Justin Bieber is preparing to mark his first proper comeback this weekend at Coachella festival, four years after abandoning his tour in 2022
Justin Bieber is preparing to mark his first proper comeback this weekend at the Coachella festival, four years after abandoning his tour in 2022. The superstar will headline the main stage on Saturday, April 11.
Justin became a household name at just 13. Although it may appear as though the Baby singer has lived a glamorous and perfect life full of fame and fortune, Justin admitted that when he looks back on his career, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Looking back over the past five years of his career, Justin admitted that times were ‘pretty dark’ for him.
We take a look at some of his lowest moments, from run-ins with the paparazzi to concerns over his friendship with disgraced rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs…
Paparazzi run-ins
Justin got into an altercation with a tabloid snapper when he left a cinema with his then-girlfriend Selena Gomez back in 2012. It all kicked off when the pap allegedly blocked Justin’s car, and according to TMZ, a lawyer had advised him to call 911 and file a police report against the pop star.
Later that year, Justin was accused of driving at speeds of over 80mph during an incident where he called 911 to complain about chasing paparazzi. He told the responding officer his surname was “Johnson”, before he explained: “I was going to go fast so I could lose these people, and then I got pulled over, and the police told me that if they kept following me, to call in.”
In 2013, a pap was fatally struck by a car after attempting to take photos of Justin’s white Ferrari. He was hit because ‘he didn’t look before crossing the street’.
Just months later, in June, Justin was accused of hitting a paparazzi photographer in June while driving in the city of Los Angeles.
The paparazzo claimed Justin pinned him between his white Ferrari and a parked car before driving off without getting out of the car. At the time, Justin claimed he had no idea there were allegations that anyone had been hit by his expensive vehicle.
Nightmare in Brazil
Justin’s 2013 trip to Brazil descended into chaos when he was spotted jumping into a car outside Rio de Janeiro’s infamous brothel Centaurus, wearing what appeared to be only a white sheet, according to Page Six.
He was later kicked out of his hotel for “breaking the rules.” Just days later, he was photographed spraying graffiti on a building, and civil police charged him with “defacing a building or urban monument by graffiti or other means.”
Jail stint
In 2012, TMZ claimed Justin’s speed peaked at 100mph while being chased by paparazzi. He told chat show host Jimmy Fallon about his constant run-ins with the law: “You know what, the police really like to pull me over. I don’t do anything, I promise.”
Then in 2014, he was charged with a DUI, resisting arrest, drag racing and an expired license during a drunken night out with friends in Miami. He consequently spent the night in jail.
Racist slurs
In 2014, TMZ leaked a five-year-old video in which Bieber can be heard telling a racist joke using the n-word, in a clip filmed in 2011. In another leaked video, Bieber is seen using the n-word as he performs a parody of his song, “One Less Lonely Girl.” Bieber later apologised for his comments, saying: “As a kid, I didn’t understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt.
“I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance. I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.
“Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologize again to all those I have offended. I’m very sorry. I take my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake.
“I was a kid then and I am a man now who knows my responsibility to the world and to not make that mistake again. Ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what’s right. Five years ago I made a reckless and immature mistake and I’m grateful to those close to me who helped me learn those lessons as a young man. Once again….I’m sorry.”
Storming off stage
2014 wasn’t the best year for Biebs. During a gig in Manchester, the star stormed off stage because fans in the front row were screaming. Just a few days later, he stormed off for the second time after just one song. He later admitted he doesn’t “always handle things the right way”, telling fans he was having a “rough week.”
The following year, Justin called out a live TV audience for not clapping “on the right beat”. Justin also shocked fans when he stormed off stage during a TV performance in Oslo in the same week. The singer, who also walked out of a radio interview just the previous day, cut his appearance short after one of his fans spilt something on the stage, and then he couldn’t get it cleaned.
Drug use
In 2021, Justin shared an insight into his drug use during the height of his fame. In a bid to numb the overpowering feeling of emptiness, the singer would resort to taking drugs in a bid to make himself feel something during his low points.
He told GQ magazine: “I was surrounded by a lot of people, and we were all kind of just escaping our real life. I think we just weren’t living in reality. I think it would have probably resulted in just a lot of doing drugs and being posted up, to be honest.”
Justin’s drug use got so bad at one point that his security guards would be forced to sneak into his room at night to check his pulse to make sure that he was still alive.
“There was a sense of still yearning for more,” he explained. “It was like I had all this success and it was still like: I’m still sad, and I’m still in pain. And I still have these unresolved issues.
“And I thought all the success was going to make everything good. And so, for me, the drugs were a numbing agent to just continue to get through.” “I just lost control of my vision for my career,” Justin added. Thankfully, the singer ‘saw the light’ after meeting his wife Hailey, who he married in 2018.
P Diddy claims
Justin’s former friendship with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs hit the headlines after the disgraced rapper’s 2024 arrest. Combs is serving a four-year sentence after being convicted on prostitution-related charges. The 56-year-old is currently in a special drug treatment unit and is only eligible for release in 2028. Diddy was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking at a trial that ended in July.
The pair first became friends back in 2009 when they met at the VMAs. At the time, Justin had just been signed by singer Usher, who himself lived with Diddy when he was a young musician.
Resurfaced videos between Justin and Diddy fuelled further concerns last year. One clip features the pair hugging; however, fans claim Justin was being checked for a wire. The clip, believed to have been filmed in 2021, shows Combs patting Justin on the back and chest several times.
A spokesperson for Bieber said in a statement, published by TMZ: “Although Justin is not among Sean Combs‘ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.” Sources also informed TMZ on Thursday that the Coming Home rapper never abused Bieber in any way.
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