Scott interviews pop icon Janet Jackson, and the team decides to lighten the mood by staging a cheeky wardrobe malfunction stunt with Chappers halfway through the chat.
Scott welcomes Janet Jackson to the studio and begins with friendly small talk about the UK weather and summer heat. The interview takes an awkward turn when Scott tries to recommend UK tourist spots like Newport Pagnell and Landudno to Janet, which she receives with polite bemusement.
Keen to move the conversation along, Scott broaches the sensitive topic of weight fluctuations Janet experienced, which had been covered extensively in the UK tabloid press. Janet explains she’d deliberately gained weight for a planned film role — an independent Southern-set drama — but had to abandon the project three days before shooting when it was postponed. She’d already been recording her album and couldn’t commit to the weight gain indefinitely, so Mariah Carey ultimately took the role instead. Janet describes the physical and emotional toll of the transformation, working closely with her trainer and nutritionist to shed the weight afterwards. She also dismisses rumours that she’d had gastric bypass surgery, frustrated that paparazzi documented her beach running but the tabloids still refused to believe her weight loss was natural hard work.
The interview lightens considerably when Scott plays a clip of his own hip-hop karaoke attempt and asks Janet for feedback on his rhythm and dancing. Janet gently points out he has a “pocket problem” — staying on beat — and suggests dancing in time with the music might help. Scott notes that white wine helps him dance, though it leads to slurring and falling over, drawing an amused response from his guest.
The highlight comes when Chappers’ shorts deliberately fall down mid-interview as a playful nod to Janet’s famous 2004 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” with Justin Timberlake. Janet laughs good-naturedly at the prank, validating Scott’s hope that her famously polite demeanour would allow the team to get away with the cheeky stunt.
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