Justin Bieber Can't Escape The Salacious Rumors About His Life

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Justin Bieber has been a fixture of the tabloids ever since he burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in 2009 with the bubblegum pop of "One Time." But it's fair to say that the headlines have gotten more salacious, and indeed darker, over time. Despite becoming one of the rare child stars to parlay their early success into adulthood, the Canadian has still reportedly succumbed to the usual curse in his personal life, battling everything from substance abuse and mental health issues to financial problems and relationship woes.

Even now that he's a married man — having wedded entrepreneur Hailey Baldwin in 2019 — and, in a development that will make every former teenybopper instantly feel old, a father, the one-time teen idol is still providing gossip columnists with plenty of ammunition. Here's a look at 14 rumors from past and present that Bieber just can't seem to shake off.

While appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2020, Justin Bieber joked he was in an arranged marriage. But some of the behavior he's publicly displayed toward wife Hailey Bieber suggests they really were thrown together without his say. In fact, some fans believe that far from being in love with the socialite, he actively hates her.

Take Justin's arrival at the 2025 GQ Men of the Year ceremony, for example, where he swiftly ditched Hailey to run past paparazzi while she was still in their SUV. Then there's the fact that he seemingly failed to acknowledge her 29th birthday. And then there was the time he appeared to completely forget her existence while getting out of a car, nearly slamming one of its doors into her face.

Justin himself has even given a damning hint that he's his wife's biggest hater. In 2025, he congratulated Hailey on Instagram (via The Independent) for gracing Vogue's front cover while simultaneously getting strangely candid about the inner workings of their relationship: "Yo this reminds me when Hailey and I got into a huge fight. I told Hails that she would never be on the cover of Vogue. Yikes I know, so mean. For some reason because I felt so disrespected. I thought I gotta get even."

Justin Bieber's oft-shady behavior toward his wife Hailey Bieber, including their awkward appearance at Super Bowl 2026, has inevitably spawned many tabloid reports that the couple is on the brink of divorce. And the lyrical content on his 2025 comeback album "Swag" didn't exactly help to quash them.

For example, on "Walking Away," he sings, "We better stop before we say some s***/We've been testing our patience/I think we better off if we just take a breath." And on "Daisies," he wonders: "Throwin' petals like, 'Do you love me or not?' You said 'forever,' babe, did you mean it or not?"

Despite stirring the pot himself, Justin has repeatedly taken to Instagram to deny the rumors that he and Hailey are heading for a permanent break-up. In one particular lengthy 2025 Story, he claimed the skeptics were just jealous of their relationship, writing (via Radar Online) that "honestly, if I [were you], it would be hard not to be jealous if I saw me and Hailey going so brazzzzyy ... Hailey and I are the [Joneses] that are impossible to keep up with." In an email to Vogue, he said that although he'd been guilty of many dumb things throughout his life, his smartest-ever decision was tying the knot with Hailey.

You can practically count the number of child superstars who've become well-adjusted adults on one hand. So it was inevitable that Justin Bieber, a singer who became a global pop idol in his fresh-faced teens, would face constant scrutiny about his mental health as he left his adolescence behind.

Indeed, Justin Bieber has repeatedly gotten people worried with some of his behaviors in recent years, including some of the hitmakers who helped sustain his success. Poo Bear, for example, who co-penned the likes of "What Do You Mean" and "Despacito," told The Hollywood Reporter, "Whatever he's going through, I pray for him and hope he's OK." And another anonymous former team member said, "Seeing him disintegrate like this ... it's watching the embodiment of someone not living their purpose. He's lost."

The "Baby" singer himself has acknowledged certain issues, including imposter syndrome, anger management, and anxiety. "I think I hate myself sometimes when I feel myself start to become inauthentic," he once captioned a jam session video uploaded to Instagram. "Then I remember we're all being made to think we're not enough but I still hate when I change myself to please people."

It's not just the mental side of Justin Bieber's health that has come under scrutiny since he made that tricky transition from bubblegum pop star to serious adult artist. The former teen idol has also had to deal with rumors that he's continuing to put his physical health at risk by abusing various substances.

Several unflattering paparazzi photos in which Bieber looks disheveled, sleep-deprived, and much older than his 30-something years have sparked concerns that the Canadian may have fallen back on old habits. The "Sorry" singer previously admitted on his 2020 documentary series, "Justin Bieber: Sessions," that he'd once become so reliant on drugs that his security team had to make nightly checks to make sure he was still alive.

"People don't know how serious it got," he revealed (via Daily Mail). "It was legit crazy scary. I was waking up in the morning and the first thing I was doing was popping pills and smoking a blunt and starting my day." Bieber claimed at the time he'd since cleaned up his act, and one of his spokespeople backed him up in a 2025 statement to TMZ about the constant allegations, arguing the star was now in a great place in life.

