This article includes mentions of mental health struggles, substance misuse issues, and suicidal thoughts.
Few child stars from his era have had as many ups and downs as Justin Bieber. He first burst onto the music scene with the release of his 2009 EP “My World,” and his hit single “Baby” catapulted him to superstardom in 2010. His 2011 film, “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” is one of the most successful concert docs in recent history. In 2013, when he was just 19, he received the Milestone Award at the Billboard Music Awards.
In a 2019 Instagram post, Bieber shared how becoming famous at such a young age had affected him. He wrote about growing up in an unstable home and how his sudden fame only exacerbated his existing problems. “I went from a 13-year-old boy to from a small town to being praised left and right by the world with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was,” he explained in the post, adding that he started to believe all the hype and became the worst version of himself by the time he was 20. He hadn’t learned how to be self-sufficient and was unprepared to face the adult world. “By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world,” he wrote.
Bieber’s really been through the wringer over the years, and some recent events have left some fans concerned about the pop star. Here’s why.
Justin Bieber opened up about dealing with depression
In a 2019 Instagram post, Justin Bieber was pretty open about his past drug use, but he also revealed that he had been struggling with depression. Bieber described how he sometimes found it hard to get out of bed in the morning because he was feeling overwhelmed by all his troubles. “You start foreseeing the day through lenses of ‘dread’ and anticipate another bad day. A cycle of feeling disappointment after disappointment. Sometimes it can even get to the point where you don’t even want to live anymore,” he wrote, saying that he could empathize with those who have gone through similar experiences.
In 2020, Bieber sparked concern among fans when he opened up about his mental health at an album preview event. He was blinking back tears as he addressed the small crowd, saying, “I don’t even think I should be alive, never mind thrive” (via Variety). Bieber recalled how hard it had been to navigate the industry throughout his career and that he’d gotten plenty of scrapes and bruises along the way. He also admitted that there was a time when he had no idea who to trust, but thanked his manager, Scooter Braun, for standing by him through it all.
Bieber then told the audience that his faith helped him to get through the tough times and thanked his fans for their continued support. “I’ve gotta get it together. I’m gonna go shoot myself,” he said, before adding that he was not serious.
He shared that he had suicidal thoughts
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It’s no secret that many celebrities suffer from anxiety — the entertainment industry is a brutal place, after all. As previously noted, Justin Bieber has dealt with mental health struggles throughout his career, including suicidal ideation. “I think that there was times when I was really, really suicidal,” he shared in 2020’s “Justin Bieber: Next Chapter.” He spoke about experiencing pain so intense that he considered doing anything just to stop feeling it.
Bieber credited his faith with getting him through those times. “I really do believe that God works all things together for good. And I think sometimes it’s hard to see that when things are so messy. And I think that allows me to have this overwhelming confidence,” he said. He also encouraged viewers to speak out if they’re struggling and to reach out to others when they are feeling lonely and depressed, explaining that it was one of the things that helped him overcome that dark period in his life.
Rumors have been swirling that Justin Bieber’s marriage is on the rocks
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After years of being an on-again, off-again item, Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber’s (née Baldwin) relationship kicked things up a notch when they publicly confirmed their engagement in July 2018. They married a few months later.
While it seemed like Justin and Hailey were all set for their happily ever after, the gossip mill eventually churned up divorce rumors. In February 2024, an anonymous source told InTouch that cracks were beginning to show in the couple’s marriage. “Justin is clingy and he relies on her so much for his emotional and psychological wellbeing. There are times Hailey just wants to end it so she can be on her own again,” the source alleged.
Justin has opened up about the challenges of marriage in the past, and Hailey has been pretty open about it too. “Marriage is very hard. That is the sentence you should lead with. It’s really effing hard,” she told Vogue in 2019, a year after she wed Justin. The source who spoke to InTouch claimed that Justin and Hailey aren’t compatible all the time because Justin still has growing up to do. “Hailey sees him as an immature kid at times,” they claimed. Apparently, the couple’s marriage was really put to the test when both of them dealt with health scares: Hailey had a minor stroke while Justin was dealing with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and taking care of each other became a challenge, per the source.
Justin Bieber’s friends have been worried that he’s spiraling
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When Justin Bieber performed at Coachella in 2024 with Tems, fans were delighted to see him take to the stage. However, some fans had some concerns about his physical appearance and overall demeanor. “He looked like he just stepped out of the audience,” one person who was at the show told InTouch. “He’s still fragile and seemed checked-out all weekend,” a source added. “He finally got his health back, but now friends are worried that he’s spiraling again.”
