Justin Bieber’s mom regrets sending her 14-year-old son to live with Sean Combs during the height of his pop star fame.
In her book, Pattie Mallette says she had no doubt her son would be a star when she accompanied him from Canada on his first trip to Atlanta to meet music manager Scooter Braun and singer Usher Raymond.
Pattie was a teenage mom when she gave birth to Justin a month before her 19th birthday. She worked 3 jobs and abused drugs while raising him.
“I worked odd jobs to get money for rent and to fuel my drug habit,” Pattie wrote in her book, Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom, published in 2012.
She said Justin’s sudden rise to fame — and the money that came with it — felt like a “reward” to her for all the years she struggled as a single mom.
Pattie writes: “Things were happening so big and so fast with Justin. I was responsible for signing contracts that could affect a large portion of Justin’s life.”
But being young and naive left Pattie vulnerable and unable to realize she was handing Justin over to some of the industry’s most dangerous and predatory stars.
Just a year after being signed to Island Records, a 15-year-old Justin was sent to live with Sean Combs, who bragged that he had legal guardianship over the pop star.
Justin’s “mentor” Usher Raymond brought him to music mogul L.A Reid as a “gift” when he was a “beautiful” 14-year-old boy, Reid wrote in his tell-all memoir in 2016.
After he signed Usher to a record deal, Reid sent him off to live with Combs for a year to record his first album.
In a now-infamous video that’s still live on Justin’s YouTube page, he is left seemingly unsupervised at the rapper’s home.
The elder Combs said he couldn’t detail their activities that weekend, but “it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream.”
Combs added, “We’re gonna go full, buck full crazy,” as Justin looked on nervously.
There are allegations that Usher played a huge role in introducing young Justin to people who were not appropriate for a teenager. While their relationship has always been seen as professional, in 2016, the “Yeah” singer revealed that Justin was more like family to him.
Earlier this month, a video resurfaced of Combs, 54, and Justin, now 30, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when the pop singer was only 16-years-old.
Jimmy asked Justin: “You know, Diddy bought his son a Bentley, maybe he could buy you one also while you’re at it.”
Justin responded: “He got me a Lamborghini. I haven’t gotten it yet, though.”
Jimmy asked Combs: “When is that coming? That Lamborghini. We talked about this last time.”
Combs responded: Justin had “the Lamborghini for a day or two and he had access to the house.”
“And he knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with big brother Puff on national television. Everything ain’t for everybody.”
In 2015, Justin told Billboard that his relationship with his mother was “pretty non-existent”, adding: “I was distant because I was ashamed. I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was. We spent some time not talking.”
However, Pattie, now 49, frequently posts gushing messages about her son to Instagram, as well as sweet photos of the two of them together.
In March, she wrote in a post on Instagram for Justin’s 30th birthday: “30 YEARS! Just like that. Happy birthday Justin. I’m not going to lie I’ve had a few good cries this week looking back through photos reminiscing.”
She added: “Time goes by so fast. It’s been amazing to see you become the man you are today. I’m so honored to be your mom. I love you more than you know. I can’t wait to see the great things God has planned for you ahead. You ain’t seen nothing yet!”
