‘There were moments I felt used, rushed, shaped into something I didn’t fully choose’<\/p>\n
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Published Dec 25, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 6\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Justin Bieber is getting introspective during the holiday season.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n As he got ready to celebrate Christmas with his wife Hailey and his 16-month-old son Jack Blues, the 31-year-old Canadian-born pop star reflected on his Christian faith and his troubled early years in the music industry.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cChristmas time is that time to reflect and ask yourself what you really want. What truly fulfills?\u201d he began in a post on Instagram.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Christmas, Bieber continued, \u201cis a reminder of Jesus and the free gift of forgiveness only he can offer.\u201d<\/p>\n Bieber called his personal growth \u201ca journey\u201d and admitted that \u201cletting go (of) resentment is hard,\u201d but he encouraged his followers to be open to the teachings of Christ.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jesus reveals (himself) as willing and able, it\u2019s hard to deny him,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHope wherever you are you can lean into this love that meets us exactly where we are no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Bieber continued his post in a carousel of notes he called, \u201cA Message.\u201d In the ensuing pages, the two-time Grammy winner painfully wrote that he \u201cgrew (up) in a system that rewarded my gift but didn\u2019t always protect my soul.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere were moments I felt used, rushed, shaped into something I didn\u2019t fully choose. This kind of pressure leaves wounds you don\u2019t see on stage,\u201d the Baby singer added.<\/p>\n After becoming a music star at the age of 15 when he released his first EP My World in 2009, Bieber said he became part of \u201ca system that took more than it protected.\u201d<\/p>\n But Bieber went on to write that he is now \u201chealed\u201d and has embraced forgiveness. \u201cI don\u2019t want to burn the music industry down,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to see it made new \u2013 safer, more honest, more human.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Bieber wrote that he \u201cdidn\u2019t come out of this untouched\u201d and said he came of age \u201cinside a system that took more than it guarded.\u201d But he told his followers he\u2019s no longer a \u201cvictim still bleeding\u201d and added that he was addressing them \u201cas someone restored.\u201d<\/p>\n In separate posts, Bieber gave a glimpse into his holiday preparations, sharing smiling images of himself, a cozy fireplace with three stockings and photos of Jack Blues wearing a red Santa hat.<\/p>\n Singer\u2019s troubled past resurfaced following Diddy arrest<\/p>\n Bieber\u2019s childhood rise in the music industry came under scrutiny after the arrest of Sean \u2018Diddy\u2019 Combs, who was accused of sex trafficking and convicted of prostitution-related charges earlier this year.<\/p>\n A 2020 video resurfaced in which Bieber vowed to \u201cprotect\u201d Billie Eilish from the music industry as he tearfully talked about his experience becoming an overnight sensation when he was just a teenager.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to protect her,\u201d he said, speaking of Eilish, who was 18 at the time<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t want her to go through anything I went through. I don\u2019t wish that upon anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n He told Apple Music\u2019s Zane Lowe<\/a> that some parts of his younger life were \u201cbad \u2026 it was dark.\u201d<\/p>\n A video that was shared to Bieber\u2019s YouTube<\/a> page in 2009 also went viral again as it showed the SWAG II artist planning to spend a wild couple of days with Diddy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ever seen the movie\u00a048 Hrs?\u00a0Right now (Justin is) having 48 hours with Diddy, him and his boy,\u201d Combs says, as a wide-eyed Bieber looks on.<\/p>\n We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play Video<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n During a joint appearance on\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2011, when Bieber was still a minor, Combs said the pair had \u201cbecome friends in a strange way.\u201d<\/p>\n But their banter took a turn when Combs tried to shut down probing questions about their friendship.\u00a0\u201cHe knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with big brother Puff on national television,\u201d Combs said. \u201cEverything ain\u2019t for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Other videos that racked up millions of views on social media included one showing the two meeting in 2021 and Combs patting Bieber on the back and chest in what some believed was an attempt to see if he was wearing a wire.<\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Another clip that was viewed more than 4.1 million times on X showed an inebriated Bieber drinking alongside Combs at a party.<\/p>\n Famous singer Jaguar Wright just revealed in an interview that she heard Justin Bieber is a victim in one of the Diddy tapes currently being shopped around.<\/p>\n Here is footage of Justin being forced by Diddy to drink more at a freak off, despite already being well passed\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Zwz850DgPA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement 9<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Bieber has been open about his drug and alcohol use when he was a minor,\u00a0saying in the 2020 documentary,<\/a>\u00a0Justin Bieber: Seasons,\u00a0\u201cMy security would come into my room at night to check my pulse. People don\u2019t know how serious it got. It was legit crazy scary.\u201d<\/p>\n But he has never addressed in detail the other ways his private life was affected by people he interacted with in the music industry.<\/p>\n Following Combs\u2019 arrest, some of Bieber\u2019s fans wondered if he would speak out about his time as a part of the Bad Boys Records founder\u2018s inner circle.<\/p>\n But a rep for the One Time hitmaker said that he wasn\u2019t one of Diddy\u2019s alleged victims.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Justin is not among Sean Combs\u2019 victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,\u201d Bieber\u2019s rep said in the statement shared with various media outlets this past May<\/a>. \u201cShifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 10<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n mdaniell@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Justin Bieber cheers on Blue Jays in Shane Bieber jersey, gives Ohtani homer thumbs-down<\/p>\n <\/a> Diddy and 15-year-old Justin Bieber plot to ‘get some girls’ in resurfaced viral video<\/p>\n <\/a> Amid Diddy allegations, resurfaced video shows Justin Bieber promising to ‘protect’ Billie Eilish from music industry<\/p>\n <\/a> Justin Bieber breaks silence on speculation he was a victim of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Love concerts, but can’t make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off.<\/a> Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n![\"Justin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/people-justin-bieber_297078667.jpg\")
Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. Photo by Evan Agostini \/InvisionArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.2.3\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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