• Justin Bieber has been in the news recently for his behavior online
  • The Canadian singer was accused of being shady to his ex, Selena Gomez
  • Ahead of Coachella, he went on an unprovoked rant against some paparazzi
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber has been in the news again. This time it’s for ranting at paparazzi. Bieber, 31, is in Palm Springs for this year’s first week of the Coachella music festival. He was heading into a coffee shop with friends and was met by paparazzi.

No, the Yummy singer is not set to perform at Coachella, so his being bothered at a coffee shop is not warranted.

TMZ captured a video of the singer with his face covered responding to a paparazzi person after they said good morning to him. An agitated Bieber replied, “No! Not a good morning! You already know. Why are you here?โ€

After uncovering his face, the singer walks up to one paparazzi and says, “You just want money, money, money money!”

He continuously says to the people nearby, “Get out of here, bro”. The photographers backed up from the coffee shop, but fans were stunned by Bieber’s rant.

See all the online reactions here.

How did the internet react to Justin Bieber and his paparazzi rant?

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber at the Super Bowl, 2024. Credit: IMAGO/Imagn Images

Users on X reacted differently to the viral video. Some fans were sympathetic towards Bieber, as it is speculated that the star has been struggling for a while.

However, other fans found the rant bizarre, seeing it as unprovoked. Consequently, online users had differing opinions.

Bieber deserves a break

Lots of users felt sorry for the Yummy singer. One user posted a video of him being hounded by paparazzi on another occasion. As a result of that video, the user wrote in a post, “He can never catch a break from paparazzi”.

In agreement with the other user, one person wrote in a post: “This man has been followed constantly by paparazzi since he was 12 years old. Give him some privacy.”

Amen to that. Bieber rose to fame when he was 15 in 2009 when his EP My World was released.

Looking at it from another angle, other fans pointed out how people see Bieber as a “meal ticket”. A user said, “Sadly, there likely isn’t a single person in his life who doesn’t see him as a meal ticket.”

The paparazzi are voyueristic

Alternatively, some fans had a more balanced view. Some argued that although Bieber is a public figure, the paparazzi have invasive and voyeuristic tendencies when they follow him.

A user argued this in a post, “That’s not ‘crashing out’. Imo, that’s a rational response to greed-driven voyeurism. Yes, they’re public figures and it’s expected, but so is their human reaction towards them”.

Siding with Bieber, another user stated, “He needs his privacy and peace”.

One user took issue with the phrasing of the original post and argued, “What part of this 42-second video is crashing out?”

To be fair to Bieber, he wasn’t aggressive in the video, he seemed irritated.

It comes with money and fame

However, some users were less sympathetic to the father-of-one, arguing that his fame and money are the price he pays for being followed.

Disregarding his complaints, one user said, “Bro has unlimited money and dissing people trying to make a living”.

In addition to having unlimited money, another fan pointed out, “That’s what happens when you become famous”. Unfortunately, it is.

Notably, one user highlighted the point in the video where Bieber accused the paparazzi of wanting money and called it hypocritical. In a post, the user said: “‘Money money money,’ like he isn’t a multimillionaire who has the luxury of receiving money from selling a persona to the working people”.

Indeed, it is a good point, considering the singer does have the comfort of money. Despite that fact, it does not mean he isn’t human. In conclusion, everyone is entitled to their right to privacy.

Has Justin Bieber gone off on paparazzi before?

As well as this time, Bieber has had tense encounters with the paparazzi multiple times. Similarly, back in 2013, Bieber had an intense confrontation with a cameraman.

While staying in London, the then 19-year-old singer was swarmed with paparazzi outside his Park Lane Hotel. Then Bieber is seen quickly climbing into a waiting car, and he lightly pushes a paparazzi person out of the way. As a result, the paparazzi reacts badly to Bieber.

Following that, you can hear the paparazzi person say, “That’s assault”. Subsequently, the man hurled insults at the teenager for his actions. Next thing you know, Bieber climbs out of the car and asks in a confrontational tone, “What did you say?”

Next, the paparazzi man says, “You heard what I said,” and urges the teenager to address him.

Eventually, the singer gets back into the car, and the video ends. Afterward, the internet was abuzz over the video, which has since been watched over six million times. Put simply, the internet had a similar reaction to this video.

Overall, people sympathized with the singer because he was so young back then. However, many people thought he was spoiled because he had been famous for around four years at the time.

In conclusion, Bieber has been through a lot with the paparazzi and fame. Therefore, he should not be blamed for how he reacted to them. Especially now because he is a dad.

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Sophie Humphrey
Sophie Humphrey is a freelance writer and journalist. Sophie has seven years experience in journalism and has a keen interest in pop culture and entertainment. Sophie has worked for the likes of Time Out London, The Upcoming and Screen rant.
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