Bieber Fever was a real thing once! Young fans would just gather in huge crowds and scream in happiness and excitement just to see Justin Bieber up close or perform on stage. From a young teenage boy with a huge fan base, Bieber went on to become a controversial figure whose financial ruin was always up for discussion.
A recent TMZ documentary on Bieber, TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber, revealed that he was on the verge of a financial collapse in 2022. We have also seen him lash out at the paparazzi, something that made him a laughing stock to many fans.
And more recently, his marriage was also subject to several speculations. It was rumored that he and Hailey Bieber weren’t in a happy relationship ever since the birth of their son Jack Blues in 2024. They have shut down the rumors with their recent appearances, but the talks never stopped. Here’s what we think caused the ultimate downfall of Justin Bieber.
5. Justin Bieber’s Early Taste of Fame
Justin Bieber had humble beginnings in the music industry. He was discovered by Scooter Braun, who saw his music videos on YouTube and brought him to Usher. The rapper signed him, following which Bieber entered a world of fame. He went on to become one of the biggest names in pop music. However, the fame also had its dark side, and we saw the many troubles that he got himself into.
He got into a partying lifestyle, and his path became subject to heavy scrutiny and concern from his friends, family, and fans. Braun, who had found him, shared that he was worried about losing Bieber every night. He shared with The Red Pill podcast in 2018:
I was worried every night that I was going to lose him. I thought he was going to die. I thought he was going to sleep one night and that he would have so much crap in his system that he would not wake up the next morning.
When Diddy’s s*x trafficking case emerged last year, Bieber’s name was brought up multiple times as an underage Bieber was seen hanging out with Diddy multiple times. Fans suspected that he might’ve faced abuse as a teen in the music industry. Bieber largely stayed out of the spotlight when the allegations surfaced.
A source close to the Never Say Never singer shared at the time with Us Weekly that he has been “advised to stay as far away as possible from anything and everything related to Diddy.” The source shared that Bieber was “completely disgusted” by the allegations.
Bieber suggested multiple times throughout his career that he would quit music altogether. In a 2013 interview with Los Angeles radio station Power 106 FM, he shared (via The Independent),
I’m actually retiring man. I’m just gonna take some time. I think I’m probably gonna quit music.
Although he later shared that it was just a prank. However, the burden of stardom for the singer was too much to bear. Bieber once shared,
I definitely have a group of trusted people that I go to for different things. I have a counselor, you know, kind of like a marriage counselor kind of deal.
He powered through all the difficulties and recently released his latest album, Swag II.
4. Justin Bieber’s Substance Abuse Issues and Scandals
The partying life also introduced Justin Bieber to drugs and other harmful substances. Bieber later reflected on the substance abuse issue, sharing that people rarely knew how serious it got. He shared that he woke up in the morning and started popping pills. He shared in his 2020 documentary, Justin Bieber: Seasons (via UsWeekly):
My security and stuff would come into my room at night to check my pulse. People don’t know how serious it got. It was legit crazy scary. I was waking up in the morning and the first thing I was doing was popping pills and smoking a blunt and starting my day. It just got scary.
Bieber recalled how he decided to start on his sobriety journey, sharing, “I basically said to myself, I’m like, ‘God, if you’re real, you get me through this season of stopping these pills and stuff, and if you do, I’ll do the rest of the work.’” Hailey Bieber helped him with his sobriety journey, although she admitted that it was difficult considering her own history dealing with addictions in her family.
Bieber also got into a couple of racism scandals in 2014. A clip of the singer telling a racist joke resurfaced along with his racist parody of his song One Less Lonely Girl. Both incidents got him major backlash among fans. He shared at the time (via UsWeekly):
I’m very sorry. I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior. I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but I didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.
His struggle with drugs also strained his relationship with his mother, Pattie Mallette. He told Billboard, “I was distant because I was ashamed. We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust.” He assured that their relationship was getting better and called her an amazing woman.
3. Selena Gomez??? Or Fans Still Shipping Them Together
The internet just loves talking about the Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez relationship, even though it has been more than seven years since their last breakup. Gomez and Benny Blanco make for a happy couple, while Bieber is married to Hailey and has a kid with her.
The relationship rumors began in December 2009 when he brought Gomez to the stage during his performance of One Less Lonely Girl. They initially didn’t confirm their dating rumors, often dodging questions about the matter. However, they kept appearing at red carpet events, holding hands.
According to reports, they had an on-and-off thing going on until April 2014, when they reportedly fought at Coachella and broke off their relationship (via Daily Mail). However, they were back together a couple of months after that. Bieber posted on Instagram at the time, “Our love is unconditional” (via Cosmopolitan).
