Justin Bieber Finally Comments on the Diddy Trial

By
Fran Hoepfner,
a senior news writer who covers pop culture and the internet

Photo: thecelebrityfinder/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

There’s been an elephant in the room throughout Justin Bieber’s current on- and off-line spiral, and that’s the relevance of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Could Bieber’s increasingly erratic behavior be somehow connected to Combs’s assault allegations? The two have known each other for about 15 years, and Bieber was a protégé of Usher, who in turn was a protégé of Combs. The two were friendly when Bieber was a teenager, with Combs taking on the role of an older mentor who let him goof off from time to time. The timing of Bieber’s misbehavior and Diddy’s legal troubles felt serendipitous: Perhaps what Bieber was experiencing was some amalgam of rage or betrayal or sadness. Perhaps, with hundreds of allegations and suits against Combs, Bieber might also be one of his victims or at least loosely aware of what was happening behind the scenes with those closest to Diddy.

Combs’s trial began this week, and Bieber released a statement on Friday, May 16, addressing his relationship to the singer and his thoughts on the trial. His representatives told TMZ that “although Justin is not among Sean Combs’s victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.” A statement this clear cut will hopefully allow the trial to continue without further conspiratorial theorizing about what may or may not be causing Bieber to act out. As the singer posted on his Instagram Stories, “The anticipation for this next season of life is killing me. So excited.” If he’s ready to move on, so should we.

Justin Bieber Finally Comments on the Diddy Trial