Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber’s longtime friendship came under scrutiny following Diddy’s September 2024 arrest for sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. (The rapper has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the allegations against him.)
Diddy described Bieber as his “little brother” in the earliest days of the “Baby” singer’s career — and they even made a late-night TV appearance together to discuss their bond. Bieber was a featured artist on Diddy’s 2023 studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, which was released two months before Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie sued him for rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. (Diddy denied her claims in a November 2023 statement, and the pair settled out of court that same month for $20 million.)
Bieber’s spokesperson has more recently sought to distance him from Diddy as the Sean John founder’s trial began in May 2025.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Diddy and Bieber’s relationship through the years.
November 2009
Sean “Diddy” Combs, Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston and Chris Brown, 2010 Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc
Bieber, then 15, uploaded his first video collaboration with Diddy on his YouTube channel. Tilted “48 Hours With Diddy,” the clip shows Bieber spending two days with the rap mogul in Los Angeles after launching a social media campaign to produce a song for him. Diddy brags that he bought a Lamborghini for the teen star ahead of his 16th birthday.
“As soon as you turn 16, I’m gonna let you rock this,” Diddy vowed as he unveiled the luxury car. “You know, you gotta ride with your seatbelt and everything. … The keys is yours, when you get [to be] 16.”
The most infamous moment from the vlog involved Diddy’s description of how he planned to spend his 48 hours with Bieber.
“Right now, [Bieber] is having 48 hours with Diddy. Him and his boy, they’re having the times of their lives,” the rapper boasted. “Where we’re hanging out and what we’re doing, we can’t really disclose. It’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream.”
Diddy then promised, “For the next 48 hours, he’s with me and we’re gonna go full buck crazy!”
When Bieber suggested they “go get some girls,” Diddy hugged him and referred to Bieber as “a man after my own heart.”
December 2010
Another early vlog featured Diddy teasing Bieber while visiting him in the studio. The rapper joked that Bieber was too busy “selling out arenas” to keep in touch.
“Starting to act different, huh? You haven’t been calling me and hanging out the way we used to hang out,” Diddy complained.
Bieber fumbled with his phone before telling Diddy, “You tried to get in contact with me throughout all my [associates] and whatnot? But you never got my number, so want my number? I’m going to tell you my number.”
February 2011
The pair made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where Diddy referred to Bieber as his “little brother.”
“He’s not afraid to call and ask for advice,” Diddy insisted. “He’s someone who, industry-wise, the record industry is a strong family and he’s somebody we definitely have our arms around. We definitely want to protect him because he’s genuinely such a nice person, besides his talent. He’s one of the greatest kids you could ever know.”
When Bieber pointed out that Diddy hadn’t yet delivered his Lamborghini, the rapper quipped that the teen “knew better than to talk about the things he does with Big Brother Puff on national television.”
“Everything ain’t for everybody,” Diddy added.
February 2014
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Justin Bieber, 2014 Prince Williams/FilmMagic
Bieber, then 19, was photographed shirtless while attending Diddy’s party at Atlanta’s Vanquish Lounge in celebration of his former vodka brand Cîroc. Bieber was snapped hanging out with Diddy and hip-hop stars Rick Ross and Jermaine Dupri that night.
The “Peaches” musician later shared a photo from the party via Instagram, though this time he was wearing a shirt.
2021
Following Diddy’s 2024 arrest, footage resurfaced from sometime in 2021 of Diddy greeting Bieber and then seemingly patting him down. In the video, Diddy appears to be telling Bieber something, but his comments can’t be deciphered.
Newsweek reported that Diddy may have been patting down Bieber’s chest to see whether he was wearing a wire or some other type of recording device, but there is no definitive evidence to prove this.
September 2023
Diddy and Justin Bieber, 2015 Frazer Harrison/AMA2015/Getty Images for dcp
Bieber was one of many high-profile artists to feature on Diddy’s fifth studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, lending vocals to the track “Moments.” The two artists wrote the track together, along with Grammy-nominated songwriter Rob Knox and 1500 or Nothin CEO Larrance Dopson.
The Love Album: Off the Grid also included guest appearances from John Legend, 21 Savage, Mary J. Blige, The Weeknd and H.E.R., among more than a dozen other notable artists.
Diddy told Extra at the time that he wanted to show off a different side of Bieber’s musical sensibility with their latest collaboration.
“A lot of people see Justin Bieber as a pop artist, but I’ve seen him singing R&B to me when he was just coming up in the game,” Diddy said.
September 2024
Diddy was arrested and subsequently charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all of the allegations against him.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement at the time.
Diddy has been held in Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest, as his four requests for bail were denied by Judge Arun Subramanian.
October 2024
Following Diddy’s arrest one month earlier, a source close to Bieber exclusively told Us Weekly that he wanted “nothing to do” with the disgraced rapper.
“Justin has been advised to stay as far away as possible from anything and everything related to Diddy,” the insider told Us.
The source insisted that Bieber was focused on supporting wife Hailey following the birth of their son, Jack Blues, in August 2024.
Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs faced ups and downs while building their successful hip-hop empires. Running in similar industry circles since the ‘90s — when Diddy and Jay-Z launched Bad Boy Records and Roc-A-Fella Records, respectively, in New York City — the pair formed a friendly rivalry as their individual music careers took off. Over […]
“Justin is in a hard place mentally right now,” a second source told Us. “He has such a history with Diddy, and the allegations against him have been hard to process.”
The source added, “His happiness being a dad has outweighed his anxiety about Diddy.”
May 2025
As Diddy’s trial for sex trafficking got underway in New York City, unsubstantiated rumors emerged on social media suggesting Bieber may have been a victim of the rap mogul. However, a spokesperson for Bieber distanced him from the allegations against Diddy.
“Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,” Bieber’s rep told Us. “Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
