Reports of concern about Justin Bieber amid Sean Combs scandal

Bieber is said to have massive regrets about collaborating with Combs last year. Photo / Getty Images

KEY FACTS:

• Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested in New York this week on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He has pled not guilty.
• Clips of Combs and a then-teenage Bieber have resurfaced on social media following the raid on Diddy’s homes.
• Bieber collaborated with the Diddy on The Love Album: Off the Grid, released September 2023.
• The first of 10 sexual assault lawsuits was filed against Combs in November 2023.

Warning: Mentions abuse, assault.

Bieber, formerly a close friend of Combs, has allegedly “cut himself off from the world” after the disgraced star’s arrest, insiders claim.

Fears are growing for Justin Bieber after claims he’s “cut himself off from the world” following the news of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ arrest.

Bieber was just a young child when he first developed a friendship with the disgraced star.

At 14 years old, Bieber, who previously referred to Combs as a “brother”, pitched a song to the star that led to him becoming a breakout sensation.

The pair became close, and Bieber regularly spent time with Combs during his meteoric rise to stardom.

With news of Combs’ alleged crimes becoming public knowledge, Bieber has reportedly been left struggling to come to terms with the scandal.

Bieber regularly spent time with Combs during his meteoric rise to stardom. Photo / Getty Images

“Bieber is so disturbed by the Diddy news and is unwilling to process it or discuss it so he has shut off,” an insider told Daily Mail.

“So many people who helped to make him who he is were very close to Diddy and it has completely thrown him. Justin hasn’t been responding on this since the home raids. He’s not going to.”

The insider added that Bieber also has massive regrets about collaborating with the disgraced star last year.

“He had a long break from Diddy when he believes most of this took place and he had distanced himself from him.

“He was featured on Diddy’s most recent album, and had he known any of this, there is no way he would have done it.”

It comes after clips of Combs and a then-teenage Bieber emerged on social media following the raiding of the disgraced star’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

One clip saw the pair standing together, with Combs saying: “He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream”.

Court documents obtained by TMZ on Tuesday ahead of Combs’ arraignment revealed that he has been charged with three counts: racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution.

In a statement, Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, condemned his client’s arrest.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” he said on Monday.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the black community.”

Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him for rape and physical abuse throughout their 10-year relationship. Photo / Getty Images

Combs’ downfall began in November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a bombshell lawsuit against the rap mogul, accusing him of rape and physical abuse throughout their 10-year relationship.

The exes settled the suit the next day.

In May, video surveillance of the Sean John founder violently attacking the Me & U singer, 38, in a hotel in 2016 was released to the public.

The clip, which was taken at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California, showed a towel-clad Combs punching and kicking Ventura in a hallway as she tried to escape to the elevator.

After the video surfaced, the Last Night rapper, who had previously denied abusing the model, issued an apology for his actions, saying his behaviour in the video was “inexcusable.”