As a result of unconditional love, the pope ultimately triumphed over his demons. Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber's supporting wife of six years, was front and center cheering him on as he made an unexpected cameo on stage at a Don Toliver performance in Los Angeles.
"It's incredible to see him get up on stage last week after what he's been through," an insider told Woman's Day Australia of the popstar's dramatic reinvention.
As a former child megastar who has publicly struggled with mental health concerns and drug addiction, it is remarkable that Justin, who is now 30 years old, has not only survived both of these challenges but has emerged from them as a more resilient individual.
According to the source, becoming a father to his and Hailey's first-born child, Blues, in August has provided him with something that he has always craved.
"Fatherhood has been a revelation for Justin," the insider said, who's also working on his first new music since 2021. "He's totally, madly in love with his son. His face lights up with joy when the subject comes up, but he's also fiercely protective of the baby and Hailey."
"They've become their own little family unit away from the Baldwins and Biebers," the source continued.
Following all of the efforts that Justin has put forth to recast himself as a devoted spouse and, more recently, a father, the concept that he has been dragged into the scandalous sex abuse controversy involving Diddy has weighed heavily on him in recent weeks.
The popstar's friendship with the disgraced rapper when he was a teenager has been under scrutiny lately, and a source told Us Weekly Justin was "completely disgusted" by Diddy's alleged crimes. The insider added, "Justin doesn't want to talk about the past when there's so much to be excited about. Just having his son alone has brought him to a new deep level of self-worth and appreciation."
As Diddy remains in jail awaiting his sex trafficking trial, the scandal by association has left Justin "in a hard place mentally right now,” amid source claims that he "should never have been allowed to party with Diddy or anyone else when he was a teen."
When Justin was still a young pop sensation with a fresh face, the rapper took him under his wing. By the time Justin was approximately 19 years old, he was engaging in "pretty heavy drugs" and struggling with challenging mental demons.
"My security and stuff would come into my room at night to check my pulse," he admitted in his documentary in 2020. "People don't know how serious it got. It was legit crazy scary. I was waking up in the morning and popping pills and smoking a blunt to start my day."
A significant contributor to Justin's recovery was the steadfast love of his model wife, who is 27 years old. He has been able to maintain his recovery with the assistance of Hailey, even though it has brought back terrible memories of her own family's troubles, particularly the addictions that her father, actor Stephen Baldwin, had in the past.
"I've had times where I'd get nervous (asking Justin], Are you OK to do this? Because you did have a time in your life where it was not OK for you and it was a dark time for you?" Hailey said in 2021. "But he has very good self awareness when it comes to that and is very open about it."
Despite the fact that the pair are believed to have removed themselves from the drama that has been going on in their families, Stephen has spoken up about the life that they have established together. For MailOnline, he stated, "I am just glad [Justin] connected with a great gal to help him survive. Their happiness and their well-being and their health are more obviously now better than ever."
It is a well-known truth that Justin has completely transformed his life to the point that younger musicians, such as the Australian musician Kid Laroi, are now looking to him for direction.
"Maybe a lot of people don't understand how much of a good leader and mentor he is... he's probably the first person I go and speak to," he said.
As for living and learning, Justin says, "As humans, we are imperfect. My past, my mistakes, all the things that I've been through... I believe I'm right where I'm supposed to be."
Business Times has reached out to Justin Bieber for comments.
