Justin Bieber lashes out at paparazzi while demanding respect in unsettling video: ‘Who is paying you to provoke me’

The video has sparked concern among Justin Bieber's fans, who quickly came to support him and criticised the invasive paparazzi culture.

Singer Justin Bieber, who has been under intense media scrutiny for months, had a fiery confrontation with paparazzi in California recently, yelling at them and demanding some space. The singer lost his cool and engaged in an expletive-laden exchange as he tried to set boundaries with the persistent photographers.

Justin Bieber with Hailey Bieber.

Justin Bieber's showdown with paparazzi

Justin encountered a swarm of photographers outside Malibu's Soho House on Thursday, who were snapping photos and filming him while calling out for his attention. The encounter escalated into a heated argument between Justin and the photographers. A video of the altercation surfaced on social media, including Reddit, on Friday, capturing the intensity of the exchange.

Justin was visibly frazzled by the attention, and approached the photographers with his security team and launched into a rant. His irritation was evident even as they greeted him with a ‘Happy Father's Day’ wish.

“We’re gonna set boundaries here today. I’m not afraid to set boundaries,” Justin is seen saying in the video, which was first posted by TMZ.

He added, “Stop provoking me. I'm a real dad, a real husband, a real man”.

In the video, Justin is seen trying to shield himself from the cameras with his hands, before erupting into a shouting match with the photographers. He said, ““Not me today bro... How do you think it’s going with you in my f***ing face? Get out of my f***ing face!”

His security team was also seen asking the cameramen to step away. The photographers asked the Canadian-born artist if he was afraid of being deported amid immigration raids, to which he said, “I’m a real man with a real family... And you’re really in front of my face”. He also pointed how the photographers were on his “private property in front of my car”. He shares 9-month-old son Jack Blues with wife Hailey Bieber.

He emphasised that he wanted to set boundaries, stressing, “Because I’m not to be f***ked with by any of you. Stop that s**t. You don’t get to talk to me today”.”

Justin said that the paparazzi hold no right to ask him any question as they are not his “buddies”. He was seen repeating the word “no” several times trying to stop the photographers from asking him any questions.

When the photographers defended themselves, saying they were standing on the public sidewalk and had a right to question him, Justin said that their video would be “taken out of context”.

Justin shared, “You’ll take this video out of context like you always do... You think I’m an idiot, bro. I’m at my wit’s f***ing end is what I am at. I’m demanding respect. You confuse my anger with disrespect. It’s anger because you’re disrespecting me. You don’t get to disrespect me and get away with it”.

The rant continues

The singer mentioned that they would post videos with a headline suggesting, “Justin lost his mind”.

“You don’t get to force questions in people’s face and take videos out of context and use it against people. That’s mean … It’s mean to provoke people,” he said, adding, “You provoke, you provoke, you provoke... You think this is a game”.

Justin told them that their jobs were “at the expense of another human”.

While the photographers doubled down on their responsibilities, Justin told the group he wasn’t going to be “backed into a corner.”

As the photographers continued to do their job, Justin stood his ground, telling them he wouldn't be "backed into a corner”.

“Not tonight. I love my evenings, I love my wife, I love my family and you provoke me and it’s sad,” he is heard saying in the video, adding, “I don’t know who the f***s paying you to provoke me, but I’m not the f***ing one. OK? Stop provoking me and s**t … I’m not to be f***ed with”.

Justin accused the photographers of standing around him like he’s “some sort of animal”.

Concerns around Justin Bieber’s health

Fans have been concerned for Justin’s well-being in recent months amid a series of cryptic social media posts. In recent months, the Peaches hitmaker, who has been married to his wife, Hailey Bieber, since 2018, has shared cryptic posts, often expressing his thoughts on love. There have been rumours that Justin and Hailey's relationship was on the rocks. In April, Justin shared on Instagram that he wouldn’t be “bullied” out of Los Angeles after lashing out at a group of paparazzi.

The video has sparked concern among Justin Bieber's fans, who quickly came to support him and criticised the invasive paparazzi culture. “I think the paparazzi should be illegal tbh,” wrote one, with another mentioning. “This actually is messed up. Anyone would f***ing snap being harassed like this every single time you stepped out”.

“I never thought the day would come when I’d be on Justin Bieber’s side, but this s*8t is heartbreaking. Given everything he’s going/gone through and what may or may not have happened to him (and all the assumptions and hateful jokes that come with that), this s**t is so cruel,” wrote one.