Justin Bieber's decision to sell his music catalog for $200 million in late 2022 may have stemmed from a looming financial crisis and a deteriorating relationship with former manager Scooter Braun, according to multiple sources cited in a new TMZ documentary.
Sources close to the singer told TMZ that Bieber, now 31, was on the brink of "financial collapse" when he sold his catalog to Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital. The sale made him the youngest artist to ever divest his entire catalog, a move insiders claim Braun advised against. According to the report, Braun suggested waiting until January 2023 to secure a tax benefit, but Bieber allegedly insisted on a December transaction.
The revelations come days ahead of the airing of TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?, which explores the pop star's business unraveling and his fractured relationship with Braun, who discovered Bieber in the late 2000s and managed him for over a decade. Braun announced his retirement from artist management in June 2024-just one day after his professional split with Bieber.
The documentary alleges the rift was partly due to a fallout over Bieber's canceled "Justice" world tour. In 2022, Bieber halted the tour after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. At the time, he cited health reasons, stating, He needed to make his "health the priority right now." However, sources from Braun's side told TMZ the cancellation came despite a $40 million advance from tour promoter AEG, leaving Bieber on the hook for $24 million. Braun's company, Hybe America, reportedly stepped in to cover the debt, with Bieber allegedly agreeing to repay it in installments over 10 years-though only one payment was ever made, according to the documentary.
Conflicting narratives have emerged. Bieber's then-business manager Lou Taylor reportedly told his team that the singer had overpaid Braun by $26 million in commission, prompting skepticism of the debt repayment plan. Hybe, meanwhile, conducted an internal audit followed by an external six-month review by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which concluded Bieber owed approximately $8.8 million. Bieber's camp claims to have commissioned its own audit but has yet to disclose the findings.
The money woes coincide with Bieber's increasingly erratic social media presence. He recently posted a now-deleted Instagram video series filled with offbeat reflections on fishing, loyalty, and religion, declaring, "G-O-D. Our boy Jesus, he's got a plan and he works all things together for Gucci." He also unveiled a controversial phone case design under his fashion label SKYLRK intended to hold marijuana joints, borrowing from a concept originally patented by his wife Hailey Bieber's Rhode skincare brand.
Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber, 28, has been pursuing a $1 billion valuation for Rhode, with J.P. Morgan and Moelis enlisted to find potential buyers. Despite reported $200 million in sales, sources say the brand's online-only presence and heavy association with a single celebrity have dampened acquisition interest. One insider told WWD, "Nobody paid $1 billion for Rare Beauty, nobody paid $1 billion for Makeup by Mario. Why would they pay that for Rhode?"
The pressure on the couple has escalated amid mounting public scrutiny. Bieber stirred controversy on Mother's Day with a since-deleted message reading, "Love u moms but mothers day sucks a**." Some fans speculated the remark was a slight toward Hailey, while others pointed to longstanding tensions with his own mother.
In April, Rhode's Chief Brand Officer Lauren Ratner told Vogue the lip balm phone case was born from a desire to merge utility and design: "Our customer won't go anywhere without their Peptide Lip Treatment... it was a natural fit to combine the two." Bieber's reinterpretation of the design to carry joints drew amusement and a hesitant response from Hailey, who replied in the comments: "I'll think about it!"