Amid all the disturbing allegations that emerged during Sean "Diddy" Combs' fall from grace, a concerning video in which he appeared alongside a young Justin Bieber resurfaced online. It understandably sparked rumors that the former teen idol may have been one of the hip-hop mogul's victims.

First uploaded in 2009, the YouTube clip shows a teenage Bieber and the much older Diddy speaking directly to the cameras during a 48-hour period together. "Where we hanging out and what we're doing, we can't really disclose," the latter said. "But it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream." The "Beauty and a Beat" singer then demands they go "get some girls," much to the delight of the rapper, who was found guilty in 2025 of two counts of transportation for prostitution but not guilty of the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Following all the speculation, one of Bieber's official spokespeople felt compelled to set the record straight. "Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him," they said in a statement (via People). "Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve."

Despite shifting over 150 million records during his eventful career (per MusicWeek), Justin Bieber has also faced rumors of financial struggles. In fact, according to the press, the former heartthrob once owed the man who helped guide him to global superstardom more than $8 million!

In 2025, TMZ reported that accounting company PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted an independent audit that revealed Bieber owed former manager Scooter Braun the seven-figure sum. An anonymous source told Page Six the debt stemmed from a loan given during the Canadian's canceled "Justice" tour three years earlier.

The news came amid further rumors that Bieber's shopping habits had reached Michael Jackson-esque proportions. "He spends eye-watering amounts per month," another insider told Page Six. "At one point, he couldn't even get a credit card. Justin is surrounded by a lot of people that do not have his best interests at heart." And the professionals hired to look after his bank balance allegedly haven't helped either. Reports said that the chart-topper was even thinking of suing his one-time financial managers for letting an astonishing amount of money slip through the net.

In 2025, Hailey Bieber sold her cosmetic brand Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty for a remarkable $1 billion just three years after its launch. But the lucrative business deal soon became overshadowed by the potential reasons behind it. Indeed, several tabloids started to report the entrepreneur had only agreed to say goodbye to her company to help her financially stricken other half.

Justin Bieber was reportedly experiencing several financial issues at the time, of course, including the aforementioned debt to former manager Scooter Braun, as well as related debts to Braun's company, Hybe. The "Boyfriend" singer reportedly ended up paying the music mogul a cool $31.5 million, but according to a TMZ source, only after Hailey's megadeal had gone through.

However, a rep for the makeup maestro told Daily Mail that despite the close timing, there was no link between the two developments: "The historic sale of Rhode is a huge accomplishment for Hailey and is completely separate from her husband and his business affairs."

Could Justin and Hailey Bieber's relationship be professional as well as personal? A certain section of Justin's fan base believes that, indeed, his music career is now being managed by his other half. After having sold her cosmetics brand, she certainly has the time.

However, speaking on the podcast "In Your Dreams with Owen Thiele" (via Billboard), Hailey insisted there's no truth to this rumor. In fact, she described it as the craziest one she's ever heard about her relationship with Justin. The model has, of course, occasionally worked with her partner, appearing in the music videos for his singles "Yukon" and "10,000 Hours," the latter a collaboration with country duo Dan + Shay. But she insists she has no desire to take the role once occupied by Scooter Braun.

"There is no world in which that would ever ...," continued Hailey, who also spoke of how the press had incorrectly claimed she was pregnant countless times before she actually became a mom. "Like, that's my husband. What do we think is going on here? I thought that one was so funny, because it was so ridiculous and far-fetched."

One of the most salacious rumors surrounding Justin Bieber involves one of the biggest reality TV stars in the world: Kourtney Kardashian. Remember that odd period in 2015 when the Canadian, only just out of his teen idol phase, was said to be hooking up with the then-30-something Kardashian? Whether it was a way for her to get back at ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, a publicity stunt, or simply an innocent friendship, their unlikely connection later spawned a wild conspiracy theory about paternity.

Yes, tongues started wagging that Bieber, and not Disick, may be the father of Kardashian's third child Reign. The rumor persisted so much that in 202even the youngster himself decided to address it head-on during an Instagram Live with his stepsister Alabama Barker's boyfriend, Scooter Jackson.

"No, he's not. Bro, I swear, Justin Bieber is not my dad," the 10-year-old Reign insisted in the clip (via Daily Mail). "Scotty is my dad. I don't know how old my mom was, but I think Justin Bieber was 16 when I got born. I don't think my mom would do that."

