Pop’s prodigal son, Justin Bieber, has once again cracked open the vault of celebrity authenticity, this time with an Instagram post featuring an apparent bong hit lurking in the background like that one awkward cousin no one mentions at Thanksgiving dinner. The May 4 photo—supposedly highlighting Australian musician Eddie Benjamin’s guitar skills—instead thrust Bieber back into the spotlight he’d recently dodged while playing happy families with wife Hailey and their young son.
The digital smoke signals triggered an immediate PR scramble. Bieber’s team previously called such stories “unnecessary” and “inaccurate,” but the damage control landed about as effectively as a broken kick drum at Coachella. Fans have been vocal across social media platforms, unpacking everything from substance abuse worries to passionate defenses of adult autonomy.
Fans Divided: Disappointment vs. Defense
While many defenders have pointed out that cannabis is legal in California and that Bieber is an adult making his own choices. You know how it feels when your favorite artist’s choices force you to confront your expectations? That tension between wanting authenticity and demanding perfection creates the exact dissonance Bieber’s career now embodies.
The bong reveal joins Bieber’s growing collection of public substance controversies, including March’s dirt bike smoking session and his Coachella appearance—each incident another chord in the familiar melody of child stars growing up ugly in public. Like a distorted bass note that reveals the true nature of a seemingly clean track, these moments expose the impossible standards we’ve engineered for celebrities who grew up under our collective surveillance.
The Weaponization of Celebrity Behavior
“Justin is having fun, vibing out and yes, he smokes weed like everyone else. But everything he does is being weaponized against him,” an unnamed source close to the Biebers told People in April. This continues the post-Britney conservatorship conversation where concern and control melt together like wax on vinyl, revealing whose comfort matters in celebrity discourse.
In February, Justin faced reports of alleged drug use following concerns over his behavior, which his representative firmly denied at the time. “The recurring narrative that Justin is using hard drugs is not true,” his representative stated in March 2025. Meanwhile, Hailey has reportedly remained supportive through these controversies.
The Deeper Context: Bieber’s Documented Struggles
The unspoken context? Bieber’s well-documented struggles with substance use. In his 2020 documentary, he revealed the severity of his past issues: “My security and stuff would come into my room at night to check my pulse,” he recalled. Hailey noted in the same documentary that she believed his then-undiagnosed “crippling anxiety” led the young star to self-medicate, but she “didn’t involve herself in his life until he decided to get sober.”
“As Justin forges his own way forward, these unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions will continue. But they won’t deter him from staying committed to following the right path,” his representative shared in February 2025. For a generation raised on Bieber’s carefully manufactured innocence, each transgression feels personal, as if he’s broken a promise nobody remembers him making. The unspoken truth? Child stars eventually rebel against their artificial purity with the same dedication once poured into creating it. Bieber’s cannabis controversy isn’t just about a bong—it’s about who controls the narrative of growing up, and who pays the price when the fantasy cracks.
