Justin Bieber has been in the limelight from a very young age, and after being discovered by Scooter Braun at 12 years old he shot to astronomical levels of success.
Teens (and even adults) everywhere were hit with Bieber fever, but as old clips of the singer in his teen years are resurfacing, people are just realising how awfully Bieber was treated at the time.
One fan made compilation in particular has gone viral online. – Together, moments where Bieber was repeatedly subjected to inappropriate behaviour and sexualised questions were edited together with the caption ”He was just a kid :(.”
The first clip shows the singer being grabbed on stage at an awards showing 2012 by Jenny McCarthy, who is shown to grabs Bieber’s neck and begins to forcefully kiss him, before pushing him further onto stage.
McCarthy was 40 years old at the time, whilst Bieber was 18.
He then responded by saying, “Wow, I feel violated right now.”
Another video in the compilation shows him being interviewed on the radio, where he was asked “My parents never gave me the sex talk. Why don’t you give me the sex talk?”
The pop star immediately hit back and said “I feel uncomfortable right now. Why do you want to know the sex talk from a 15-year-old boy? That’s pretty weird.”
Throughout, Bieber is also continuously asked question about girls, and if he likes ”big boobs,” all at the age of 15 and with his mom in the room.
Many people in the comments are shocked that this behaviour went unnoticed at the time, stating that if this were to happen now, or to a young female artist in particular, the repercussions would be very different.
Commenters said the clips have influenced their opinions on Bieber, causing them to feel more sympathetic towards him because of his past.
“POV you’re a millennial who grew up with Justin Bieber in the same generation and realize he lost his innocence to this evil shithole in exchange for ‘fame’ while being exploited left to right and no one protected him,” read one caption under a viral duet from March 5, that shows a user reacting to the clips
“This honestly made me see him in a different light,” read another expressing their sympathy.
In the past, Bieber has been open about his journey with fame, and how it’s had a huge impact on his mental health, as well as all his relationships. He admitted to taking “heavy drugs” at the age of 19 and also “abused all” of his relationships. “I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry,” he said.
He is now 29 years old, and married to model Hailey Bieber.
