Justin Bieber’s former handlers are scared for the 24-year-old musician. He’s been tweeting disturbing self-pitying existential ruminations. The singer has been hit hard by a series of stressors lately. His bitter fight with former manager and talent mogul Scooter Braun and the upcoming trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs has been weighing heavily on the star, leaving those closest to him concerned over his growing inner demons.
On the morning of March 13, Bieber shared a frank note to his Instagram Stories. He let down his guard to talk about what it’s like to feel phony. He wrote, “I think I hate myself sometimes when I feel myself start to become inauthentic.” As hopeful as this statement is, it has excited his followers and alarmed his friends and former colleagues – and their friends.
According to one unnamed friend of the singer, “He is battling a ton of demons right now. First, they want to take issue with Bieber’s recent behavior. He’s literally ruining his relationships, business and net worth by these increasingly bad choices.” Footnote they told us_codegen_3. This optimism resonates with worries expressed by others who have worked with him.
This, given that Bieber’s relationship with Braun has been especially troubled. After Braun announced his retirement from the Senate at the end of 2024, the power calculus between them changed dramatically. Bieber has publicly distanced himself from his fashion brand, Drew House, declaring in a now-deleted Instagram post that it “doesn’t represent me or my family or life.”
For this brand-new mom and mogul, these reckoning with vocation and family obligations coincide with the launch of a new clothing line, SKYLRK. This move comes after he severed ties with Drew House, indicating a desire to redefine his public image while grappling with his personal challenges.
In recent weeks, BuzzFeed News and Rolling Stone have reported on Bieber’s cash crisis after he called off his Justice Tour in 2022. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the fallout left him with millions of dollars in personal debt stemming from it. Bieber’s representative has issued a vehement denial of these allegations. They dismissed the charges as “clickbait stupidity” by mysterious sources who obviously don’t know their facts and are upset at no longer being able to work with Justin.
Even as these dollar signs dance around in his universe, close pals are still worried about the pop superstar’s health. As one of his former team members from the Center said, “Seeing him implode like this is really eerie, it’s like watching someone who lost their way.” One of our other former team members expressed the same sentiment. You know why he’s lost. No one is protecting him, because no one is willing to stand up and say no. If you do, you get blown out.”
As Justin Bieber tries to find his way through these choppy waters, he’s still tweeting up a storm. On March 22, he posted an Instagram of himself in a super comfy-looking sweatshirt with a closeup shot. He even shared a sentimental blast from the past. In the accompanying caption, he spoke about his anger issues and feelings of unworthiness: “People told me my whole life ‘wow Justin u deserve that’ and I personally have always felt unworthy. Like I was a fraud.
The brew of his own demons, his changing moods and behavior, and financial worries made many of his friends and family deeply anxious. A world waits to see how he will address these formidable obstacles. They want him to be able to find his own journey toward being healed and being real.