Entertainment
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ByTreva Bowdoin/
After Diddy was hit with allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse, social media users began closely scrutinizing the rap mogul's relationships with other celebrities — including Justin Bieber. The "Peaches" singer and Diddy go way back. Diddy once served as a mentor toUsher, who developed a similar relationship with Bieber. When Usher was 14, Diddy started taking him to parties that were not appropriate for someone his age. "Puffy's idea was to make me a bit rougher, with more edge," Usher explained to the Daily Mail. Diddy has also partied with Bieber, but some netizens don't think that the younger musician seemed thrilled about hanging with the Bad Boy Records founder in a resurfaced video.
The video in question is from 2010 and shows Diddy and then-16-year-old Bieber interacting in a studio. Diddy begins their convo by talking about how Bieber's fame has affected their relationship. "[You're] starting to act different, huh? You ain't been calling me and hanging out the way we used to hang out." Bieber starts stammering in response and reveals that he knew Diddy had been trying to contact him. He then offers to give Diddy his personal number but starts reciting the nonexistent area code 5-5-5. "BEYOND creepy a grown man upset they don't hang like they use too and Justin VISIBLY uncomfortable around him," read one reaction to the video on X, formerly known as Twitter. It wouldn't be the only time the two musicians had an odd interaction.
Justin Bieber's social media entreaty to Diddy wasn't fruitful
In September 2023, Diddy took to X to share a video of Justin Bieber in the studio with him. Diddy was hyping the Biebs up as he recorded vocals for "Moments," their collab that was featured on Diddy's sixth studio album, "The Love Album: Off the Grid." Diddy's tweet included the words, "I met [Bieber] when he was playing his guitar outside on the street. I'm honored to call him a dear friend and a brother. I never had the chance to work with him until now!" But this wasn't exactly true.
In 2009, Bieber reached out to Diddy via X to ask the rapper if he was interested in a collab. The pop star also rallied his Beliebers to help him get Diddy's attention, writing, "Everyone tell @iamdiddy we need to make this J Bieber / P Diddy collab song happen" (via MTV News). His dutiful fans did such a good job carrying out his command that Diddy eventually responded to Bieber's tweet. The teen idol already had a song prepared, so Diddy told Bieber to send it his way. In a 2023 post on his Instagram Story, Bieber revealed the fate of that song. "I remember going to my brother Diddy's office to pitch him a song I wrote for him when I was like 14, sadly the song was trash haha," he wrote (via People), "and it would be a hard no from him."
Diddy and Justin Bieber's 48-hour party left many feeling skeptical
In 2009, Justin Bieber shared a video on YouTube that showed him meeting Diddy. The rapper informed viewers that he and the underage teen were about to spend two full days together, comparing what he had planned to the 1982 buddy cop movie "48 Hrs." In the film, Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy team up to track down some dangerous criminals. "Where we hanging out and what we're doing we can't really disclose. But it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream," said Diddy. Who knew so many teens dream of getting involved in shootouts with cold-blooded killers?
The situation reminded Diddy of when he introduced an underage Usher to his wild lifestyle. "I have been given custody of [Bieber]," Diddy continued. "You know, he's signed to Usher; I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album." When Diddy asked Bieber what he wanted to do during their time together, the rapper approved of the teen's response: "Get some girls."
The video started making the rounds on social media after some of Diddy's accusers made allegations about his partying. In the same lawsuit in which Diddy is accused of making shady payments to famous women, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones claims that Diddy partied with minor girls and had them drugged, per Vulture. "A grown man saying to Bieber 'yeah let's get some girls' is wrong in so many ways," read one Redditor's reaction to the video of Diddy and Bieber.
Diddy gave Justin Bieber the keys to his Lambo
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When Justin Bieber met Diddy in 2009, the "All About the Benjamins" singer was captured on camera promising Bieber that he could come over and borrow his white Lamborghini as soon as he got his driver's license. [0:06] Bieber didn't seem to believe him, however. "We all know Diddy's not going to give me his Lamborghini, he's all talk," Bieber later told People. But after Bieber celebrated his 16th birthday, he was photographed behind the wheel of the car. According to the Daily Mail, Bieber was taking his pal Sean Kingston to get some froyo. Diddy had also offered Bieber his mansion when he turned 18. However, it seems that he did not fulfill that promise.
Further cementing his friendship with the Biebs, Diddy jumped to his defense in 2010. It's not unheard of for white artists to get BET Award nods, but it is such a rarity that Diddy felt the need to voice his support for the show's decision to include Bieber among its best new artist nominees. "The beauty of BET is, if Justin Bieber's hot, then he deserves to be on that stage," Diddy stated at a press conference, per the Daily News. "Sometimes, at other award shows, the color of your skin or the type of music you make takes away from getting the accolade you deserve." The "Beauty and a Beat" singer ended up getting beat by Nicki Minaj.
Justin Bieber had a suspect drink while partying with Diddy
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In 2013, Diddy shared a wholesome photo of Justin Bieber graciously posing for a photo with Diddy's daughters Chance, D'Lila, and Jessie. Diddy captioned the since-deleted pic, "After the girls took this picture, they called me and told me that the only person as cool as me is this guy! Thank you @justinbieber!" (via Digital Spy). Apparently, the Biebs thought their dad was pretty cool, too, as he was photographed partying hardy with Diddy the following year.
Biebs had gotten embroiled in some legal trouble before he hit up Atlanta's Vanquish Lounge nightclub with Diddy and his entourage; one month prior, he'd been arrested for a DUI. But the Daily Mail suggested that Bieber had a suspicious drink in his hand at Diddy's CIROC vodka party. He was photographed with an AQUAHydrate bottle, which should have contained clear water loaded with electrolytes. However, the liquid inside his bottle was yellow.
At some point during the night, Biebs doffed his shirt. In addition to Diddy, his fellow revelers included Diddy's then-girlfriend Cassie, model Chantel Jeffries, and rappers Rick Ross, Wale, TI, and Jermaine Dupri. In a 2021 Instagram post, Bieber reflected on how he was feeling during that time in his life. "I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god," he wrote. That same year, he shared a video of himself and Diddy hugging and praying. Before they part ways, Bieber tells the rapper, "Love you."
Why Justin Bieber was accused of disrespecting Diddy
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In March 2019, Justin Bieber used a photo of Diddy posing with his late ex Kim Porter to promote his clothing brand, Drew House, on Instagram. "KP YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FOR THE STUNNING WOMAN YOU WERE INSIDE AND OUT," Bieber wrote in the caption after tagging Drew House's Instagram account and including a hashtag demonstrating Diddy's support for the label. He'd seen the photo on Diddy's page, where the rapper had used it in a tribute to Porter.
Some people thought it was distasteful for Bieber to turn a memorial into an ad. "Not cool. Diddy makes a vulnerable post and you turn it into a marketing moment. Have some respect," one Instagrammer wrote. "It's like you have no ethics at all," another message read. Bieber reacted to the criticism by saying that he meant no disrespect. He added that he hadn't realized that Diddy's original, since-deleted post was about his grief, even though Diddy mentioned missing Porter. Also, Bieber just really liked the shot — and Diddy's all-tan ensemble had caught his eye. "He happens to be wearing an identical outfit of my clothing line," Bieber wrote in the comments (via E! News).
This wasn't the first time Bieber committed a clothing-related offense against Diddy. In 2016, he posted an Instagram photo of himself, Kanye West, and Diddy praying together. In the shot, Bieber was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of Diddy's late rap rival Tupac.
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