He definitely surprised the crowd. In oversized cargo pants, a sweatshirt that swallowed his thin frame and a baseball cap pulled down low, Justin Bieber joined Tems for a song during her Coachella set in Indio, California, on April 14.
“He looked like he just stepped out of the audience,” a witness says of the singer, who has only performed sporadically since canceling his Justice tour after a viral infection caused partial face paralysis in June 2022. “It’s a good sign he felt comfortable enough to get on stage, and a lot of fans are hoping this means he’ll be making his music comeback soon.”
But judging by his erratic behavior offstage, they may have a while to wait. It’s been exactly one year since Justin regained mobility in his face, but “he’s still fragile and seemed checked-out all weekend,” a source says of the singer, who has a history of substance abuse and violent rages. “He finally got his health back, but now friends are worried that he’s spiraling again.”
The past few years have been a roller coaster.
“He has severe ups and downs,” says the source.
Justin, 30, has struggled with Lyme disease, depression and anger management, and has also admitted to daily use of alcohol, marijuana and “pretty heavy drugs” during his lowest points.
“I hit a little bit of an emotional breakdown because I thought marriage was going to fix all my problems, and it didn’t,” he said of his first year with wife Hailey Bieber, 27. But his wife’s unwavering support and his Christian faith eventually “saved his life,” says the source. “He wouldn’t be here without her.”
The model, whose father, Stephen Baldwin, is a recovering addict, has confessed it was “extremely difficult” to navigate Justin’s issues with sobriety. “I’ve had times where I would get nervous, [asking Justin,] ‘Are you OK to do this? Because you did have a time in your life where it was not OK for you and it was a dark time for you.’”
Therapy and counseling with their pastor has helped, “but there’s only so much Hailey can do to keep Justin from going off the rails again,” says the source, noting that her dad posted a request that fans say “a little prayer” for the couple in February, and Justin hasn’t been wearing his wedding ring lately. “Their relationship isn’t in the best place right now, but she’s always afraid of what would happen to him if she wasn’t around. She can’t leave him.”
And she’s refused to give up on him. “Their marriage is Hailey’s priority, as well as keeping him healthy,” says the source. “Coachella was a huge accomplishment for Justin, and everyone is rooting for him. But he’s still very fragile.”
