As fans continue to worry about Justin Bieber in the wake of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ arrest, the singer’s ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez’s own strange run-in with the rapper has resurfaced

Only Murders in the Building actress Selena Gomez once had a strange encounter with disgraced rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, years prior to the music mogul being arrested.

Combs, 54, found himself under arrest at a New York City hotel on Sept. 16 and was subsequently detained without bail on federal charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Despite the allegations, Combs has denied all charges, with his attorney asserting that the music tycoon is “an innocent man with nothing to hide.”

While Combs is currently held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, historic videos featuring a young Justin Bieber and Combs have resurfaced on social media and left many fans of the Baby singer concerned – with thousands dubbing Combs’ comments to a teenage Bieber ‘creepy’.

Gomez, who dated Bieber on and off between 2009 and 2018, recalled in 2016 how her then-boyfriend’s mentor once mistook her for a valet and had no idea who she was. Speaking during an interview with GQ, Gomez likened fame to being amidst four people with champagne, where someone laughs without a joke being told, and then candidly declared: “Or when P. Diddy gave me his valet ticket once.”

“Do you know what I mean?” Gomez, 32, then posed to her interviewer Zach Baron, but the journalist confessed his cluelessness. “Because he thought I was the valet lady,” Gomez clarified. “What?!” Baron then explained, with Spring Breakers actress Gomez simply replying: “Yeah!”

However, Gomez, who shared heartbreaking news about her fertility earlier this month, admitted she wasn’t offended by the snub at the time and actually found it funny. “Look, I see all of it. I don’t care – I actually laughed hysterically when it happened. But I get it,” she explained. “I know what all of it is.”

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber enjoyed an on-off relationship for almost a decade ( Image: WireImage)

Baby singer Bieber spent a lot of time with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs as a teenager ( Image: FilmMagic)
Combs was arrested on Monday September 16 in New York City on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He’s been denied bail multiple times and is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied all wrongdoing. His attorney Marc Agnifilo told the press outside court on Tuesday September 17: “Mr Combs is a fighter, he’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He’s not afraid, he’s not afraid of the charges.”

Bieber, who spent a lot of time with Combs as a minor, contributed to Combs’ last record in September 2023, prior to allegations being made against the rapper, but is now said to be regretting his involvement in The Love Album: Off The Grid. “Bieber is so disturbed by the Diddy news and is unwilling to process it or discuss it so he has shut off,” an insider disclosed last week

“So many people who helped to make him who he is were very close to Diddy and it has completely thrown him,” they revealed to the Daily Mail. The Peaches hitmaker – who recently welcomed a son into the world with wife Hailey Bieber – is believed to be so upset that he’s choosing not to speak on any of the allegations.

The insider continued to allege that Bieber is now second-guessing his involvement in Combs’ latest album; intimating that had Bieber known, he’d have steered clear. The pop star also reportedly took a “long break” from hanging out with Combs “when he believes most of this took place.”