The ‘unconditional’ love lasted four months this time, before tabloids reported that they had broken up over Bieber’s relationship with Kendall Jenner. They got back together for the last time in October 2017. They got back together right after Gomez ended her relationship with The Weeknd. We saw them getting romantic on a few public outings, but they broke up for good this time in March 2018.
TMZ alleged in the documentary that things between Justin Bieber and Hailey are not all well. TMZ investigators found that Hailey is still obsessed with Bieber’s ex, Gomez.
According to the TMZ special, Gomez is constantly on Hailey’s mind, and she is allegedly the benchmark for her relationship with Bieber. Sources close to Bieber told the TMZ investigators, “[Gomez is] a thorn in their side, not because Selena’s done anything, it’s their and especially Hailey’s perception of Selena.”
TMZ’s investigators says the Hailey Bieber vs. Selena Gomez drama is one sided on The Bieber’s end. Sources claims Selena Gomez is constantly on Hailey’s mind and is sort of a benchmark for her, state that Selena lives in Hailey’s head.
According to people in the Bieber’s camp,… pic.twitter.com/SYgHSywLYt
The TMZ report continued, “As they say, Selena is living rent-free in Hailey’s head. Selena is one of her minds. Selena’s almost like a benchmark for her.” However, other reports dispute the fact that Gomez and Hailey are feuding.
2. Justin Bieber’s Health Held Him Back
Justin Bieber’s health issues in recent times might’ve taken a major toll on his creative ventures. He revealed his Lyme disease diagnosis in 2020. It is a disease caused by bacteria, and Bieber recalled the adverse effects the disease had on his body. He shared on his Instagram (via Men’s Health AU):
While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like s—t, on meth etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.
A couple of years later, Bieber had to cancel his tour dates due to another health issue. He canceled the Justice Tour after his Ramsay Hunt Syndrome diagnosis. He shared, “It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis” (via BBC).
Bieber showed how he couldn’t move half of his face to his followers via an Instagram video. He shared,
As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move.”
He shared about his canceled tour:
I’m just physically not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case. But obviously, my body is telling me I need to slow down.
A post shared by Justin Bieber (@lilbieber)
Many fans believed that his canceled tour set him back financially and allegedly put him in major debt. It was also speculated to be the reason behind Bieber selling his music catalog.
1. Justin Bieber’s Spending Habits Are Allegedly Concerning
In the TMZ special, it was claimed that Justin Bieber had a net worth somewhere between $500 million and a billion dollars before he blew it all by 2022. The documentary revealed some explosive details about the pop star’s financial situation.
One of the clips from the documentary was posted to TMZ’s official Instagram page, where TMZ founder Harvey Levin discussed Bieber’s alleged situation with his staff. Levin shared:
I was on a call with multiple people. Justin’s side acknowledged that in 2022, he was on the verge… And the words were ‘financial collapse’. And that’s why he had to sell his catalog.
He allegedly had to borrow a credit card from his friend, who also happened to be a pastor. TMZ also revealed multiple audits of Bieber’s finances, which claimed that he owed Scooter Braun approximately $9 million and AEG and HYBE a total of around $32 million.
In December 2022, he made the shocking decision to sell his massive music catalog of 291 songs for $200 million. The documentary suggested that it was a career move usually taken by older musicians, and added that there was a desperation behind the move. Levin shared, “I was told that if he didn’t make this deal, he could have faced financial collapse.”
According to his friends, his spending habits are concerning. A source told Page Six that he was blowing through money on expensive items. They shared, “He’s flying in all his friends on private jets to his birthday party, putting it all over Instagram.” He was also seen at Coachella, smoking weed with his 15-year-old brother.
The source shared, “He’ll spend $300,000 at the Nobu at Coachella. He hasn’t worked in a really long time.” Bieber also probably burns money on his six homes (or huge mansions). This includes his $26 million mansion in Beverly Hills, his $16 million home in La Quinta, and his property in Idaho.
While Hailey is currently bringing in a significant amount into the family through her beauty brand, Rhode, both the source and TMZ accuse her of being a big spender. The source shared, “She’s keeping up with the Kardashians.” Other sources have claimed that this is untrue.
Bieber’s team denied the debt rumors, calling them “clickbait stupidity” from “ill-informed sources” (via UsWeekly). They shared that these “unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions” wouldn’t deter him from following the right path.
What do you think about Justin Bieber’s alleged downfall? Let us know in the comments below!
