Justin Bieber has been harassed by the paparazzi since the start of his lengthy career — and he’s had many run-ins with photographers over the years — but now he’s asking for “a change.”
On Friday, Bieber shared a statement on Instagram, saying that he will not be “bullied to leave” Los Angeles.
“Everyone telling me to move from La. U think I’m gonna get bullied to leave where my influence is most needed?” Bieber wrote. “How can we make a change if we run away from the darkness?”
The Sorry singer said that he’s been caught up in the “transactional nature of Hollywood.”
“It’s embarrassing but with that said I want nothing to do with that as a grown adult with a wife and son,” Bieber wrote. “I just want to be submerged in the culture learning from any and everyone And be a proponent and advocate for LOVE AND EQUALITY.”
In a follow-up post, Bieber posted a photo of a lion, writing, “THE LION. I BELIEVE GOD IS MY LION MY STRONG LEADER! ABLE TO FIGHT FOR ME ON MY BEHALF. I BELIEVE WHEREVER I AM, HE IS.”
The Lonely singer said he is currently asking god to “help me with patience because it can be really hard to not rip these f—in guys heads off.”
“Today I’m forgiving myself for my own selfishness, AND forgiving THOSE WHO SEEK TO USE AND ABUSE ME SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CAPITaLIze off of me, Or Their jealousy makes them want to make me feel small like how they feel,” he wrote. “However u slice it I’m getting hit from all angles And I’m no victim.”
Bieber said that he moved to Los Angeles “KNOWING ITS F—ED OUT HERE.”
“But can we as a unit align with how f—ed it is out here and change this s— or are we gonna let these f— boys keep treating me like s— and not change laws of anything because People have had to die cuz of this s— princess Diana is the first that comes to mind smh [shake my head],” Bieber wrote.
“We gotta do better please can we make a change?” he ended his post.
The posts come after Bieber pleaded with paparazzi on Thursday to stop swarming him when he’s out in public. He shared a video from his perspective as he walked to his car, which showed multiple photographers and flashing cameras consistently going off; the video was Bieber’s attempt to give fans a glimpse of what he has to deal with on a daily basis.
“This has to stop,” Bieber captioned a video of the paparazzi surrounding him and his wife Hailey.
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“Look at these guys, man!” Bieber can be heard saying multiple times in the video as several camera flashes went off.
His bodyguard can be seen shining a flashlight on the paparazzi and asking them if they are done taking photos of Bieber.
“You got your shot. Go!” his bodyguard says to the multiple men taking photos.
The video came after Bieber had multiple run-ins with photographers in Palm Springs, Calif., while he was there attending Coachella.
On the same day, Bieber shared a post hitting back at what he considers to be “gossip” and “lies” spread about him and his marriage online.
Concern for Bieber started to grow after he shared a vulnerable message about his self-worth and imposter syndrome in a statement on social media last month.
But fans continued to share their concerns after videos of Bieber at Coachella surfaced online, where he was filmed smoking next to his 15-year-old brother Jaxon.
Bieber addressed the rumours in a post on Instagram, writing, “They treat me like ass out here, but if I remember that I am flawed too and god forgave me, It helps me to stop feeling better than those people who are mean and hurtful.”
“Because when I’m really honest I can be mean and hurtful too. My instinct is to be like damn I wouldnt gossip and spread lies about someone on the internet but there’s other shit I do I’m not proud of that god is gracious with,” Bieber added. “Hurt people hurt people and honestly if I was u it would be hard not to be jealous if I saw me and Hailey going so brazzzzyy.
“It’s really up for us and that’s understandable why people can’t stand it. I don’t blame em,” he wrote.
Bieber’s posts come after his representatives addressed “unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions” circulating about the Canadian pop star are untrue.
On April 16, The Hollywood Reporter published an article titled “Justin Bieber’s Crisis of Faith? Why Fans, Insiders Are Concerned,” in which a former team member claimed the 31-year-old singer was left with millions of dollars in debt after cancelling his Justice World Tour in 2022.
In a statement, Bieber’s team called the article “clickbait stupidity based on unnamed — and clearly ill-informed — ‘sources,’ disappointed that they no longer work with Justin.”
“As Justin forges his own way forward, these unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions will continue. But they won’t deter him from staying committed to following the right path,” his team added.
The THR article also included a statement from Bieber’s representatives, denying the claims of massive financial debt.
“Any source that is trying to sell you a story about alleged financial distress … either doesn’t understand the entertainment industry or, more likely, is trying to paint an unflattering portrait of Justin, which bears no resemblance to reality,” his team told the outlet.
The THR article also went on to allege that Bieber owned a “large debt” to tour promoter AEG, which insiders claimed was an estimated $20 million. The article also alleged that Bieber was given a $40-million advance for the tour.
“To date, Bieber has only returned a portion of what he borrowed,” the outlet claimed. Aside from money troubles, the article also noted the concern fans have had over the star’s mental health.
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