Fans of Justin Bieber today opened up about their fears that the singer’s social media collapse is linked to his childhood friendship with controversial American rapper P Diddy.
The 30-year-old singer sparked concern over the weekend by posting a series of selfies on Instagram that showed him in tears.
In one, the forlorn singer stared straight into the camera, looking utterly dejected with a tear rolling down his cheek.
The photos led some fans to suggest that a rift between the Canadian musician and his wife Hailey, 27, was to blame.
But others say memories of his friendship with hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs may have increased the emotional strain on the vulnerable Bieber in recent weeks.
Justin Bieber has fans worried after sharing selfies of himself crying over the weekend
P-Diddy is under investigation for alleged sex trafficking. Police raided his Los Angeles home in March
Coombs, 54, is currently under investigation by the U.S. federal government for alleged sex trafficking.
Images of Combs hanging out with a 15-year-old Bieber resurfaced last month after the rapper’s homes were raided in connection with the investigation.
And fans fear disturbing video clips circulating online have led to the sudden deterioration in his well-being.
During the police investigation, a 14-year-old video from Bieber’s YouTube channel resurfaced, in which Diddy talks about spending “48 hours” with the “Baby” singer.
The “creepy” segment, from when Bieber was 15 and Combs was 39, shows Diddy telling the camera that the pair will spend 48 hours together at his LA home, but he can’t reveal exactly what they would do.
The clip started with Combs talking to Bieber about driving. “As soon as you turn 16, you know what I’m saying, I’m going to make you rock this every time you come to LA,” Combs tells Bieber as he shows him a Lamborghini under a tarp.
Combs removes the cover and Bieber tells him, “I mean, I’m 15; you could ride in the passenger seat. I got my permit.”
“You’re not done yet,” Combs tells Bieber. ‘To delay. Calm down, Justin.”
While Justin previously posted the crying photos without a caption, fans continued to worry and speculate in the comments
The 30-year-old singer took to his Instagram several times over the weekend and shared several photo dumps that sparked concern among fans
His wife Hailey Bieber wrote in the comments below the message that she thought her husband was ‘a beautiful cryer’
It comes as creepy images of Diddy and 15-year-old Bieber emerged online after the rapper faced an ongoing sex trafficking investigation
Justin and Hailey tied the knot in 2018 and since then they have regularly faced rumors of marital problems
Justin didn’t caption any of his posts or give a reason for his tears, which caused concern among his followers
Combs tells the camera. ‘Have you ever seen the movie 48 Hours? Right now he has 48 hours with Diddy, he and his son, they’re having the time of their lives.
‘Where we hang out and what we do; we can’t really reveal it. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I’ve been given custody of him.’
Combs adds that Bieber was signed to Usher’s label at the time. “I had legal custody of Usher when he made his first album; I did Usher’s first album,” Combs tells Bieber. “I have no legal custody of it [Justin]but he will be with me for the next 48 hours.”
Combs says he and Bieber would “go crazy” during their time together.
As for what Bieber wanted to do with the time, he says, “Let’s go get some girls.”
“Man after my own heart,” Combs says. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
In another clip, Diddy and Bieber are together in a recording studio, where Bieber reportedly recorded his 2010 debut album My World 2.0.
“How are you man, are you okay?” Combs asks Bieber, who feels uncomfortable as the older musician looks at him from behind tinted sunglasses. “Selling out arenas and stuff? You’re starting to act differently, aren’t you? You haven’t called me or hung out like you used to.”
Bieber shuffles his feet and mumbles, “Well, I mean, you didn’t… you tried to contact me through all my partners and everything, but you never really got my number. So you want my number? I’m going to tell you my number.’
The resurfaced clips come as Homeland Security raided Diddy’s mansions in Miami and Los Angeles
In a statement after the police raids on Diddy’s home, the rapper’s lawyer called them an “unprecedented ambush”
Another 26-second clip from several years later was recorded at a party and a woman can be heard saying, “Congratulations Justin!”
Diddy handed Justin a bottle before the singer got down on one knee and drank from it. The clip then cuts to other moments at the party with Justin and Diddy dancing and cameras flashing.
The video is believed to have been shot between 2015 and 2016, putting Justin in his late teens.
Justin and Hailey tied the knot in 2018 and since then they have regularly faced rumors of marital problems.
The speculation was recently reignited by Hailey’s father Stephen Baldwin, who posted about “special challenges” the couple was facing in a since-deleted Instagram post in February.
The Usual Suspects actor, 57, asked for “a little prayer for them to gain wisdom and protection and get closer to the Lord.”
After a source told TMZ that Hailey was upset with her father over the comment, the Drop the Mic star has since made several attempts to quell the subsequent rumors.
While celebrating her groom’s 30th birthday last month, Hailey shared a throwback photo from her and Justin’s wedding with a sweet tribute.
In addition to the criminal investigation, Diddy was also the suspect in several recent sexual abuse lawsuits.
In a lawsuit that Combs settled the day after it was filed in November, his former protégé and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him for years of sexual abuse, including rape. According to the lawsuit, he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to recruit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said he raped her 20 years ago when she was 17.
Combs and his attorneys have denied all allegations in the lawsuits.
After the federal raids, Combs’ representatives released a blast, calling it a “gross overuse of military force.”
“Yesterday there was a gross excessive use of force at a military level when search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residence,” the statement said.
“There is no excuse for the authorities’ excessive show of force and hostility or for the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained, but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor his family members have been arrested, and their ability to travel has not been restricted in any way.”