Justin Bieber has broken his silence amid once-friend and longtime collaborator Diddy's ongoing sex trafficking trial.
In a statement issued to People, the pop star's team addressed the legal proceedings against the music mogul born Sean Combs, who is facing life in prison for his alleged crimes. "Although Justin is not among Sean Combs'[s] victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him," Bieber's spokesperson said. "Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve."
This is the first time the pop star has spoken out since Combs was arrested last September, with federal prosecutors accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of manning a large-scale criminal operation for decades, in which he "abused, threatened and coerced women," partially by way of drug-fuelled parties known as "freak-offs," according to the indictment [via Billboard].
In November 2023, Combs's ex, R&B singer Cassie, sued him for rape, sex trafficking and repeated physical abuse — which he denied, and the lawsuit that was quickly settled. Still, it prompted a federal investigation, as well as a groundswell of at least 70 [via USA Today] additional lawsuits accusing Diddy of sexual assault and other related charges. Today is the fifth day of the trial, which has so far been heavily focused on Cassie's days-long testimony.
Because of their long history of association dating back to the beginning of Bieber's career, rumours have swirled that he may have been among Combs's victims — especially with newfound attention being paid to a video of the pair uploaded to Bieber's YouTube channel in 2009. Now with more than 11 million views, the clip sees a then-15-year-old Bieber hanging out with Diddy for 48 hours, which included discussing cars and hitting on girls.
"Where we hanging out and what we're doing, we can't really disclose," Combs says in the video. "But it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream."