You," the song's music video sees little-to-no airplay support on MTV. Virgin Records had planned to release "R&B Junkie" as the album's fourth single, even going so far as to commission DJs to remix the song and creating concepts for its potential music video, however plans to release that song as a single were eventually cancelled and the music video is never filmed. "All Nite (Don't Stop)" peaks at #90 on the R&B chart and #1 on the dance chart.
Janet sings the vocals on the chorus of Chingy's song "Don't Worry", which was released as the second single from his Powerballin' album. The single reaches #60 on the R&B chart.
In an interview, movie director Aaron Woodley announces that Janet has signed on to co-star in the movie Tennessee. Janet learns to play guitar and also gains 60-pounds of weight for the role. At the time, it was unknown to the public why she gained the weight, which leads to much tabloid fodder. In February 2006, it is announced that Janet has pulled out from the film, claiming that the movie, which had originally been scheduled to begin filming in spring 2006, would interfere with the recording and promotion of her planned upcoming album, which she had already began recording. It isn't until during the promotion of this album in 2006 that she explains the reasons for her drastic weight gain to the public. The movie is eventually released with Mariah Carey playing the role Janet originally had signed on for.
Janet released the song "Weekend" onto her official Web site as a free gift to her fans. She recorded the song, which is a cover version of the 1984 Debbie Deb song "Lookout Weekend", while in the studio recording her next album. After only 24 hours, the song was removed from the site and in its place was a letter from Janet explaining that the song was just a gift for the fans and will not appear on her upcoming album.
"Call on Me" was the lead single released from Janet's upcoming album 20 Y.O.. The song is a duet with rapper Nelly. It peaks at #25 on the Hot 100, #1 on R&B, and #2 on the dance chart.
"So Excited" was the second single released from Janet's upcoming album 20 Y.O.. It peaks at #90 on the Hot 100, #34 on R&B, and #1 on the dance chart.
Janet executive produced her ninth studio album 20 Y.O. with her then-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri. Dupri also produces several songs on the album along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The albums title, an abbreviation of "20 years old," takes its inspiration from the 20th anniversary of Janet's 1986 breakthrough album Control. The album peaks at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and #1 on the R&B albums chart.
"With U" was the third and final single released from the 20 Y.O. album. No music video was made in support of the song. It peaks at #65 on the R&B chart.
Movie execs confirm that Janet has signed on to star opposite Tyler Perry in the film Why Did I Get Married? Perry wrote, directed and produced the film for Lionsgate. Janet and the crew travel to Whistler, British Columbia, where they begin filming on March 5. Production for the film then moved to Vancouver and finished in Atlanta. The plot revolves around a couple who go away with friends every winter to examine their marriages in a group setting. One of the wives brings a sexy temptress who causes plenty of trouble for the couples. After production is finished, a release date of October 12, 2007 is announced.
With the 2006 release of 20 Y.O., Janet had completed the terms of her second contract with Virgin Records. In an interview with Billboard.com, Janet's then-boyriend Jermaine Dupri confirms rumors that she has signed a new record contract with Island Records. Island becomes the third label in Janet's musical career that she has been signed to, the first being A&M Records. Following this announcement, Dupri also confirms that Janet is immediately beginning work on recording a new album for Island Def Jam and that its production will be overseen by Def Jam CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid. The details of the contract are kept private.
Why Did I Get Married?, Janet's third major motion picture film, is released in the United States and peaks at #1 on the box office, grossing $21.5 million during its first weekend of release. The film, which had a budget of $15 million, eventually grossed a total of $55.2 million in theaters. The movie was released to DVD on February 12, 2008. It was never released in any country outside of North America.
"Feedback" was the lead single released from Janet's forthcoming album Discipline and was her first single released under a new contract with Island Records. The single peaks at #19 on the Hot 100, #39 on R&B, and #1 on the dance chart.
"Luv" was the third single released from Janet's forthcoming album Discipline. There is no music video created for the song. It peaks at #34 on the R&B chart.
Discipline was Janet's tenth studio album and first to be released under a new contract with Island Records. This is the first album since 1984's Dream Street that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did not produce any songs on. The album was executive produced by Janet and her then-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri. The album peaks at #1 on both the Billboard 200 albums chart and the R&B albums chart.
"Can't B Good" was the fourth and final single released from the Discipline album. No music video was made to support the single. It peaks at #76 on the R&B chart.
The Rock Witchu Tour was Janet's fifth concert tour and was in support of her 2008 album Discipline. The concert is plagued with many problems, notably an illness by Janet that caused nine scheduled concerts to be canceled or postponed. A scheduled Japanese leg of the tour is also canceled, citing the global financial crisis. This is Janet's first concert tour to only visit North America. It was also her shortest, only performing 16 concerts. The tour unexpectedly ended on November 1, 2008 in New York City. At the time, it had been anticipated that additional shows would be added, but that never happened.
A representative for Janet announced that she has terminated her relationship with Island Records. In an interview a few months prior to this announcement, Janet expressed her displeasure at the way Island handled the release of her album Discipline. She explained, "We started off with 'Feedback' and the label and myself haven't quite seen eye to eye since the 'Feedback' single so they've kind of basically stopped all promotion. I'm trying to figure out a way to say this, but just to say it and to be quite honest, they just stopped all promotion whatsoever on the album so I don't think you're going to hear another single off this album." Discipline was the only album Janet released on Island Records. At the time, she does not announce what record label, if any, that she will sign with next.
Movie executives announced that Janet has signed on to film Why Did I Get Married Too?, the sequel to the 2007 film that she also co-starred in. Production of the film begins immediately and is temporarily halted due to the sudden death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009. After spending a short period of time with her family, Janet resumes filming the movie, which receives a April 2, 2010 release date.
The untimely death of Janet's older brother Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009 shocked the world. On September 13, Janet paid a musical tribute to him by performing their 1995 duet "Scream" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. She worked with several world renowned choreographers, including her personal creative director Gil Duldulao, Jr. to coordinate the performance.
"Make Me" was the first and only single released from Janet's upcoming greatest hits album Number Ones. The song was initially offered to fans to stream for free on Janet's official website immediately following her performance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13. A short time later, it is announced that the track would appear on a greatest hits album that would be released in November.
Number Ones is Janet's second greatest hits album, released by A&M Records. Made possible by a joint venture between Universal Music Enterprises, which owns A&M Records and Island Records, and EMI Music, which owns Virgin Records, the collection is able to group a large selection of songs released by all three of Janet's former record labels. The album is released under the title The Best internationally, outside of the U.S. The U.S. and international versions of the album also have slightly different tracklistings. "Make Me" is the only new song included in the collection. It peaks at #22 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and #3 on the R&B chart.
