Abandoned monkeys, dressing room tantrums,
and mowing down paparazzi. Justin Bieber’s issues might just be bigger than his fanbase.
"I've been driving recklessly, getting arrested, smoking weed,
abandoning monkeys, and urinating publicly."
In 2013, Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam while on tour in Europe.
The Jewish diarist, who perished in the Holocaust at 15, is widely regarded as one of the pivotal
writers of the 20th century. As such, one would assume that Bieber would be incredibly moved by
the visit. However, his perception of Frank was one that shocked even some of his most
ardent supporters. According to the Washington Post, the pop star wrote in the guest book:
"Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl.
Hopefully, she would have been a belieber."
"Different places that I go, I always find different, new inspirations and new ideas."
He subsequently faced backlash,
with CNN reporting that people found his note to be disrespectful and self-obsessed.
But in a surprise move, the Anne Frank House responded to the controversy on Facebook
by praising Bieber, arguing that his visit was ultimately raising awareness of Frank,
even if his guest book message was more than a tad misguided.
The Anti-Defamation League also defended the "Baby" singer, highlighting that his comments
were likely inspired by the fact that Frank was a pop culture enthusiast, per BuzzFeed.
In 2014, a video resurfaced wherein a 15-year-old Bieber made racist jokes.
Per TMZ, the singer was acutely aware that he was being filmed when uttering the remarks,
which included making chainsaw noises while using a pejorative racist term.
Bieber swiftly apologized for the offensive jibes, claiming that he didn't understand
the hurt caused by the language at the time. But days after the apology, TMZ posted another video
of Bieber using racist slurs. This time, he'd replaced lyrics to the song "One Less Lonely Girl"
with the same offensive term. He then joked about joining the Ku Klux Klan.
Sadly, the racism accusations didn't stop there. In 2021, Bieber was criticized for sharing the
music of country musician Morgan Wallen, who had recently been caught using a derogatory
racist term. As reported by Rolling Stone, in a series of posts to his Instagram Story,
Bieber denied awareness of Wallen's racist comments and apologized for supporting the
country artist. He also addressed his own racist history, writing:
"When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes
that were clearly not funny. I hurt a lot of people, especially the Black people in my life
but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the N-word."
By the mid 2010s, Justin Bieber's wholesome image had been replaced by a bad boy persona.
The evolution of his character arguably began with his arrest in 2014. Then aged 19,
he was charged with driving under the influence, driving without a license,
and resisting arrest in Miami Beach, per CNN. When the cops pulled him over, Bieber swore at them.
"You gotta be responsible. And um,
as far as alcohol, you just have to be responsible, don't drink and drive."
According to Miami police chief Raymond Martinez:
"At first, he was a little belligerent, using some choice words questioning why
he was being stopped and why the officer was even questioning him."
"Mr. Bieber at that point was not cooperating with the officer's instructions."
Subsequently, Bieber's mugshot made the rounds. The popster's grinning face has
now become the stuff of mugshot legend, with E! noting that social media users were quick
to memeify the image. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Bieber entered a plea deal,
paying out hefty fines in lieu of jail time and undergoing anger management classes.
In 2021, Bieber reflected on the DUI arrest on Instagram,
revealing that the incident was the wake-up call he needed to get his life back on track.
He encouraged others who are struggling to seek help, writing:
"Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry,
[misled], misunderstood and angry at god. [...] My encouragement to you is to 'let your past be
a reminder of how far god has brought you. Don't allow shame to ruin your 'today.'"
"Remember the good ol' days, back when Justin Bieber had a monkey?"
From Joe Exotic's tiger collection to Michael Jackson and his beloved chimp,
Bubbles, celebrities owning exotic pets isn't exactly unusual. Following in Jacko's footsteps,
Justin Bieber adopted Mally the monkey. When the singer attempted to enter Munich with the capuchin
monkey in 2013, he failed to provide German officials with vaccine and import documentation,
per The Guardian. After authorities gave him an ultimatum of paying up or having
the monkey confiscated, Bieber apparently decided to abandon it.
The German animal protection organization Animal Public
condemned the singer's treatment of the 14-week-old primate, stating on their website:
"To separate him from his mom and to take him on tour as a living stuffed toy
can only be characterized as animal cruelty."
Tragically, Mally continued to experience behavioral issues five years later.
As reported by babe, a rep for Serengeti Wildlife Park, where the animal was housed,
lamented that he was anxious and required round-the-clock care after the abandonment.
He'd also since failed to learn the capuchin language.
Speaking with GQ, Bieber admitted that he was warned against bringing Mally into Germany.
