Justin Bieber has broken his silence and said that he was never a victim of accused sex abuser Sean "Diddy" Combs amid rumors connecting him to the disgraced music mogul just days after his sex trafficking trial began. Diddy helped Bieber launch is music career when he was just 15 years old.
The rapper, 55, has been accused of multiple disturbing crimes, raising fears among fans that Bieber, 31, might have been sexually abused by Diddy during his early music career. A resurfaced video from last year, which many found unsettling, showed Combs spending "48 hours" with a then-underage Bieber. Bieber and Combs had also worked together on an album.
Clearing All Doubts
The troubled pop star issued a statement on Thursday, clearly saying that he was never a victim of the rapper. "Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' 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 spokesperson of Bieber told TMZ in a statement on Thursday night.
Several sources close to the "Never Say Never" singer also told the publication that Diddy never abused Bieber in any way — sexually or otherwise — tamping down growing online rumors amid Combs' ongoing sex trafficking trial this week.
Regarding the videos showing Diddy and Bieber together, sources said that their interactions were merely for show, noting that Bieber was actually closer to Diddy's sons than to Sean himself.
Shortly after Combs was arrested in New York on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering — allegations he has denied — a source spoke to the Daily Mail about how Bieber responded to the news.
"Bieber is so disturbed by the Diddy news and is unwilling to process it or discuss it so he has shut off."
The source told the outlet, "So many people who helped to make him who he is were very close to Diddy and it has completely thrown him. Justin hasn't been responding on this since the home raids. He's not going to."
Bieber Regrets Working with Combs
The source also revealed that the singer later regretted collaborating with Combs on his 2023 project, "The Love Album: Off the Grid." "He had a long break from Diddy when he believes most of this took place and he had distanced himself from him."
"He was featured on Diddy's most recent album, and had he known any of this, there is no way he would have done it," the source added.
An old video also resurfaced last year, showing Combs and Bieber spending "48 hours" together.
In the footage, the two are seen side by side as Diddy says, "He's having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we're doing we can't really disclose. But it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream."
He added, "I have been given custody of him. He's signed to Usher and I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album.
"I don't have legal guardianship of him [Bieber] but for the next 48 hours he's with me and we're gonna go full crazy."
In recent months, fans have become increasingly worried about the "Yummy" singer due to his disheveled appearance, apparent drug use, and often confusing or incoherent posts on social media.
