https://www.essence.com/celebrity/janet-jackson-appreciation-day-super-bowl

On a day when Justin Timberlake will be taking the stage to perform the halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl game, many are standing in solidarity with Janet Jackson.

ESSENCE Festival 2018 ticket packages are on sale now! For more info and the latest news, visit our Festival page HERE.

From favorite lyrics to videos, the #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay hashtag is being used to remind the icon, who is headlining at this year’s Essence Festival, that she is loved. The hashtag has been Twitter’s second-highest trending topic for hours, and stands as a type of protest against Timberlake’s performance Sunday night.

There has been much controversy surrounding Timberlake being picked as this year’s Super Bowl performer. His selection has brought new scrutinty over how he and Jackson were treated following their infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during their 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Many felt that Timberlake got off easy, while Jackson’s career suffered immediate and long-term effects.

Though there had been some speculation that the two might reunite onstage this year, Jackson released a statement Saturday night saying that was not the case.

“To put to rest any speculation or rumors as to whether I will be performing at the Super Bowl tomorrow; I will not,” she in a tweet.

Here are our some of our favorite #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay posts:

What do you appreciate most about Janet Jackson?