“Yall don’t understand how insane this is” — Internet reacts as Justin Bieber seemingly unfollows Usher on Instagram

Singer Justin Bieber reportedly unfollowed Usher (real name Usher Raymond IV) on Instagram. On Monday, January 13, 2025, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the Peaches hitmaker's "following" list didn't include his former mentor.

For the unversed, Usher is regarded as the man who fueled Bieber's early career, putting him on the map. Scooter Braun discovered the singer through his YouTube channel when the latter was just 13 and managed him for 15 years. Bieber met the O.M.G. hitmaker through Braun.

As the news went viral, internet users were quick to react. One wrote:

"Yall don't understand how insane this is."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @PopBase)

Many commented that Justin Bieber unfollowing Usher was just the tip of the iceberg, connecting the same with Diddy (Diddy once mentored Usher, and the latter introduced him to Bieber). Here are some comments seen under @PopBase's post on X:

"oh this is way deeper than i thought.....," one user wrote.

"I have a feeling that Justin Bieber could be the key to fully illuminating the whole Diddy thing and all of the details/accomplices," another user added.

"Typically I’d agree with “who tf cares who follows who” but putting this in the context of a certain locked up person rn? Yeah this makes me sad thinking about what young teen Justin might’ve gone through even if I don’t like him that much," a user noted.

Some suggested that Justin was unfollowing people as a marketing tactic for his new music.

"It's getting so serious i wonder what happened between them," one commented.

I’m not surprised but I also am… what is about to happen," another stated.

"Notice how he's doing all this to seek attention from people just when news comes that he's making his music comeback?" a user reacted.

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Fans have speculated on Usher and Justin Bieber's relationship, digging up old interviews of the musicians that reference Diddy

Usher and Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun started the music label Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG) Records to help push Justin Bieber's career. Usher took Bieber under his wing, helping him secure a deal with Def Jam. The pair have remained friends since. They also collaborated on the song Somebody to Love from Bieber's debut album.

Bieber recently unfollowed Braun and his business partner Allison Kaye (January 4) on Instagram. Soon after, reports of Braun deactivating his account on the platform began circulating. Fans have since speculated that the pair exploited the singer when he was a teenager.

In light of the news, fans began questioning whether Usher had a hand in Justin Bieber's alleged exploitation. Some began connecting Usher's friendship with troubled rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs with Bieber.

Federal officers arrested Diddy in September 2024 on charges of s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution. Per his indictment, the rapper ran a "criminal enterprise" that s*xually and physically abused "women and others" for years, including at his infamous parties. Since then, netizens have speculated on which celebrities were involved with Diddy and who were his victims, including both Usher and Justin Bieber.

According to Mint, Usher was just 13 when he met Combs. At the time, he relocated to NYC to live with Diddy as part of the "Puffy Flavor Camp," where the mogul would mentor him.

Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber, and Usher (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

While Usher never revealed much about his time with Diddy, in light of the latter's arrest, fans began digging up his old interviews. This included a May 2004 discussion with Rolling Stone magazine where he described the time as:

"(Combs) introduced me to a totally different set of sh*t — s*x, specifically," adding, "S*x is so hot in the industry, man."

Usher continued:

"There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy."

The DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love hitmaker has remained tight-lipped about his experience since. In 2016, on The Howard Stern Show, he told the host he got a chance to see "some things." Usher explained that at the time he couldn't "indulge and understand" what he was looking at, adding it was "pretty wild."

Per Mint, Usher has previously praised Diddy (in an interview with People) for molding him into the artist and entrepreneur he is. According to Mint, in a 2011 interview with Daily Mail, the rapper explained that living with Diddy impacted his relationship with Justin Bieber. He stated:

"It's helped me understand the importance of having a mentor when I'm working with ­Justin. You have to make music relevant for now."

Through Usher, Justin Bieber met Combs. In November 2009, Bieber shared a video on his YouTube titled, "48 hours with Diddy." According to Forbes, the Peaches singer can be heard saying:

"We’re hanging out and what we’re doing, we can’t really disclose, but it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream."

In a separate video shared on Combs' YouTube channel in December 2010, the rapper can be heard telling Bieber:

"You starting to act different, huh? You ain’t been calling me and hanging out how we used to hang out."

Fans also dug up Bieber and Diddy's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2011. In the clip, Diddy cautions Bieber from sharing things that "he does with big brother Puff" because "everything ain’t for everybody."

Another video of Justin Bieber's 2020 interview with Apple Music went viral recently. In the video, the singer explained he felt "protective" over Billie Eilish (then 18), referring to his time in the music industry as a "young" artist.

Bieber had not publicly commented on the rumors.