Usher and Justin Bieber were reportedly involved in an altercation at an Oscars after-party hosted by industry power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé just days ago.
According to TMZ, the pair got into an intense argument at the star-studded bash inside West Hollywood hot spot Chateau Marmont in LA, held immediately after the awards ceremony on Sunday night, local time.
The site reports that Usher, 47, approached his former protégé, 32, at the party with “energy and anger”, which kicked off a “heated exchange”.
The reason for the argument remains unknown, but an insider told the outlet that no physical contact was made between the pair despite the fiery run-in.
The confrontation was witnessed by a host of big-name stars who attended Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s soiree, including Bieber’s wife Hailey Bieber, Oscar nominees Teyana Taylor and Timothee Chalamet, his girlfriend Kylie Jenner, Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan, as well as Taylor Swift and fiance Travis Kelce.
Usher and Bieber have had a longstanding friendship and working relationship since at least 2008 when the Yeah singer helped sign the then-unknown YouTube sensation to a joint venture with talent manager Scooter Braun.
After a competitive bidding war with Justin Timberlake to sign Bieber, Usher and Braun won over the young star before establishing a joint venture record label called the Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), specifically to develop Bieber.
Over the years, Usher and Bieber have since collaborated on various projects together, including the 2010 track Somebody To Love, and have reunited on stage at various events.
However, rumours of a feud did the rounds in 2024 after Bieber declined Usher’s invitation to appear at his Super Bowl Halftime Show.
In a 2024 interview with The Breakfast Club, Usher revealed he had a “brief conversation” with Bieber about performing at his halftime show alongside Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Lil Jon and Ludacris, who featured on Bieber’s debut single Baby in 2010.
But Usher said ultimately the Sorry singerdeclined because he wanted to “tell a different story” at that point in his career.
“We’re going to do something else in the future, but no love lost or anything like that,” Usher told host Charlamagne Tha God. “I think that it’s a lot of pressure for the Super Bowl, obviously, for me to put together a show, so I reached out to everybody.”
“Justin wasn’t the only person I actually spoke to about doing the Super Bowl, but the moment was maybe for later,” he added.
However, rumours of a bust-up kicked up again in 2025 when Bieber unfollowed Usher on Instagram alongside a bunch of his former management team, including Braun.