Janet Jackson made a rare awards show appearance on Sunday night at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, and in true Janet fashion, she made it one to remember.
Jackson was on-hand to present the Icon Award to Mary J. Blige. As soon as Jackson entered the stage, she was greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd. As she began to introduce this year’s icon (Jackson won the award herself in 2018), she had to pause as the crowd continued to roar.
The superstar wore a Thom Browne creation for the occasion, arriving in a cropped suit jacket, with white shirt and skinny tie. She teamed it with a corset and a long, flared skirt, accessorized with a top hat and chunky platform boots.
She showed off her look on Instagram, sharing a video of herself walking out of her hotel and the maneuvering in the curve-hugging skirt as she got into the car.
During Blige’s acceptance speech, she remarked how Jackson has been an inspiration to her growing up and talked about what makes someone an icon.
“What an icon means to me is overcoming obstacles to accomplish the unthinkable and be wildly admired for having influence over a multitude of people, and that is what I’ve always represented,” Blige said.
She went on to say how she’s been on her journey “for a long time” and it’s been filled with “heartache and pain” but “God helped me to channel those experiences and emotions into my music.”
Other Icon Award winners have included Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Cher and many others.
Jackson has kept a low profile over the years, but has been back on the road performing at concerts and sharing some backstage moments with fans on social media. Her next concert scheduled is during Essence Festival in July.
Her on-stage performances follow two new documentaries that recently aired about the star, including The New York Times’ Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, which premiered in November and focused on “the racial and cultural currents that collided on the Super Bowl stage.” A 4-hour documentary titled Janet Jackson aired in January and gave the singer a chance to tell her story in her own words.
