Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Khloé Kardashian and More Support Justin Bieber After Vulnerable Post
After Justin Bieber opened up to followers about his struggle with early fame and past addiction to “heavy drugs,” several of his famous friends sent words of encouragement his way.
The “Sorry” singer shared a vulnerable, lengthy post on Instagram Monday, where he reflected on how growing up in an unstable home and achieving fame at age 13 — suddenly having “access to whatever I wanted”— led him to struggle both physically and mentally later in life.
Several celebrities, including Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston and Khloé Kardashian left comments on his post — whether thanking him for sharing his story and being open about his struggles or just to show him some extra love and support.
“Friends from the beginning, here until the end!” Cyrus commented. “🖤 you.”
Meanwhile, Kardashian wrote, “❤️❤️❤️❤️ This is beautiful!! Thank you!! We are so proud of you!! I needed this! God bless you always 🙏🏽.”
Kingston similarly revealed that Bieber’s story was something he needed to hear.
“Wow thank u for the testimony.. I sure needed this 🙌🙌 God bless u forever my lil brother 🙌💚,” the singer, who collaborated with Bieber on “Eenie Meenie” back in 2010, wrote.
Bieber’s longtime manager Scooter Braun also sent encouraging words his way, telling the singer, “Proud of you ❤️.”
In the emotional post, Bieber, 25, who has been candid about his mental health struggles in the past, explained how from the time he was a teen, he was constantly praised with his fame — something he credited to his downward spiral.
“I went from a 13-year-old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world, with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was,” he shared. “You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it.”
The “Love Yourself” singer said the fame also hurt his personal growth, as he never learned the true meaning of responsibility and was never able to develop skills beyond his music career.
Hope you find time to read this it’s from my heart
A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Sep 2, 2019 at 2:38pm PDT
“Everyone did everything for me, so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility,” he explained. “By this point, I was 18 with no skills in the real world, with millions of dollars and access to whatever I wanted.”
“This is a very scary concept for anyone,” Bieber continued. “By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world.”
He then revealed that the unmanageable “ups and downs” from being a live performer caused him to start relying on “heavy drugs” by the time he turned 19. The star said he also “abused all of [his] relationships” and became “disrespectful to women.”
“I became resentful… and angry,” he wrote. “I became distant to everyone who loved me, and I was hiding behind, a shell of a person that I had become. I felt like I could never turn it around.”
Bieber said he found comfort and support in a group of people, including his wife Hailey Baldwin, who “encourage him to keep going.”
The star has also recently sought professional treatment, a source told PEOPLE.
After recounting his past mistakes and dark times, he encouraged those reading his note to always be kind to one another and to spread love.
“All this to say even when the odds are against you keep fighting,” he concluded. “BE KIND TODAY>BE BOLD TODAY AND LOVE PEOPLE TODAY NOT BY YOUR STANDARDS BUT BY GODS PERFECT UNFAILING LOVE.”
