Performing at a lavish pre-wedding party for the billionaire son of India‘s richest man earlier this month, Justin Bieber looked haggard, strung out and stressed.
Freshly off a flight direct from LA to Mumbai, Bieber rattled through a lengthy set of his greatest hits as part of Anant Ambani’s gawdy, months-long and multi-continent marital celebration.
Hours later, he was hightailing it back to California and home to his pregnant wife, Hailey.
Bieber reportedly cashed a $10 million paycheck for the gig. But, given that the 30-year-old megastar is already worth a comfortable $300 million, the question was raised:
Why had he taken time away from his expectant wife to perform at such a frivolous event? Did he need the money that badly?
This week, speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, two sources close to Bieber have claimed that the star is growing increasingly desperate.
Performing at a lavish pre-wedding party for the billionaire son of India’s richest man earlier this month (pictured), Justin Bieber looked haggard, strung out and stressed.
This week, speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, two sources close to Bieber have claimed that the star is growing increasingly desperate. (Pictured with wife Hailey).
‘Hailey is a seriously high spender,’ one source alleged. ‘She has spent tens of millions on private jets to fly around the world, including once taking a plane just to get her nails done at a particular manicurist.’
What’s more, Bieber is seemingly no longer the music-making juggernaut he once was – something both insiders blamed on Hailey.
‘He’s isolated from his friends and family. He’s miserable right now as Hailey has taken complete control over him. He has lost his identity, creative drive and he is uninspired,’ one claimed.
That description is certainly a far cry from the confident 12-year-old who first appeared on stages in 2009, performing his debut single ‘One Time’.
Flash forward to today: Bieber hasn’t released a new album since 2021 and hasn’t toured since 2022, after he cut short his ‘Justice’ run of shows over a health scare.
Announcing the world tour’s cancellation, he told fans in September 2022 that he was making ‘health a priority’ following a terrifying bout of facial paralysis caused by Ramsay Hunt syndrome – a rare neurological disorder.
Then, in January 2023, there was another shock: Bieber announced he was selling the rights to his entire 291-song back catalog.
Music investment company ‘Hipgnosis Songs Capital’ reportedly bought Bieber’s lifework for $200 million. In exchange, he no longer receives royalties on any of the tracks he’s released or had an interest in before December 31, 2021.
Some Bieber insiders were allegedly surprised by the decision to sell.
Successful musicians traditionally look to offload their catalogs near the end of their careers when the windfall can help finance their expensive lifestyles as they step back from the spotlight.
‘Justin was advised against selling. Hailey played a part in convincing him to do it,’ a source claimed.
In May, the couple renewed their wedding vows in Hawaii, with Hailey revealing her pregnancy and a new 18-carat oval-cut diamond engagement ring estimated to cost $1.5 million and to go alongside her original 10-carat dazzler priced at $600,000.
She now wears both.
‘Hailey is a seriously high spender,’ one source alleged. ‘She has spent tens of millions on private jets to fly around the world, including once taking a plane just to get her nails done at a particular manicurist.’
In May, the couple renewed their wedding vows in Hawaii, with Hailey revealing her pregnancy and a new 18-carat oval-cut diamond engagement ring estimated to cost $1.5 million (right) and to go alongside her original 10-carat dazzler priced at $600,000 (left).
‘Justin was initially against [buying the new ring] and some people told him that it was awful of her to even ask for it,’ an insider alleged, adding that Hailey ‘told Justin that she had to have it to renew their vows. In the end she got what she wanted.’
Hailey’s influence is even said to extend to Bieber’s clothing, which in recent years has shifted from a more manicured style to a grungy look.
‘Hailey used to only want Justin to look hot,’ a source said. ‘Now she likes him to look unkempt because then she thinks that girls will not flock to him.’
Asked to respond to these claims, a representative for the couple declined to comment, dismissing the allegations as ‘salacious’.
Hailey’s increased management over her husband’s life may have come about through necessity.
Bieber has long been open about his struggles with addiction.
He started smoking marijuana at 12, before going on to abuse pills and alcohol, once describing drugs as a ‘numbing agent’ to help him cope with the stresses of celebrity.
‘My security would come into my room at night to check my pulse,’ he admitted in a 2020 documentary. ‘People don’t know how serious it got. It was legit crazy scary.’
After the couple married in 2018, Bieber seemed to settle into a more serene lifestyle, telling GQ magazine that being with Hailey had given him ‘someone to love’ and a stable home.
‘Before, I didn’t have that to look forward to in my life,’ he said.
But cracks in their relationship soon started to show. The pair have openly discussed issues in their first year of marriage, during which Bieber battled bouts of severe depression.
Speaking on a podcast in 2021, Hailey revealed: ‘There were days where I literally was like, ‘I don’t know if he’s going to be okay.’ That’s what I think was the hardest thing. There’s no guarantees.’
But in April, Justin posted a concerning selfie with tears streaming down his face, leading to frenzied speculation about marital problems.
At the start of the year, rumors began to swirl online that trouble was brewing Chez Bieber once more – a theory that was only reinforced by Hailey’s father, actor Stephen Baldwin, who sensationally asked the public to ‘pray’ for the couple in a social media post in February.
Hailey attempted to quash the gossip, taking to Instagram herself the following month, insisting that any claims of martial struggles ‘come from the land of delusion’ and are ‘always false’.
But in April, things spiralled further when Justin posted a concerning selfie with tears streaming down his face – leading to frenzied speculation of an imminent split, especially since a clear explanation for the photo is still yet to emerge.
Certainly, the Biebers have survived hard times before. But it remains to be seen whether this latest bump will prove one challenge too many for a marriage that, by their own admission, has been plagued with difficulty.