(NewsNation) — A new documentary produced by TMZ examines the cascading problems of pop superstar Justin Bieber, who reportedly had to sell his music catalogue to avoid a financial collapse.
‘Broke’ Justin Bieber’s marriage to Hailey Bieber ‘had real issues’: Producer
“As crazy as this sounds, Justin Bieber made up to $1 billion in his career. In 2022, he was broke — so broke, we’re told, he borrowed one of his friends’ credit cards to play golf,” TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin told “Banfield” on Thursday. “He was broke.”
Levin said Bieber’s financial peril stems from abandoning a tour three years ago and owing millions to sponsors for pulling the plug. In addition, he said, Bieber has gone through mental health struggles and rough patches in his marriage to Hailey Bieber.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 01: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are seen at the 2023 US Open Tennis Championships on September 1, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images) 
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 23: Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Rhode Bieber watch Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on April 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) 
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 14: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are seen on December 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“His marriage has had real issues over the last few years, and we kind of get into that. I think they are in a really good place now … But we’re told that Hailey, at one point, told her mom, ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” Levin told Banfield.
Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun hit ‘breaking point’: TMZ doc
TMZ’s documentary also revealed that Bieber and his former music manager, Scooter Braun, hit a “breaking point” in their relationship after Bieber’s “Justice World Tour,” which ended abruptly. Later that year, Bieber was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
“Scooter’s camp has told us that he just thinks Justin wanted to go home,” TMZ executive producer Don Nash said. “He was tired, he wanted to spend more time with [his wife], Hailey [Bieber], he wanted to go on vacation, and he wanted to live his life without going on tour.”
According to Us Weekly, sources told TMZ that Bieber was “set up for failure” from the start of the tour. The tour promoter, AEG, also allegedly paid him a $40 million advance to play his biggest hits.
“By the way, if Justin had finished that tour, he would have made $90 million,” Nash said in the documentary.
US businessman Scooter Braun (L) and Canadian singer Justin Bieber arrive for YouTube Originals’ “Justin Bieber: Seasons” premiere at the Regency Bruin Theatre in Los Angeles on January 27, 2020. (Photo by LISA O’CONNOR / AFP) (Photo by LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images) 
MIAMI – FEBRUARY 05: Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston perform at the BET SOS Saving Ourselves � Help for Haiti,� benefit concert and telethon at AmericanAirlines Arena on February 5, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Larry Marano/Getty Images) 
Performer Justin Bieber, center right, dances to the Village People song “Y.M.C.A.” during a break in the action during hockey’s NHL All-Star Game between Team Matthews and Team McDavid in Toronto, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) 
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 27: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend the premiere of YouTube Original’s “Justin Bieber: Seasons” at the Regency Bruin Theatre on January 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) 
Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) 
FILE – Justin Bieber performs at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 30, 2015. The fiance of slain Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi joined a chorus of voices on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, calling on pop star Justin Bieber to cancel his concert in Saudi Arabia next month.(Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File) 
Add the Crocs x Justin Bieber with drew house Classic Clog 2, plus drew house socks, to your collection next week. Credit: Rory Kramer 
In this screen shot provided by ABC on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, Justin Bieber performs at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (ABC via AP)
In the documentary, Levin said, “When Justin cancels the tour, AEG says, ‘Hey, you owe us $24 million.’ Justin’s like, ‘I don’t have the money.’ And so, Scooter’s company, HYBE, they say, ‘Look, we’ll assume this debt and pay it off for you, Justin.'”
Levin also said Bieber had “signed a note” stating he would repay the $24 million to Braun over the following 10 years.
“He makes one payment, and this is where the conflict starts. We’re told from Scooter’s side that Justin’s people called and said, ‘He doesn’t have the money anymore,’ and he’s never paid another payment,” Levin said.
Justin Bieber has been accused of being in debt before: Report
Bieber’s business manager allegedly said Braun had taken money from him, according to TMZ. Levin said that Bieber’s business manager believed he was “screwed out of” nearly $26 million because Braun allegedly charged for commissions he never earned.
An external audit of Braun’s company finances allegedly showed Bieber owed him $8 million, which TMZ claimed Bieber wasn’t happy about. This reportedly caused him to undertake his own investigation, but those findings have not yet been shared.
Bieber has been accused before of being in millions of dollars of debt, a situation that allegedly worsened after his tour was canceled. At the time, his representatives released a statement, saying:
“This is just clickbait stupidity based on unnamed – and clearly ill-informed – ‘sources,’ disappointed that they no longer work with Justin. 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. Any source that is trying to sell you a story about alleged financial distress… either doesn’t understand the entertainment industry or, more likely, is trying to paint an unflattering portrait of Justin, which bears no resemblance to reality.”
Braun was credited with finding Bieber on YouTube in the early 2000s.
Justin Bieber sold his music catalogue for $200M: TMZ
Bieber, now 31, first rose to fame in his early teens. He has undergone pressures and scrutiny most people don’t have to worry about, Levin said.
“He just was part of this adult world as a 13-year-old kid, with no ability to develop the way kids normally develop,” he said. “He was robbed of that by his success. And it should be no surprise when you think about how that can mess with your mind.”
Levin also said Bieber is “sick of” the paparazzi.
“In fairness to Justin, at a point, there are camera people who have chased him down on the freeway, and it has been his life, and he is sick of it,” he said.
TMZ reported this week that Bieber sold his music catalogue for $200 million to shore up his finances. Braun allegedly told Bieber to wait at least until January 2023, so that when he did sell, he would get a tax break, but he sold it in December 2022.
The documentary allegedly discusses Bieber’s mental health, marriage, money troubles, career and more. “TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?” is streaming on Hulu.