Fact Check: Did Justin Bieber sue Ellen DeGeneres for misusing him as a minor? Viral YouTube claim debunked 

Five months ago, a claim emerged online that singer Justin Bieber filed a lawsuit against comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. It was first shared as a video on YouTube by the channel Shocked on April 24, 2024.

“Ellen DeGeneres BREAKS DOWN After Justin Bieber SUED Her For Misusing Him When He Was A Minor,” the video was captioned.

The video garnered severe traction online and earned over 189,572 views, 2,700 likes, and 566 comments at the time of writing.

However, the now-viral rumor has turned out to be fake. As per Snopes, there is no legal evidence to support the claims, nor has any major media outlet reported on it. Not only that, but the bio of the YouTube channel Shocked also describes it as “your ultimate destination for celebrity gossip,” indicating that its content may often be solely for entertainment.

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Justin Bieber has never sued Ellen DeGeneres

Earlier this year, a video circulated on social media platforms claiming that Justin Bieber was taking legal action against Ellen DeGeneres for “misusing” him when he was underaged. Originally uploaded by the YouTube page Shocked, it had the title cover with “Exclusive: Ellen Slept with Justin” written on it.

It came alongside a collage of three images, one where Ellen was seen hugging Justin from behind, the other of the comedian and disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, and the last of a teary-eyed DeGeneres. However, the 20-minute and 16-second video did not substantiate the claim.

Instead, it contained various clips of Ellen DeGeneres’ past interactions with Justin, including on her former eponymous show, where he appeared 37 times over the years, as per Snopes. Elsewhere, there were snippets of the Justice crooner from old interviews and events, including where he met with his former mentor, Diddy. However, none of them provided credible evidence to support that Bieber sued the multiple-time Daytime Emmy winner.

Meanwhile, the video description also appeared vague and claimed that Diddy’s ongoing legal troubles were behind the lawsuit that Justin Bieber reportedly filed against DeGeneres.

“Every time someone new comes forward to expose Diddy's shady dealings, they're shining a spotlight on others who were in cahoots with him. And now, it looks like Justin Bieber is gearing up to take legal action against none other than Ellen DeGeneres!” it read.

“Justin reportedly got some serious allegations against Ellen, claiming she was involved in some shady business back when he was just a minor. If these rumors turn out to be true, Ellen could be looking at some serious prison time.”

However, Snopes confirmed that there were no court documents supporting these claims. Thus, the viral video can be regarded as false, fabricated, and unfounded, seemingly made for misleading viewers during the ongoing Diddy scandal.

Sean Combs was taken into federal custody on September 16 on the charges of racketeering conspiracy, s*x trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. In the wake of this, the five-month-old video rumors about Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres recirculated on Facebook on September 27 in a now-removed post.

Before that, in May and June of this year, the video was reposted by purported gossip channels on YouTube, Celeb Talk and Viral Film Talk, respectively. However, both videos turned out to be fabricated alongside many others on TikTok in the aftermath of federal raids at Sean Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March.

Ellen DeGeneres has maintained a public friendship with Diddy over the years and has been captured together at red-carpet events, parties, and on her talk show. On the other hand, Bieber grew his music career under the mentorship of Sean Combs, who has been his longtime collaborator.

In the wake of Diddy’s arrest last month, a song titled Lost Myself At a Diddy Party surfaced online, with the voice sounding like Justin’s. However, it was later debunked as AI-generated.