Is Justin Bieber Okay?
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VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey
From YouTube sensation to global superstar, Justin Bieber's journey through fame has been anything but smooth. We explore how early stardom, intense media scrutiny, and industry pressure affected the pop icon's mental health, career choices, and personal struggles, leading to his recent concerning behavior and career decisions. From his discovery by Scooter Braun to his record-breaking success, substance abuse battles, health issues, and recent controversies, we examine how Hollywood's spotlight has impacted one of pop music's biggest stars. Join us as we analyze the price of early fame and its lasting effects on child stars.
How Hollywood Broke Justin Bieber
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were breaking down the career of Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber and the dark turns its alleged to have taken along the way.
Hes sold over 150 million records worldwide. Hes won literally hundreds of music industry awards and accolades. Hes the youngest solo act to have eight Billboard 200 #1 albums. So, with all of that in mind, it might come as a shock to learn that Justin Biebers recording career started off as a virtual fluke. Record executive Scott Scooter Braun, browsing YouTube in 2008, happened to click on a video of Bieber performing an acoustic cover of Ne-Yos So Sick. Things happened at a whirlwind pace from then on, with Braun and R&B megastar Usher signing Bieber to their joint record label. Soon after, Bieber was releasing successful singles, hitting the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 without having an album out, a more or less unheard of feat in the music industry. By the time his debut EP My World was released in 2009, Bieber was a bona fide sensation, adhering to a punishing touring schedule and seemingly countless television appearances. The singer was also exposed to the more difficult aspects of fame particularly, the excessive hate and vitriol. Biebers runaway smash single Baby, featuring rapper Ludacris, became the most-viewed video on YouTube in July 2010 and also the most disliked.
Being the most searched-for celebrity online would be a lot to handle for anybody. Now imagine being just 16 years old when youve earned that distinction. As Biebers career reached new heights, so did the immense pressure he was under. By 2013, the cracks were beginning to show. A series of relatively innocent scandals save for a bizarre allegation that Bieber had fathered a child at 17 appeared to simply be the behavior of a young man acting out. The real trouble began in 2014, when Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, and charged with driving under the influence and resisting arrest. A frivolous petition, signed by an estimated 270,000 people, demanded that the White House deport Bieber back to Canada for his behavior (the incumbent Obama administration declined to comment). That wouldnt be the end of it, though: by the end of 2014, Bieber had been charged with vandalism, arrested again for dangerous driving in his native Stratford, Ontario, and accused of assaulting an Argentinian paparazzo. While these cases were largely resolved by Bieber, usually by paying a fine or engaging in community service, they clearly demonstrated that being in the spotlight 24/7 is hardly healthy for someone of his age.
A 2019 Instagram post to Biebers official Instagram account appeared to address years of bad behavior on the singers part. Over a lengthy wall of text, Bieber reflected on the past decade, opening with It's hard to get out of bed in the morning with the right attitude when [...] you are overwhelmed with your life your past, job, responsibilities, emotions, your family, finances, your relationships. Bieber attempted to put his actions in context, noting the lack of a support system available to child stars working in Hollywood, and the virtually unfathomable experience of becoming world-famous at such a young age. He even admitted to heavy substance use; in a YouTube docuseries, Bieber noted that, upon waking up, the first thing I was doing is popping pills and smoking a blunt and starting my day. This scared Scooter Braun so badly that the talent manager once shared that he was afraid to go to sleep at this time, worried that something would happen to Bieber overnight. While Bieber has publicly claimed that those years are behind him, citing his reinvigorated Christian faith and marriage to Hailey Baldwin, some fans and spectators have grown increasingly concerned about him in the 2020s.
Releasing the albums Changes and Justice in 2020 and 21, respectively, the accompanying Justice World Tour faced significant delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the tour finally got off of the ground in 2022, further unforeseen issues became apparent. Originally scheduled to end in March of 2023, the Justice World Tour ended abruptly with its Rio de Janeiro show in September of 2022. Said Bieber on social media, "After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I'm going to take a break from touring for the time being. I'm going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better. This was partially attributed to a bout of COVID, but most prominently to Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, a viral infection of the facial nerve. At the end of 2022, Bieber made the unprecedented move of selling his music catalogue for a reported $200 million, owing to rumored financial woes and accusations of being on the verge of financial collapse, according to TMZ. With the exception of a few live performances here and there, Bieber took a well-deserved break from the spotlight in the following years.
With rumors of a musical comeback swirling throughout the first half of 2025, fans took notice of posts Bieber made to Instagram. In a series of videos posted in May, for example, Bieber rambled at length about Alaska living, God and Jesus, and loyalty. These appeared in the wake of growing concern about the state of his mental health: an April 2025 Hollywood Reporter quoted an anonymous former team member as saying Hes lost. Theres no one protecting him because theres no one there willing to say no to him. You say no, you get blown out. Although reps quickly slammed the story as pure speculation, fans couldnt help but point to his increasingly bizarre and vulnerable social media presence. On Instagram, Bieber often posted about feeling like a fraud and unworthy of his considerable success. Perhaps the most prominent elephant in the room was Biebers past association with disgraced music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. The hip hop legends career was blown apart in late 2023, when his former partner Cassie Ventura accused him of grave abuse. Months later, Combs was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, and subject to dozens of lawsuits alleging disturbing misconduct. With Combs trial looming, those close to Bieber have worried that it could serve as yet another source of distress for him.
Concern for Bieber grew dramatically after a 2009 YouTube video resurfaced, in which the young singer claims to have spent a crazy 48 hours with Combs. The mogul asserts that he cant reveal what happened in that time, but that its definitely a 15-year-olds dream. Said an anonymous source to US Weekly in 2024, He has such a history with Diddy, and the allegations against him have been hard to process. While Bieber and Combs personal history remains unclear, whats unambiguous is that nearly two decades of intense media scrutiny hasnt exactly been to Justins benefit. Music industry insiders and longtime fans are rooting for his career comeback and most of all, for his internal peace.
