Justin Bieber said he was never a victim of accused sex abuser Sean “Diddy” Combs, who helped the young singer break into the music industry when he was just 15 years old — ending his silence on the rumor amid the disgraced mogul’s bombshell sex trafficking trial.
“Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve,” reps for Bieber, 31, told TMZ in a statement Thursday night.
Multiple sources close to the “Never Say Never” singer told the outlet that Combs, 61, never sexually or otherwise abused Bieber in any capacity — tamping down online speculation in light of Combs’ sex trafficking trial this week.
As Combs’ trial in Manhattan federal court continues, celebrity watchers online turned back to several videos of the “Bump, Bump, Bump” rapper and the then-teenage Bieber.
In one of the videos, Combs makes a series of awkwardly phrased comments as the baby-faced Bieber stands awkwardly and increasingly flushed while looking at the camera.
“Right now [Bieber’s] having 48 hours with his boy,” Combs said in a direct address to the camera.
“Where we’re hanging out and what we’re doing cannot really be disclosed,” he said, adding, “For the next 48 hours, he’s with me and we’re gonna go buck full crazy.”
In recent months, concern from fans has grown over the “Yummy” singer’s increasingly ramshackle appearance, flagrant drug use, and close to incoherent social media posts
A video from last year showed a pre-arrest Combs briefly meeting with Bieber and exhibiting some odd body language that some online speculators believed was actually a pat-down for hidden wires.
A resurfaced joint interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has also raised eyebrows.
“He knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with big brother Puff on national television,” Combs said. “Everything ain’t for everybody.”
The former producer for slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. is currently on trial in Manhattan federal court, where prosecutors with the Southern District of New York alleged he engaged in sex trafficking as part of his voracious need for “freak offs.”
In court Thursday, lawyers for the disgraced mogul claimed that the allegedly highly orchestrated “freak offs” featuring Combs’ then-girlfriend, pop-star Cassie Ventura, were merely part of the couple’s “swingers lifestyle.”
Ventura has claimed that she was drugged, physically abused, raped, and forced to participate in the wild, baby oil-fueled sex romps at the command of Combs.
