The Kid Laroi praises ‘mentor’ Justin Bieber during talk at SXSW Sydney amid Diddy allegations: ‘Not a lot of people have experienced what he has’

The Kid Laroi has credited his longtime friend and ‘mentor’ Justin Bieber with helping him deal with the dire circumstances of fame, amid allegations about Justin’s own former mentor Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

During his keynote speech at SXSW Sydney on Saturday, the 21-year-old Australian opened up about his friendship with the Peaches hitmaker, 30 – three years after collaborating on hit single Stay.

“Another person I wanted to highlight today… maybe a lot of people don’t understand how much of a great leader and mentor he is, but Justin Bieber, especially in the last few years since he met and (lived) in Los Angeles,” Laroi , born Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, said.

“Not many people have been through what he’s been through and I know I certainly haven’t been through that, I’ve been through a little bit of it and he’s helped me a lot.

“For me, I always know that if I have a question or if I’m unsure about something, I find that he’s probably the first person I’m going to talk to.”

Diddy, 54, has been charged with sex trafficking and related crimes and will likely spend about a decade behind bars if found guilty. More than 120 alleged victims have already come forward.

The rapper’s relationship with Justin has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the allegations, claims Diddy denies.

Justin himself, Jack Blues’ new father with wife Hailey, 27, is said to be ‘disgusted’ by the allegations against Diddy and wants ‘nothing to do with him’.

Earlier this month, a resurfaced interview clip with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Justin Bieber went viral following the rapper’s arrest.

It showed a grinning Diddy warning Justin not to talk about the things he does “with big brother Puff” during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! together when the pop singer was only 16 years old.

During the interview, the pair reflected on the friendship they had at the time, but one comment stood out to fans.

When Jimmy asked how they became friends, Diddy replied, “I think we became friends in a weird way.” It’s like Rob & Big’, a reference to skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and his bodyguard Christopher ‘Big Black’ Boykin.

During his keynote speech at SXSW Sydney on Saturday, the 21-year-old Australian opened up about his friendship with the Peaches hitmaker, 30 – three years after collaborating on hit single Stay

“Not many people have gone through what he went through and I know I certainly haven’t. I went through a little part of it and he helped me a lot,” Laroi said.

Diddy, 54, has been charged with sex trafficking and related crimes and will likely spend about a decade behind bars if found guilty

He added: “He is like a little brother to many of us. He is not afraid to call and ask for advice. He is someone who is a strong family in terms of industry.

“He’s someone we definitely have our arms around and we want to protect him because, in addition to his talents, he’s really such a nice person. He’s one of the greatest kids you could ever know.”

Jimmy then asked Justin, “You know, Diddy bought his son a Bentley, maybe he can buy you one too while you’re at it.”

The rapper’s relationship with Justin has come under renewed scrutiny following the allegations, claims Diddy denies

Justin replied, “He bought me a Lamborghini. But I haven’t gotten it yet

Jimmy said, “When is that coming? That Lamborghini. We talked about this last time.”

In comments, which did not go well, Diddy explained: ‘The Lamborghini for a day or two and he had access to the house.

“And he knows better than to go on national television and talk about the things he does with big brother Puff. Not everything is for everyone.’

Diddy was arrested at a New York City hotel last month and charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The star will remain in a Brooklyn jail until he goes to trial in his sex trafficking case, after a second judge refused to accept a $50 million bail package offered by his lawyers.

U.S. District Judge Andrew L Carter Jr. has denied Combs’ request to be released into home confinement with GPS monitoring, with the judge noting that the hip-hop mogul could potentially tamper with witnesses.

Combs pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges on September 19.

Justin himself, Jack Blues’ new father with wife Hailey, 27, is said to be ‘disgusted’ by the allegations against Diddy and wants ‘nothing to do with him’. Pictured: Justin and Hailey in 2022