The strange spectacle of Justin Bieber’s downfall — and how he has responded
It’s been nearly five years since Justin Bieber released his most recent studio album, Justice, to the world and yet the singer is still dominating the headlines — and has been for some time.
Why? People online are saying they are concerned. Bieber has had quite the yo-yo year, with the birth of his first child, followed by scrutiny over the P Diddy drama, followed by incessant divorce rumours.
These divorce rumours haven’t been helped by the fact that a “glitch” (in Hailey Bieber’s words) means that Justin and Hailey keep unfollowing each other on Instagram.
Moreover, fans of Bieber’s ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez have now got involved, claiming that Bieber posting cryptic Gollum from Lord of The Rings memes on is actually a reference to Selena Gomez’s engagement.
The clip, which was shared to his Instagram story, showed a clip of Gollum as he finally regains control of the One Ring, just before he is cast into the flames of Mordor. The caption of the meme, made by an unknown creator, was: “Girls on social media when they get engaged,” leading many to believe it’s in reference to Selena Gomez’s engagement to Benny Blanco in December 2024.
And then there’s his online persona, which fluctuates between cogent and concerningly zany. Bieber recently posted a video of him and a friend rapping on a private jet about getting “high.” Bieber, who is topless and holding an open bag of popcorn, raps: “High like a fly guy, I fly high like a magpie, I go high like I’m that guy.”
Justin Bieber raps about flying ‘high’ aboard a plane
Instagram @JustinBieber
The video was posted less than two days after representatives for Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey issued a joint statement denying that Justin is taking any illegal drugs and calling the public’s obsession over the singer’s mental and physical health “exhausting and pitiful”.
“[It] shows that despite the obvious truth, people are committed to keeping negative, salacious, harmful narratives alive,” the statement says.
The reps added that the last year was “very transformative for [Justin] as he ended several close friendships and business relationships that no longer served him.” The statement also claimed Bieber has been busy working on new music and parenting his and Hailey’s newborn son.
New York appearances send mixed messages about Bieber’s mental state
In February, Bieber was snapped by paparazzi while entering a bath house spa during a trip to NYC while wearing a pale yellow hoodie with no shirt underneath, a rolled up mint green beanie and baggy trousers that exposed his boxers.
His strangely-outfitted appearance came amid the swirling divorce rumours that are surrounding him and wife Hailey Bieber, even though the couple also stepped out later that day to have dinner together in New York.
Justin Bieber in New York this week
Getty
These rumours were kick-started by the revelation that Bieber had unfollowed Hailey Bieber on Instagram in January, which is apparently as good as filing divorce papers in Hollywood circles.
However, Bieber later took to Instagram Stories to clarify that someone had hacked into his account and unfollowed his wife, saying that things were “getting suss out here.”
What the downfall of P Diddy means for Justin Bieber
The general level of concern around Bieber has been heightened since the P Diddy scandal broke last summer. After the rap mogul was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, countless hours of old footage were uncovered showing concerning behaviour by Diddy in hindsight.
One of the biggest targets of this online evidence excavation was Justin Bieber, who was placed under Diddy’s “custody” while still a young teenager and introduced to his world.
Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber
AFP via Getty Images
Speaking to the camera in the 2009 video, which is still live on Bieber’s YouTube channel, Diddy says: “He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I have been given custody of him.
“He’s signed to Usher when he did his first album. I don’t really have legal guardianship of him, but for the next 48 hours he’s with me. And we’re gonna go buck fool crazy.”
What we really know about what Justin Bieber is doing now
In the here and now, Bieber has yet to release any music since 2023, with his last studio album, Justice having launched in 2021. He occasionally pops up on tracks, including the acoustic version of SZA’s Snooze and hit The Kid Laroi single Stay, but Bieber’s presence in the music industry is increasingly becoming Rihanna-esque (i.e, non-existent).
Justin Bieber in one of his many weird outfits alongside the Arsenal football squad in 2024
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
But should people really be that worried? Much of the speculation around Bieber is fuelled by his gaunt physicality and his outfit choices, but to some extent, Bieber has always dressed like this. In adulthood, at least.
His looks have caused fans to speculate about his personal life for years, which anyone will be able to recall if they remember the strange period of time where he got really into wearing hotel slippers out onto the street. And as for the gauntness, well: Bieber did become a first time father seven months ago. Perhaps he is just tired like any other new parent and doesn’t have time to overthink his outfits.
Meanwhile, he and Bieber are consistently making public appearances that conflict with the divorce rumours and Bieber’s music return is heavily slated for 2025.
Which begs the question: could Justin Bieber just be… being Justin Bieber?
