LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Less than two months after Janet Jackson ignited a furor over indecency by baring a breast on American television's most watched program -- the Super Bowl -- she will return to CBS, the network that broadcast the show and has suffered the backlash ever since.
Jackson will return to CBS on March 29 as a guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman" for what would be the pop star's first network interview since her notorious Feb. 1 Super Bowl performance. Her new album, "Damita Jo," is due for release the next day.
Thursday's announcement of her upcoming fourth appearance on the "Late Show" came a day after rocker Courtney Love climbed up on Letterman's desk, pulled up her blouse and exposed her breasts to him during her guest spot on the program. She was arrested hours later on an assault charge after throwing a microphone stand into a New York nightclub audience and hitting a man on the head, police said.
It was barely a month ago that CBS effectively barred Jackson from its Grammy Awards telecast after she refused the network's demands to issue an on-air apology for exposing her right breast a week earlier during the Super Bowl halftime show aired on CBS.
Public outrage over her brief flash of nudity sparked a Federal Communications Commission probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and an industry-wide crackdown on sexually explicit material on TV and radio.
CBS President Leslie Moonves earlier this month signaled that it was all water under the bridge as far as he was concerned. Asked by reporters in a conference call whether Jackson would be allowed to appear on other network programs, like Letterman's show, to promote her new album, Moonves answered: "We would never stand in the way of booking a guest and Letterman does not check with me before he books anyone."
However, a "Late Show" spokeswoman said Jackson would only be appearing for an interview, not to perform. Singer-songwriter John Mayer is scheduled as the musical guest that night.
Jackson is slated to make her first televised performance since the Super Bowl during an outdoor concert in Manhattan on March 31 that will be carried on ABC's "Good Morning America." She also is booked as the host and musical guest for April 10 on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
Paris Hilton Video