In 2014, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber was arrested for drunk driving in Miami, a case that eventually ended in a plea deal. More than three years later, Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, is speaking out about Bieber's 2014 breakdown. And according to Braun, there's a lot more to the events than what the public might have seen in the news.
"It was worse than people realized," Braun told WSJ. Magazine in an interview published Thursday. "I failed him day after day. We were living in hell because he was in such a dark place."
Bieber's manager also explained to WSJ that the singer became more distant from him around that time. And apparently, remaining his manager was a controversial decision, and one that Braun's industry contacts advised against.
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"Some of the biggest people in the industry, people invested in Justin's career, told me, 'It's over. Focus on something else. That kid is done,'" Braun told WSJ. "I made a promise to him when he was 13 that I would never give up on him. I plan on keeping that promise."
Still, it sounds like Braun is glad he stayed by Bieber's side. "Our relationship really struggled, but I started to learn things that made me a better man," he told WSJ. One of those things was Braun's decision to start going to Al-Anon meetings, the magazine noted.
"When the time came and Justin needed the resources to get back on track, I wanted to make sure I was a rock and someone he could turn to," Braun explained to the magazine. It sounds like he and Bieber have both done a lot of growing up in the past few years and it's nice to see that Braun stood by his client, even through the difficult moments.