Justin hasn’t gone back to performing full-time since he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022, and a source claimed that he still goes through plenty of ups and downs. Justin previously told Billboard that he thought getting married would turn his life around. “I remember when I first got married, I hit a little bit of an emotional breakdown because I thought marriage was going to fix all my problems, and it didn’t,” he confessed. Sources say Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, is doing everything she can to keep her husband on the right path, but it’s a challenging task. “Their relationship isn’t in the best place right now, but she’s always afraid of what would happen to him if she wasn’t around. She can’t leave him,” a source claimed.
Justin Bieber declined an invitation to perform at the Super Bowl with Usher
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Performing at the Super Bowl is, presumably, just about every mainstream music artist’s dream. However, when Usher invited Justin Bieber to share the stage with him at the 2024 Super Bowl, Justin declined the invitation. Many wondered why he would pass up the opportunity and worries grew that all was not well with the Biebs behind the scenes. Others speculated that he and Usher had a falling-out. An anonymous source later told Page Six that Justin and Usher’s relationship remains intact, clarifying that the former declined the invitation because he simply didn’t have it in him at the time. “There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it — he just wasn’t feeling it,” the source claimed. Though Justin did not perform at the Super Bowl, he and wife Hailey Bieber did attend the big game.
Usher told “The Breakfast Club” that he and Justin still plan on working together in the future and emphasized that he believed Justin would one day play the halftime show. “[Justin is] going to play the Super Bowl… I’ll go ahead and give you that for the future. I profess that over his life because he has a career that deserves it. It just didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to,” Usher said.
Sources close to Justin Bieber say he’s been going through a rough patch
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In April 2024, Justin Bieber fans found themselves worrying about the singer once again when a source claimed to Entertainment Tonight that all wasn’t well. Given the scary details of Justin’s past drug use, fans can’t be blamed for going into a bit of a panic whenever rumors bubble up about him possibly going through a rough patch.
“Justin has been facing some difficulties lately. He has been having a hard time and hasn’t been feeling like his usual self,” an unnamed source told the outlet. While the source didn’t elaborate on the challenges Justin was facing, they did insist that the pop star was getting through this challenging time with the help of his wife, Hailey Bieber. “Hailey has been doing her best to be there for Justin, but it is upsetting for her to see him struggle,” the source said. They explained that the couple was determined to work towards bettering their future and overcoming the obstacles in their way. “They are remaining committed to their faith and trying to stay positive. They are hopeful about the future and doing things to better themselves,” the source added.
Another source told The Sun around the same time that Justin and Hailey’s marriage was facing some trouble but that the couple was determined to make it work. “Divorce is not an option for them as it goes against their religious beliefs. They’re working on their marriage,” the insider alleged.
Justin Bieber posted photos of himself in tears
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With divorce rumors making the rounds and tabloid headlines declaring that Justin Bieber was going through a rough patch, fans were understandably worried when Bieber posted two teary selfies to Instagram in April 2024. The pictures were part of a photo dump, and Bieber didn’t give any indication in the caption as to why he was feeling emotional. There was speculation that the singer’s tears were either because his marriage was on the rocks or because of the allegations against his former friend Sean “Diddy” Combs. Fans quickly took to the comments of the post to voice their concerns. “I feel like he is asking for help…” one person commented. “I hope you are doing okay, I hate to see tears running down your face,” another wrote. “You are not alone, ok?” another added.
An insider told the Daily Mail that fans had nothing to worry about and that Bieber’s teary selfies weren’t sad snaps. “It was about his love of Jesus,” the source said. “It is deep, but he prays and often sheds tears after diving into his faith and though he prays and gives thanks for all that he has in his life, he gets carried away and the emotions that come from it all are released through tears.” The source explained that Bieber has come a long way and sees being able to cry as a sign of maturity; that’s why he decided to show his sensitive side in the pictures.
A body language expert believes that Justin Bieber is dealing with solitary distress
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After Justin Bieber posted the emotional selfies, the speculation and the theories went into overdrive. The Mirror promptly asked body language expert Judi James to provide more insight into what Justin’s tears might mean. “This one tear looks tragic but it’s unclear what might have prompted it. It suggests a man whose distress is solitary but also something that he wants to share with the world,”James said. She speculated that the tears might have been the physical release of emotions Justin kept bottled up over the years. Another of her theories was that Justin might have posted the pictures because he had a desire to receive support and care. James also observed that the one tear leaking from Justin’s eyes showed “genuine distress.”
But everyone might have had it all wrong. For one, Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, commented on the post “pretty crier”; a few weeks after the pictures in question went viral, Justin posted to Instagram again, this time to let the world know that Hailey was pregnant. Fans took to the original post of him crying to voice theories that the Biebs was actually emotional about becoming a dad. “Now it all makes clear why you are crying here. You’re a Dad now Justin,” one fan wrote. Whether Justin was really in distress in those selfies or simply crying happy tears of joy remains up for debate.