Once considered young love's dream, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have spent much of the last decade throwing shade at each other in various passive-aggressive and downright cryptic ways. Take the post Bieber uploaded, for example, once news emerged that Gomez had gotten engaged to hitmaker Benny Blanco.

Indeed, Bieber got tongues wagging when he uploaded footage to Instagram from "The Lord of the Rings" of Gollum taking ownership of the One Ring before they're both thrown into Mordor's burning flames. He captioned it (via Daily Mail), "Girls on social media when they get engaged." But if this was intended to mock Gomez, who he dated on and off between 2010 and 2018, then it backfired. Many followers took to the comments section to throw some shade in his direction, too.

"I see why Hailey is obsessed. Her man is still thinking of his ex," one remarked, referring to Bieber's wife Hailey and her own feud with the "Only Murders in the Building" star. "That baby's first words will be Selena Gomez lmfaooooo," quipped another. Two years prior, Bieber was said to have taken aim at his former childhood sweetheart while celebrating his 29th birthday with some metal lighters that read (via Indy 100), "I'm so thankful that I didn't end up with what I thought I wanted."

Justin Bieber appears to have a habit of ditching his other half at award shows. Just a few months after stranding Hailey Bieber on the red carpet of the GQ Men of the Year ceremony, the Canadian reportedly made his exit from the Grammys with his wife nowhere to be seen.

The former teen idol, who was nominated for four gongs including Album of the Year at the 2026 show and famously performed in only his underwear, did at least arrive with Hailey in tow. But he didn't help to quash rumors his marriage was in trouble after he was pictured exiting an after-show party with a group of pals — including YouTuber Anastasia "Stassie" Karanikolaou — on the same night his plus-one hit the road on her own. And his apparent lack of chivalry didn't go unnoticed by social media, either.

"Leaving the function with a car full of girls while your wife walks to the curb alone is actually diabolical," one fan page captioned a post on Instagram. "Idk you all but having my friends hanging out after an AFTER PARTY with my husband while I go home to take care of my kid doesn't sound right to me," another commenter posted on X.

You know you're getting old when the pop idols you remember being plastered all over every teenybopper's walls are now being accused of getting hair transplants. Yes, in one of the more innocuous rumors about the oft-tragic Justin Bieber's eventful life, the "Love Yourself" singer is said to have gotten a little cosmetic help when it comes to his once-luscious locks.

The theory was backed up by Dr. Gary Linkov, a plastic surgeon who compared a snap of an apparently receding Bieber from 2022 with a pic from two years later in which his hairline had miraculously filled in. "When I'm looking at this corner here, [the hairline] looks much flatter, it doesn't have that recession," Linkov reasoned in a TikTok video. "And when the hair is wet, you can tell the regularity of that area, so it looks like maybe it was transplanted."

Linkov pointed out Bieber may have tried to throw gossip hounds off the scent with his notable use of headwear during this period. "Remember, hair transplants can take up to a year, a year and a half, to see final results," he said, adding weight to the theory.

The story that Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom had some kind of altercation at an Ibiza restaurant in 2014 doesn't appear to be up for debate. After all, there's actual footage of the latter being physically pried away from the former, having appeared to have thrown a punch in his direction. What started the fracas, however, is still disputed.

Rumor has it things between the pair got feisty when Bieber made some kind of remark about Bloom's ex-wife Miranda Kerr. An insider told New York Daily News it apparently referred to a sexual encounter Bieber had with the supermodel following a Victoria's Secret runway show two years previously — when she and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star were still very much married.

The oft-shady Bieber didn't exactly lie low following his run-in with Bloom. Soon after, he uploaded several taunting snaps to Instagram, including one of his new nemesis crying and another of a skimpily dressed Kerr captioned with the symbol of a crown. While some fans appreciated this spot of shade-throwing, others believed their idol had gone too far.

Justin Bieber has proudly spoken about his new-found faith in recent years. But some concerned friends believe the church he's recently pledged his allegiance to, Judah Smith's Beverly Hills-based Churchome, may essentially be a cult.

In 2025, the man who co-founded Bieber's old fashion label Drew House, Ryan Good, was said to have not been in contact with the former teen idol in over 12 months, and according to TMZ, Bieber's ever-growing closeness to Smith was a significant factor. In fact, Bieber had put Smith on the clothing brand's board despite no prior experience in the fashion or entrepreneurial worlds.

A month earlier, Bieber took to Instagram (via Page Six) to confirm he was no longer associated with Drew House, arguing its values didn't align with his and imploring fans to give the company a wide berth. And in a post uploaded to the same platform, Smith insisted the allegations surrounding Churchome were wide of the mark: "If we're a cult, we are the worst cult in the history of all cults. We meet once a month, guys."