Originally appeared on E! Online
Justin Bieber is giving fans a glimpse at his fall reading list.
The “Never Say Never” singer shared several pages from the self-help book Bad Thoughts: A Preacher and a Shrink’s Guide to Reclaiming Your Mind and Soul, written by Judah Smith and Leslie Parrott, with his millions of followers on social media.
In a post on Instagram Sept. 29, the 31-year-old—dad to Jack Blues Bieber, 13 months, with wife Hailey Bieber— highlighted a passage from the text on “toxic thoughts,” which were sorted into five categories: unworthy talk, needy talk, insecure talk, entitled talk and unlovable talk. The final slide of the carousel featured a quote from psychologist William James, which read, “Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.”
Earlier in the day, Justin—whose ex Selena Gomez tied the knot with his former collaborator Benny Blanco on Sept. 27—expressed his excitement to dive into the book.
Ahead of Justin’s Coachella set, read on for a look at his career milestones thus far…
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“I usually hate reading,” he wrote in a separate post on the platform alongside a photo of the book’s cover, “but the way Judah draws you in I can only imagine it’s gonna be super helpful and digestible.”
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Justin appears to be focused on self-improvement ahead of his headlining performance at Coachella 2026 alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G. He recently visited the site of the annual music festival in Indio, Calif., donning a shirt reading “Pray For Me”—and his mother Patti Malette quickly answered the call by posting a prayer dedicated to her son.
“I declare freedom, strength, clarity, and healing over you Justin,” she wrote on Instagram Sept. 22. “Every chain of fear, confusion, heaviness, and pain—be broken in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, surround him with TRUTH, LIGHT, and PROTECTION.”
The 50-year-old also shared her wish for Justin to tune out his critics in preparation for his onstage comeback.
“Silence every voice that doesn’t come from You,” Patti continued, “and let his life be a bold witness of Your power, love, and healing grace.”
Ahead of Justin’s Coachella set, read on for a look at his career milestones thus far…
1. Season’s Greetings
When Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his first holiday album and second studio album, in 2011, he found himself decidedly on Santa’s Nice List. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first Christmas album released by a male artist to ever do so. It would eventually be certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over 2 million units.
2. Tweet Tweet
In early 2013, Bieber surpassed Lady Gaga to become the most followed person on Twitter. Later that same year, Katy Perry‘s follower count would eclipse his, but he’d eventually bounce back. Bieber still ranks as the most followed musician on the social media platform and only fifth most followed person overall.
3. Big Screen Breakthrough
Given the popularity of the concert flick in the early 2010s, it came as no surprise that Bieber would land himself one. And when Justin Bieber: Never Say Never was released in 2011, it broke box office records as the documentary with the biggest opening weekend of all time. Earning $73 million in the United States alone, the movie stood as the highest grossing concert film until Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film dethroned it in 2023.
4. “Baby” Record Breaker
In 2013, the RIAA revealed that “Baby,” Bieber’s smash hit off his 2010 debut album My World 2.0, was the highest certified single of all time at 12x Platinum. Thanks to the then-novel inclusion of streaming numbers, the song surpassed Elton John‘s “Candle in the Wind 1997,” which sat at 11x Platinum. It would eventually be dethroned by another song involving Bieber, but more on that in a minute.
5. A New Pinnacle
With the debut of “What Do You Mean?”—the lead single off Bieber’s fourth album Purpose—atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015, it marked the star’s first No. 1 hit. As Bieber had only just turned 21, the success of the trop-house bop made him the youngest male artist to debut a track at the top of the chart.
6. The Last Laugh
7. The Bieber Effect
In 2017, Bieber jumped on a remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” helping propel the track to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The success marked the first time a song sung primarily in Spanish had reached No. 1 in the U.S. in over 20 years, following in the footsteps of Los del Rio’s 1996 hit “Macarena.” The song would spend 16 weeks atop the chart, tying the record held by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day.” (That record would, of course, be broken by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” in 2019.) The song became the first Latin song to receive a diamond certification from the RIAA, eventually going on to unseat “Baby” as the highest-certified single of all-time in the U.S.
“Despacito” also helped Bieber make another bit of history himself. Reaching the chart’s peak a week after “I’m the One,” his collab with DJ Khaled, did the same, it made him the first artist to ever notch new No. 1s in back-to-back weeks. The track has sold over 13 million units in its run, per RIAA.
8. A Foray Into Fashion
Branching out from entertainment, Bieber launched clothing brand Drew House in 2019 alongside friend and former stylist Ryan Good and designer Gianpiero D’Alessandro. The collection of tees, hats, coats and stickers are all usually emblazoned with a yellow smiley face logo or, simply, the word “drew.” Bieber later separated from the brand in 2025, instead launching Skylrk.
9. New Territory
In January 2020, the Biebs began releasing a 10-part docuseries on YouTube titled Justin Bieber: Seasons. The first episode broke the all-time record for the most-watched premiere in its first week, amassing more than 32 million views. The in-depth look at the performer detailed his physical and mental health issues as well as his battle with drug addiction. Bieber not only starred but also executive produced.
10. Eight Times a Charm
When Changes, Bieber’s fifth studio album, was released in early 2020, it debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart. Factoring in remix albums Never Say Never: The Remixes and Believe Acoustic, the LP marked Bieber’s seventh to hit No. 1 in his career, making him the youngest solo artist to ever do so in the United States. Justice later spent two weeks at No. 1, breaking his own record.
11. Introducing…The Biebers
Of course, we’d bet that if you asked Bieber himself, none of these achievements over the last 10 years even hold a candle to his partnership with wife Hailey Baldwin. After years of on-off dating with Selena Gomez, he started dating the model in 2015. Though they split in 2016 and he and Gomez briefly gave their romance another shot, Bieber and Baldwin reunited in May 2018 and were quickly engaged. They got married in a civil ceremony that September, holding a lavish wedding exactly one year later.
As he told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in February 2020, “I got the best wife in the world. She supports me through so much. I’m really honored to be her husband.”
And in 2024, two became three when the couple welcomed their son Jack Blues.
12. Hold On, Even More Records?
The Biebs’ next album, Justice, debuted atop the charts of ten countries. If you haven’t lost count, this marked his eighth No. 1 album. At just 27 years old, he became the youngest soloist to achieve eight No. 1 albums in the U.S. But that’s not the only record the singer broke. With the release of “Peaches,” Bieber became the first solo male artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart simultaneously.
On The Zach Sang Show, Bieber said his goal with the album was “to inspire, to uplift, and to provide joy in this time.” It clearly resonated with audiences everywhere.
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