UPDATE: 4/16/25 at 2:57 p.m. ET — Justin Bieber’s team responded to The Hollywood Reporter article published on Wednesday, April 16, in a statement obtained by Us Weekly.
“This is just clickbait stupidity based on unnamed — and clearly ill-informed — ‘sources,’ disappointed that they no longer work with Justin,” the statement read. “As Justin forges his own way forward, these unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions will continue. But they won’t deter him from staying committed to following the right path.”
Original story continues below:
Justin Bieber’s team is denying various claims that the singer is millions of dollars in debt following the 2023 cancellation of his Justice World Tour.
“Any source that is trying to sell you a story about alleged financial distress … either doesn’t understand the entertainment industry or, more likely, is trying to paint an unflattering portrait of Justin, which bears no resemblance to reality,” Bieber’s team told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement published on Wednesday, April 16.
The statement was included in THR’s new article about Bieber titled, “Justin Bieber’s Crisis of Faith?”
The outlet alleged that Bieber’s February 2023 announcement canceling the remaining dates in his Justice World Tour “triggered a series of financial consequences that are still plaguing the artist today.” (Bieber, 31, canceled the tour due to ongoing health problems.)
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THR further alleged that Bieber owned a “large debt” to tour promoter AEG — an estimated $20 million, per insiders. (The article claimed that Bieber was given a $40 million advance for the tour.)
“To date, Bieber has only returned a portion of what he borrowed,” THR alleged, noting that several sources have claimed the singer is “overstretched” financially, especially with the ownership of six homes.
In January 2023, Bieber sold his entire catalog of music for $200 million, which included his publishing and recorded rights, his master recordings and his entire back catalog — an estimated 290 titles released before 2022. (It’s been widely reported that Bieber sold to Hipgnosis Songs Capital.)
THR alleged that the initial deal was set to go through at $140 million, but Bieber’s team at the time — including his former manager Scooter Braun — apparently got the price raised. The profile claimed that Bieber’s team hoped it would offer the singer “financial security” for a lengthy amount of time.
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Us Weekly has reached out to Bieber’s team for further comment.
Wednesday’s profile comes amid recent widespread concerns for the singer. Fans started chattering in January after it appeared that Justin had unfollowed his wife, Hailey Bieber, on Instagram, causing rumors and confusion. He has since set the record straight.
A rep for Justin later shut down “absolutely not true” rumors about alleged drug use in a February statement to TMZ. The statement further referred to speculation as “exhausting and pitiful,” noting that the ongoing conversation about the pop star “shows that despite the obvious truth, people are committed to keeping negative, salacious, harmful narratives alive.”
Justin “ended several close friendships and business relationships that no longer served him,” the February rep statement continued, noting that the past year has been “very transformative” for the singer.
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