As you probably saw, Justin Bieber made his much-anticipated — and seriously long-awaited — return to the stage on Saturday with his headline slot at Coachella.
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The show marked Justin’s first major live performance in four years, with the star taking a pretty big step back from the spotlight after canceling a scheduled tour back in 2022 due to health issues.
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After that, in 2023, Justin famously sold his music catalog — including his publishing rights and share of recording royalties — for a reported $200 million. That same year, Justin parted ways with his long-time manager Scooter Braun.
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While Justin has not explicitly commented on his journey in recent years, his wife, Hailey Bieber, did suggest that the lead-up to his Coachella performance had not been plain sailing, writing in an Instagram caption after the set: “such a special weekend. nobody will ever know even an ounce of what it’s taken to get here. so grateful for this beautiful life. SO proud. let’s do it all again!!!!”
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And Justin’s comeback has led people to look back at his career as a whole — and many have been left horrified by resurfaced clips showing the disturbing way he was treated as a minor.
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If you need reminding, Justin was just 12 years old when Scooter discovered him via a YouTube video back in 2007. He then traveled to Atlanta to work with Scooter, who introduced him to other major artists, including Usher, who became his mentor. During this time, when Justin was around 13 years old, Usher introduced him to Diddy, who also served as a kind of mentor figure in his early career.
It didn’t take long for Justin to find astronomical child star success, and by the time he turned 18, Justin already had an estimated net worth of $100 million; as well as a plethora of awards, millions of devoted fans across the globe, and a whole host of celebrity friends.
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But as the star’s fellow teens were hit with so-called “Bieber Fever,” so were some adults — and the way that young Justin was treated by these adults when he was a minor has come under repeated scrutiny in recent years, with compilation videos of these moments often going viral on social media.
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In these clips, Justin is repeatedly subjected to wildly inappropriate behavior, with the underage singer even voicing his discomfort on multiple occasions. For example, when Justin was just 15 years old, in 2010, a woman radio host asked him in an interview: “My parents never gave me the *** talk, why don’t you give me the *** talk?”
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In response, Justin immediately admitted that he’s “uncomfortable” with the question. He replied: “I feel uncomfortable right now. Why do you want to know the *** talk from a 15-year-old boy? That’s pretty weird.”
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In a separate radio show at the same age, Justin was asked if he liked French girls. When he said that he does, the host asked: “Why? Because they have big boobs?” before adding: “Do you know how to French kiss?” In a follow-up clip, Justin says of the conversation: “They were asking some really weird questions, I’m only 15. My mom was like, right there.”
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In another interview, a radio presenter warned underage Justin to “wear condoms,” and in one more instance, a male host repeatedly told Justin that he has “beautiful” and “great” lips.
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During the 2011 BRIT Awards, when Justin was 16 years old, host James Corden sat beside Justin at his table and repeatedly told him how “amazing” he smelled. Justin looked visibly uncomfortable as James asked how old he is, and when the singer replied, the British comic exclaimed: “I don’t ever remember smelling that good at 16,” before stroking his face and later adding: “Wow, look at your eyes!”
It was also in 2011 that Justin endured an incredibly uncomfortable interview on The Talk, where host Leah Remini asked: “Would you rather have to be naked on stage during one full song… or drink a cup of blended worms?” Justin was visibly horrified by this question, saying: “I have little girl fans, I can’t.”
“Imagine there’s no laws, imagine it wasn’t weird like that,” Leah pressed, but Justin insisted: “I wouldn’t do either.”
But the interview only got more inappropriate, with the teen being asked which of the adult The Talk hosts he would date, with Leah lunging across her co-stars to grab him.
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Then, in 2012, Katy Perry was caught on camera grabbing Justin’s butt as they met backstage at a London concert.
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That same year, at the AMAs, Jenny McCarthy grabbed Justin and repeatedly kissed his neck and pawed at his butt when she presented him with an award. Jenny was 40 years old at the time, and Justin had not long turned 18. In a video of the shocking moment, he looks visibly horrified by Jenny’s actions and struggles to break free from her grasp.
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In fact, Justin was so taken aback by the groping that he kicked off his acceptance speech by telling the audience: “Wow, I feel violated right now.”
Jenny later told Access Hollywood that her emotions “took over” when Justin came onto the stage and dismissed her antics as her living out “a cougar fantasy.” She added at the time: “I couldn’t help it, he was just so delicious.”
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In 2015, Justin was put in an awkward situation when he made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Prior to the interview, the paparazzi had taken **** photos of Justin without his consent — and Ellen presented these pictures to him on a big screen. Justin clearly didn’t want to discuss the pics, but Ellen asked several uncomfortable questions — and even teased him about his anatomy, quipping: “I’m no expert, but I heard that it was good.”
TheEllenShow, A Very Good Production Inc. / Via youtu.beMeanwhile, in his 2016 memoir, record label exec L.A. Reid described Justin as being “beautiful, like a woman” at the age of 14. In his book, L.A. said that his first impression of Justin was “this kid was beautiful, like a woman can be beautiful and men rarely are, and he turned it on as soon as he stepped into the room.”
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It has also not gone unnoticed that Justin has spoken openly about wanting to protect other young people in the music industry. During his 2020 Beats 1 interview with Apple Music, the then-26-year-old star said of then-18-year-old Billie Eilish: “I definitely feel protective of her.”
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“It was hard for me being that young and being in the industry and not knowing where to turn and everyone telling me they loved me and you know, just turning their back on you in a second,” he went on. “I just want to protect her. I don’t want her to lose it. I don’t want her to go through anything I went through. I don’t wish that upon anybody.”
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Needless to say, the whole thing has left people feeling seriously sad for Justin, with one of the most recent TikTok compilations being inundated with comments from shocked viewers. One person wrote: “This is disturbing, poor Justin 🥺”
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Somebody else asked: “*** is wrong with people???” While another added: “ ok this is sad😭💔” one more noted: “He deserved better.”
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