However, he insisted he was carrying the correct paperwork and suggested the former circus monkey
was used to traveling. After saying he'd like to adopt another monkey, however, Bieber was once
again slammed, according to TMZ — this time by the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.
In 2014, according to CBC News, Justin Bieber hit another vehicle after reportedly driving
recklessly. He subsequently got into a physical altercation with the other driver and was charged
with assault. The singer's lawyer claimed that the outburst was brought on by the stress of having
paparazzi follow him when he was attempting a secluded getaway with then girlfriend,
Selena Gomez. After pleading guilty to dangerous driving and assault, Bieber was fined $750.
That same year, he was ordered to return to Argentina to face
more assault accusations. As reported by Télam, Bieber allegedly attacked a photographer and
a cameraman — he was also accused of stealing their equipment. An Argentine
court issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to face questioning, per Reuters.
"You know what? This is not the plan, but I can work on this in my life."
In 2015, Bieber was wanted in connection with the assault of
a man after a Cavaliers game. In video footage published by TMZ,
the star could be seen throwing fists during the altercation. In a since deleted Facebook post,
the apparent victim alleged that he merely wanted an autograph when the singer attacked him.
Two years later, TMZ reported that Bieber ran over a paparazzo.
Despite the singer arguing that it was the photographer's fault, the man sued Bieber in 2019,
claiming that the incident left him physically and emotionally damaged.
Justin Bieber courted further controversy in 2019 when his former choreographer Emma
Portner accused him of degrading women. In an Instagram Story, Portner claimed
that she was paid less than minimum wage when she worked for the "Sorry" singer. She wrote:
"I gave your universe my naive body,
creativity, time and effort. Twice. For content you made millions off of. While I made zilch."
She was purportedly so poorly compensated that she struggled to afford food.
Portner, who is the former wife of Elliot Page, went on to slam Bieber for supporting
Hillsong — a church she and Page accused of being anti-LGBTQ. The dancer wrote:
"How do you feel about [...] a lesbian, HELPING YOU, for a disrespectful amount of money,
as you attend a church that goes against my existence? [...] I really hope you educate
yourself beyond your bible. You have IMMENSE power. Use it to STOP DEGRADING WOMEN."
According to People, Bieber's rep did not return a request for comment.
One of Justin Bieber's most infamous exertions of ill treatment towards his fans
occurred during a 2013 show in London. Per the Daily Mail, Bieber reportedly left his young
audience in tears after being two hours late for his set. According to insiders,
he had a temper tantrum and locked himself in his dressing room, supposedly telling staff:
"It's my gig, I will go out when I want to."
"Nobody understands me, bro."
That same year, he allegedly body shamed a fan while in Australia. As reported by news.com.au,
he began chatting to a group of girls in bikinis in Perth when he insulted one girl's physique
and suggested that she take part in "The Biggest Loser." Subsequently, the girl burst into tears.
The incident was witnessed by a number of people, who corroborated the initial account.
In another instance, Bieber threw an Argentine flag that had been gifted to him by a fan out
of his car window. Per Yahoo! News, the fan was a 15-year-old girl who had waited hours to see
her idol. When the superstar simply tossed the gift, the girl was distraught. Explaining that
she repeatedly apologized after throwing the flag too close to his face, she explained:
"He looked at me... grabbed the flag, threw it on the pavement, and shut the window."
Ever since he tied the knot with Hailey Baldwin in 2018, Justin Bieber appeared a
reformed man. But in a video that made the rounds on social media in 2021,
Bieber appeared to be yelling in his wife's face. Responses to the brief clip were mixed, with some
suggesting a video like this shouldn't be judged out of context. While fans defended Bieber's
actions as him simply being pumped following a performance, others remained skeptical.
The Cut snarkily warned against dismissing the singer's behavior as being merely hyped,
arguing that such ideation reinforces dangerous notions of using women as aggression outlets. On
her Instagram Story, Hailey dismissed the negative speculation, writing:
"Had the best time surrounded by so much love. Any other narrative floating around is beyond false."
That narrative has persisted online where the rumor mill is stoked by out-of-context
YouTube compilations appearing to show instances of Justin mistreating his wife.
However, during an appearance on "4D With Demi Lovato,"
Hailey addressed the rumors and insisted they were far from the truth.
"I really am lucky to say that I'm with someone who is extremely respectful of me."
Meanwhile, Justin himself has admitted that there was once tension between the two.
Speaking to GQ, the singer admitted to struggling in the relationship while
he was processing some personal trauma, saying:
"The first year of marriage was really tough. [...] There was just a lack of trust. There was
all these things that you don't want to admit to the person that you're with, because it's scary."