What do you think? How can Hollywood better protect its young stars? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were breaking down the career of Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber and the dark turns its alleged to have taken along the way.
Hes sold over 150 million records worldwide. Hes won literally hundreds of music industry awards and accolades. Hes the youngest solo act to have eight Billboard 200 #1 albums. So, with all of that in mind, it might come as a shock to learn that Justin Biebers recording career started off as a virtual fluke. Record executive Scott Scooter Braun, browsing YouTube in 2008, happened to click on a video of Bieber performing an acoustic cover of Ne-Yos So Sick. Things happened at a whirlwind pace from then on, with Braun and R&B megastar Usher signing Bieber to their joint record label. Soon after, Bieber was releasing successful singles, hitting the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 without having an album out, a more or less unheard of feat in the music industry. By the time his debut EP My World was released in 2009, Bieber was a bona fide sensation, adhering to a punishing touring schedule and seemingly countless television appearances. The singer was also exposed to the more difficult aspects of fame particularly, the excessive hate and vitriol. Biebers runaway smash single Baby, featuring rapper Ludacris, became the most-viewed video on YouTube in July 2010 and also the most disliked.
Being the most searched-for celebrity online would be a lot to handle for anybody. Now imagine being just 16 years old when youve earned that distinction. As Biebers career reached new heights, so did the immense pressure he was under. By 2013, the cracks were beginning to show. A series of relatively innocent scandals save for a bizarre allegation that Bieber had fathered a child at 17 appeared to simply be the behavior of a young man acting out. The real trouble began in 2014, when Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, and charged with driving under the influence and resisting arrest. A frivolous petition, signed by an estimated 270,000 people, demanded that the White House deport Bieber back to Canada for his behavior (the incumbent Obama administration declined to comment). That wouldnt be the end of it, though: by the end of 2014, Bieber had been charged with vandalism, arrested again for dangerous driving in his native Stratford, Ontario, and accused of assaulting an Argentinian paparazzo. While these cases were largely resolved by Bieber, usually by paying a fine or engaging in community service, they clearly demonstrated that being in the spotlight 24/7 is hardly healthy for someone of his age.
A 2019 Instagram post to Biebers official Instagram account appeared to address years of bad behavior on the singers part. Over a lengthy wall of text, Bieber reflected on the past decade, opening with It's hard to get out of bed in the morning with the right attitude when [...] you are overwhelmed with your life your past, job, responsibilities, emotions, your family, finances, your relationships. Bieber attempted to put his actions in context, noting the lack of a support system available to child stars working in Hollywood, and the virtually unfathomable experience of becoming world-famous at such a young age. He even admitted to heavy substance use; in a YouTube docuseries, Bieber noted that, upon waking up, the first thing I was doing is popping pills and smoking a blunt and starting my day. This scared Scooter Braun so badly that the talent manager once shared that he was afraid to go to sleep at this time, worried that something would happen to Bieber overnight. While Bieber has publicly claimed that those years are behind him, citing his reinvigorated Christian faith and marriage to Hailey Baldwin, some fans and spectators have grown increasingly concerned about him in the 2020s.
Releasing the albums Changes and Justice in 2020 and 21, respectively, the accompanying Justice World Tour faced significant delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the tour finally got off of the ground in 2022, further unforeseen issues became apparent. Originally scheduled to end in March of 2023, the Justice World Tour ended abruptly with its Rio de Janeiro show in September of 2022. Said Bieber on social media, "After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I'm going to take a break from touring for the time being. I'm going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better. This was partially attributed to a bout of COVID, but most prominently to Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, a viral infection of the facial nerve. At the end of 2022, Bieber made the unprecedented move of selling his music catalogue for a reported $200 million, owing to rumored financial woes and accusations of being on the verge of financial collapse, according to TMZ. With the exception of a few live performances here and there, Bieber took a well-deserved break from the spotlight in the following years.
With rumors of a musical comeback swirling throughout the first half of 2025, fans took notice of posts Bieber made to Instagram. In a series of videos posted in May, for example, Bieber rambled at length about Alaska living, God and Jesus, and loyalty. These appeared in the wake of growing concern about the state of his mental health: an April 2025 Hollywood Reporter quoted an anonymous former team member as saying Hes lost. Theres no one protecting him because theres no one there willing to say no to him. You say no, you get blown out. Although reps quickly slammed the story as pure speculation, fans couldnt help but point to his increasingly bizarre and vulnerable social media presence. On Instagram, Bieber often posted about feeling like a fraud and unworthy of his considerable success. Perhaps the most prominent elephant in the room was Biebers past association with disgraced music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. The hip hop legends career was blown apart in late 2023, when his former partner Cassie Ventura accused him of grave abuse. Months later, Combs was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, and subject to dozens of lawsuits alleging disturbing misconduct. With Combs trial looming, those close to Bieber have worried that it could serve as yet another source of distress for him.
Concern for Bieber grew dramatically after a 2009 YouTube video resurfaced, in which the young singer claims to have spent a crazy 48 hours with Combs. The mogul asserts that he cant reveal what happened in that time, but that its definitely a 15-year-olds dream. Said an anonymous source to US Weekly in 2024, He has such a history with Diddy, and the allegations against him have been hard to process. While Bieber and Combs personal history remains unclear, whats unambiguous is that nearly two decades of intense media scrutiny hasnt exactly been to Justins benefit. Music industry insiders and longtime fans are rooting for his career comeback and most of all, for his internal peace.
What do you think? How can Hollywood better protect its young stars? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
