Wikipedia
Wikipedia

After only a month of marriage, sources close to Justin Bieber are concerned that the star might be falling back into old habits. Prior to joining Hillsong Church in 2017, Bieber had gotten himself into an enormous amount of trouble. He visited a brothel in Rio de Janeiro, was sued for assault and emotional distress after kicking and punching a photography in Los Angeles while on a date with Selena Gomez, was caught urinating in a New York City restaurant kitchen and was busted for drug possession in Sweden all during 2013. Less than a year later, he was arrested for driving under the influence, assaulted a limousine driver in Toronto, was arrested again after an ATV wreck led to a physical altercation in Ontario and had to pay over $80,000 in damages after he vandalized his neighbor’s mansion.

Bieber seemed to clean up his act after he began investing more time in his faith in 2017. He canceled his Purpose World Tour and began paying more attention to his health. “He’s come a long way,” said JonBoy, a friend of Bieber’s. “It’s amazing how much he’s changed and how much God has done.”

Bieber’s recent actions, however, have made those close to him wonder if he is slipping back into bad habits. In August, he was found crying on the West Side Highway bike path and looked disoriented while shopping shirtless in Tribeca. A week after his wedding saw Bieber busking outside Buckingham Palace, and an even more recent video showed Bieber shaking and acting jittery while meeting fans in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A friend of Hailey Baldwin, Bieber’s newlywed wife, said that Bieber’s wide eyed and unsteady appearance was very reminiscent of his party days.

“You could tell he wasn’t all there [at the parties],” the friend said. “He would be slurring his words or shaking. You could tell he was not normal.”

Bieber has also faced some scrutiny over who he apparently did not tell about his whirlwind romance with Baldwin or their short two month engagement. “I wasn’t told [about the engagement or marriage],” said George Bieber, Justin’s grandfather. “He’s old enough, I guess. I was young when I got married, 17 or 18, but that didn’t last.”

Both Bieber’s team and his mentor, Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz, were also caught off guard by the sudden engagement and quick marriage. Lentz and Bieber had a falling out, and Lentz offered noticeably hesitant congratulations to the couple when he was informed of the engagement during an interview. One source close to Bieber suggested that the newlywed was having “an ongoing identity crisis.” One can only hope the star manages to overcome his crisis before it damages his young marriage or hurts his newlywed wife.

More from Beliefnet and our partners