Justin Bieber's Awkward Moments Caught On Camera

Justin Bieber has had quite the ride from teenage heartthrob to married musician, with millions of adoring fans following his every career move. The "One Less Lonely Girl" artist was once singing in the streets for extra cash in Canada before his YouTube covers attracted the attention of music executive Scooter Braun. Since then, he's amassed immeasurable fame, learning from the likes of his former mentor Usher to become an international phenomenon by the time he was 13 years old.

Bieber grew up in the spotlight, with his personal life heavily scrutinized by the media. Intimate details about the star became tabloid fodder, from his childhood raised by a single mother to his high-profile long-term relationship with Selena Gomez. That kind of pressure and lack of privacy took its toll on the Grammy Award-winning artist, who has a history of lashing out or exhibiting bad-boy behavior during his lengthy career.

 Somewhere on his road to being one of the most fawned-after artists of his generation, the media forgot that a human existed under Bieber's stylish swagger and effortlessly cool exterior. The "Ghost" artist is quick to remind the masses, however, and has been incredibly open about the struggles he's faced while coping with fame. Bieber has entered a new era after marrying his wife Hailey Bieber in 2018 and seemingly shedding his arrogant pop star behavior for good. That being said, there's a long list of past controversies that serve to remind him of his evolution. Here's a look at all of Justin Bieber's awkward moments caught on camera.

Justin Bieber's trip to Tokyo in 2014 wasn't without a few hiccups. The pop star traveled to the city in April of that year, and while admiring popular touristic sights, he stumbled into a bit of controversy. 

During his trip, Bieber posted a photo in front of the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The monument honors Japan's former war soldiers, including criminals who were responsible for mass casualties in Asia and the Pacific during World War II. In the now-deleted Instagram snap, he wrote, "Thank you for your blessings," (via Time). After receiving backlash from Chinese and South Korean fans, who looked down on the shrine, Bieber quickly removed the shot and issued a statement. 

"While in Japan I asked my driver to pull over for which I saw a beautiful shrine," he explained in a separate Instagram post. "I was mislead to think the Shrines were only a place of prayer. To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan."

Justin Bieber had to learn some hard lessons on his road to stardom, thanks to several media outlets holding him accountable for his bad behavior. Such was the case in 2014 when Bieber had some apologies to make after videos of him as a teenager resurfaced featuring him using the n-word and making racist slurs.

TMZ posted a video of a then-15-year-old Bieber backstage alongside friends, telling a not-so-funny joke that came back to haunt him. In the clip, the singer asks, "Why are black people afraid of chainsaws?" He then adds the punchline, repeatedly saying, "Run N*****." The outlet posted another unfavorable video a few days after, showing the pop star changing up the words to his song "One Less Lonely Girl." The clip features a 14-year-old Bieber, singing "One less lonely n****" repeatedly, and adding, "If I kill you, I'll be part of the KKK, and there's gonna be one less lonely n****." While Bieber laughs off the racist joke, it didn't land well with his fanbase. 

Bieber apologized for the videos, telling the Associated Press (per The Korea Times), "I'm very sorry,” adding, ”I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior." The artist went on to say that he "thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but I didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance." 

Things got hot and heavy for Justin Bieber in the fall of 2013 when he took a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pop star was photographed exiting several of the tourist city's nightclubs, including leaving a brothel covered in a bedsheet to avoid recognition. Bieber wasn't successful, however — due to his mirage of tattoos.

One notable moment from Bieber's trip to South America was filmed by a Brazilian native herself when the singer was snapped in bed while the woman grinned at the camera. As per Hollywire, the woman was later identified as Tati Neves, who recorded a video of the star fast asleep in what appears to be the daylight hours. Neves smiles at the camera and then gives a shushing motion and proceeds to blow the Biebs a kiss. Neves later spoke to The Sun about her alleged night with Bieber, saying (via E! News), "Take it from me, he's well-endowed and very good in bed. A man must know what to do to make me happy—Justin did all that and more."

Bieber reportedly took at least 30 women home to his villa during a night out during his Brazilian vacay, mandating that they leave their phones at the doors and sign NDAs. Student Marina Binimeliz told the Daily Mail that she managed to get into Bieber's private section at a nightclub, saying that the singer "put his arms around her waist, kissed her on both cheeks and told her she was 'very cute.'"

We all have embarrassing moments — but not everyone has them in front of a packed stadium full of screaming fans. It was just another day in the life of Justin Bieber when the singer had an unfortunate vomiting episode onstage during an Arizona tour stop in 2012. Bieber was performing his track "Out of Town Girl," when he lost his dinner onstage, and he quickly ran backstage for a little TLC.

Bieber returned not long after, promising to take things slow on account of not feeling well. After a few songs, the singer stepped away from the stage for what appeared to be another vomit break. "It's hard for me, you know, not feeling great and throwing up in front of a bunch of people," he said during the show (per The Guardian). "Will you love me even though I'm throwing up on stage?" Of course, the Beliebers shouted their resounding "yes" in the form of shrieks and screams. 

After the concert, Bieber posted an Instagram snap of himself recovering. "Great show. Getting better for tomorrow's show !!!! Love u," he wrote in the caption. As for the culprit for his stomach issues, the "Believe" singer admitted he had an adverse reaction to lactose. "And .... Milk was a bad choice! Lol," he jokingly tweeted at the time.

Justin Bieber made headlines in 2017 when he accidentally hit a photographer while driving in his truck. As reported by TMZ, the singer was leaving a Beverly Hills church service in his 2017 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup when he struck William Wilson with the front passenger side of his vehicle. Wilson immediately went down with his camera equipment after he was hit.

Bieber rushed to Wilson's side after the accident and stayed on the scene until police arrived to write up a report. He even got into an argument with many of the photographers in the parking lot, urging them to stop taking photographs. "Are you worried about me or are you worried about this guy that's on the ground," he told the paparazzi. No criminal charges were filed, and the incident was marked an accident, due in part to the paparazzi's incessant camera flashing.

Wilson later decided to sue the singer over the accident, claiming he suffered a torn meniscus and kneecap damage and underwent surgery. The photographer's attorney revealed his client decided to pursue charges after receiving a "lowball" offer during settlement talks with Bieber's team. As of the time of writing, there's no word on how the two parties settled the dispute.