The Super Bowl’s most shocking showbiz moments – from nipplegate scandal to huge British singer slammed for swearing

WITH another star-studded Super Bowl halftime show imminent thanks to R&B legend Usher, eagle-eyed fans will be keeping an eye out to see if it will join the ranks as one of the most shocking or outrageous..

Over the years, a variety of A-list names have graced the stage for the biggest weekend in the US where football, sports, entertainment and music meet.

Names such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem and 50 Cent have graced the stage for a world-class performance and solidified themselves as part of pop culture history.

It has not been without its slew of controversies as well as shocking, funny and outrageous moments.

From 2004's Nipplegate to a British star breaking broadcasting rules, the Super Bowl has often generated headlines but for all thw erong reasons.

The Sun takes a look at some of the biggest and most shocking situations over the years.

Janet Jackson's Nipplegate

At the peak of her career, Janet was chosen to headline the 2004 offering.

On the advice of those around her, she invited NSYNC's breakout star and the leader of pop music at the time, Justin Timberlake, for a special collaborative performance.

However, what occurred during the concert was enough to halt Janet's career.

At the end of their performance, Justin was supposed to rip off the front part of Janet's costume.

Paving the way for a wardrobe malfunction, Justin appeared to pull a little too hard as he ripped the star's bra off too which left her breast exposed to the nation during one of the most-watched TV events of the year.

Janet's nipple was covered by a barely-there protective covering.

However, despite being exposed for just a second, it appeared to cause damage to Janet's career with many viewers reacting unfavorubaly to the incident.

Brit Rapper Flips The Bird

British rapper M.I.A managed to steal all the headlines in 2012 when she appeared for a very small 10-second cameo alongside industry heavyweights Madonna and Nicki Minaj.

During a performance of the trio's hit Give Me All Your Luvin', M.I.A caused all manner of controversey when she took a rather sweary stand during the end of her rap verse.

Upon discovering that she would be lip-synching to her pre-recorded vocals and that they had been edited to cut out the word "s***", M.I.A opted to use a gesture as a way to make her feelings known.

Unable to mime or rap live the swear word, she opted to stick her middle finger up directly down the lens of the camera.

Whilst show executives attempted to temporarily blur the screen to avoid the risk of falling below broadcasting standards, they were too late with the screen instead briefly freezing seconds after the gesture.

It was believed that M.I.A had been miming the track to avoid any potential bad language but that clearly did not stop the star.

Left Shark Steals The Show

When Katy Perry took to the stage for a fun-filled pop extravaganza, no one would have anticipated that a 'dancing shark' would become the centre of focus instead of the California Gurls singer.

With numerous dancers dressed on stage in a wide variety of costumes, two identical sharks could be seen dancing at either side of Katy.

However, all eyes were on Left Shark as it appeared that they had not been turning up to show rehearsals.

The cartoon-like character appeared to flail around in the background and failed to match any of Katy's or its right-hand twin's moves.

It sent the internet into meltdown spawning countless memes as well as #LeftShark becoming the biggest tweeted about moment of the entire Super Bowl.

Lady Gaga Drops In

Ahead of a performance featuring all of the pop icon's biggest hits, Lady Gaga opted for a daredevil entrance in the from of dropping in from the stadium roof.

With an illusion making it appear as though she had leaped from the roof, Gaga could be seen floating through the air on two wires as she made her way down to a podium below.

Whilst doing so, she appeared to mimic a crab as she kicked her arms and legs out to motion her making her own way down to the stage.

However, the performance went on to become the greatest of her career, thanks to her huge catalogue of number one hits.