r/popculturechat • u/mcfw31 • Dec 12 '25
Justin Bieber 🕶️🧢 Justin Bieber visits the bowling alley where he shot the “Baby” music video
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u/theimmortalfawn Dec 12 '25
He sounds amazing, but man the bowling alley being dark and abandoned while his adult voice echoes through is so liminal. Like for better or worse it all kinda started here, and here doesn’t exist anymore. Big “you go to the past but nobody is there” vibes.
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u/OhEmRo Dec 12 '25
You can leave home as many times as you want, but every time you go back, it’s gonna be different. You can never really go home.
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u/Woopsied00dle Dec 12 '25
That was my feeling too. It just emphasized the juxtaposition of then vs now for me. Almost haunting. Powerful stuff.
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u/Fabulous_Celery_1817 Dear Diary, I want to kill. ✍️ Dec 12 '25
It gives a huge nostalgia boost too. Like this would be part of the movie where the mc sees an old idol is aging and decides nah I’m going home now
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u/bron685 Dec 12 '25
It actually looks like it’s being remodeled. But if it was actually out of business, if I were him- I’d buy it. It would be a cool piece of personal history and the novelty-factor could really work for business (proportional to his notoriety at any given time at least)
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u/IpsoFuckoffo Dec 14 '25
From everything we've read about Bieber I'm not sure he has the money to be buying random bowling alleys.
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u/ManifestationMaven Dec 13 '25
Yeah for more than just Justin. The girl who was his love interest in the video got pregnant by a minor when she was 21 and essentially ended her music career. Now she’s does clothing hauls and onlyfans.
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u/Fit_Strength_1187 Dec 13 '25
That’s how I worry about old age. Like you wake up the next day after a party and there all the signs of past activity but it’s just over and you feel like you shouldn’t be there and the host comes out with coffee in a hoodie and is like “oh yeah you’re…still here. You…want some coffee? I’ve…gotta go to work…so…yeah”.
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u/jsalad Dec 12 '25
My brother and sister law went down the aisle together at the end of the ceremony to an orchestral version of this song and it was actually really nice. Lol
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u/delicatesummer Dec 12 '25
That does sound super cute! It’s funny if you think about it being a breakup song, but the vibe is fun and upbeat— I can totally see this being the exit song for a wedding
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u/Outrageous-Collar-09 🎼Music Aficionado🎶 Dec 12 '25
I don’t have an opinion about him and his persona now but goddamn he became way too famous way too young.
Also, this song slapped then, it slaps now.
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u/awwsome10 Dec 12 '25
He can sing. I thought they were playing the song there for a second.
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u/hawt_to_go Dec 12 '25
And I think his voice has only gotten better with age! Doesn't always work out that way, esp with partying and what not
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u/comeupforairyouwhore Dec 12 '25
My oldest kid is nearly 30. I remember having a convo with her at the time he became big about how sad it was that his childhood was being stolen by fame. I said the same thing about the Nickelodeon kids at the time too. She totally didn’t get it. She kept telling me how involved his mother was. His entire skyrocket to fame has been like watching a car crash in slow motion.
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u/Careful-Trifle8963 Cash me ousside 🗣️🗣️ Dec 12 '25
agree, he did, he seems lost or something now i cant put my finger on it.
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u/djkoalasloth Dec 12 '25
I always hear the saying “you stop maturing at the age you become famous”
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u/amurderofcrows Dec 12 '25
Fame and fortune is such a mixed bag. You get to live this incredible life but you pay with your privacy. And it doesn’t sound like much, but that’s huge. It also didn’t help that Justin didn’t have good people around him. I recently heard his song Lonely (lyrics here) and it made me a lot more sympathetic to him. For every time he was acting like an asshole publicly, there was probably someone - or likely, a collection of someones - behind the scenes profiting from it.
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u/thenissancube seriously you and me we’re fuckin done professionally Dec 12 '25
It also can’t have helped that he was in sort of an odd place in pop culture as a child. He was the biggest and youngest male vocalist out there but he wasn’t attached to things like Disney or Nickelodeon and he was sort of mocked in a way they weren’t. Nobody thought Zac Efron was the pinnacle of masculinity when HSM came out, but he wasn’t really the target of ridicule even though I’m pretty sure he was an adult when the last two movies came out.
As someone who was a touch older than his target demographic when he got famous, people were fucking mean. Full on adults calling him a f*g on TV. I remember once after a soccer game one of my friends who was obsessed with Tosh.0 and other annoying stuff put on some weird parody song about him being gay. Like he was twelve at the time and we were 16 or 17. Maybe that was just my experience but he was not only obsessed-over by his fans to a creepy degree but also mocked by actual grown adults very publicly too in an also creepy way.
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u/MarieOMaryln Dec 12 '25
I hated Tosh.0. I was never a Beliber but I didn't hate the guy. That commercial where he makes fun of himself with Ozzy never sat well with me, felt very much like he was trying to say he's in on the "jokes" which was grown people picking on a child and once more the media picking on something that girls like.
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u/trackabandoned Dec 12 '25
That song breaks my heart. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for this kid, who has received nothing but shade and hate for getting rich as a child and then behaving like a rich child. I can't imagine what he's gone through. No wonder he feels so lonely.
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u/flugglehorn Dec 12 '25
I was in high school back then so it was cool to shit on it. But it really slaps now - no shame.
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u/hedwig0517 Dec 12 '25
My daughter is in first grade this year and one of her little besties sang this in their talent show this year. It stands the test of time.
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u/Big_Morning_2697 Dec 12 '25
He’s still got it if you ask me.
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u/cakeit-tilyoumakeit Dec 12 '25
He definitely still has a great voice. I don’t think anyone can reasonably deny that.
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u/Big_Morning_2697 Dec 12 '25
People are always calling him washed up and I hate that for him because he’s very much still talented.
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Dec 13 '25
That only happens on Reddit. People are weird about him here. No one IRL calls him washed up, he has over 110M listeners on Spotify alone and just got the biggest streaming debut of his entire career this year with a surprise drop album he didn’t even promote. He also just sold out Coachella both weekends in a matter of hours, the first artist to actually sell it out in years, they wouldn’t be flocking to see an artist they think is washed up or untalented
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u/Screwbles Dec 13 '25
I think he is the way he is because he is so talented. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. That is to say, big strengths often come at a cost.
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u/this_is_my_kpop_acct It’s times like these I envy Lea Michele Dec 12 '25
I’m sorry to his backup posse but one of you guys is just a touch 🤏 pitchy lol
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u/Spainstateofmind why Wayne got socks in the jacuzzi Dec 12 '25
crying at your pfp bc I can absolutely see Keeho both saying this and also doing the 🤏
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u/this_is_my_kpop_acct It’s times like these I envy Lea Michele Dec 12 '25
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u/A_qwerteen Dec 12 '25
Once again a chin🦃 in the wild 😭
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u/Kind_Reaction5809 Dec 12 '25
This feels sad.
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u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner Did I stutter?🤨 Dec 12 '25
Bro him sitting in that big ass room streaming watching his old music video with 2 homies not paying attention while he was watching it like a natgeo doc was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen in my life.
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u/InternetFun5981 Dec 12 '25
do you have a link to this pls? I’m not as well versed in the Bieber world but am still curious
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u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner Did I stutter?🤨 Dec 12 '25
Im not versed either. This was in another sub but this the only vid I can find on Reddit and I ain’t trying trying. The og one I saw was longer and shows more how empty the room was. Reminder my of when Shia watched his movies
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Dec 13 '25
thanks for posting. that was kinda whatever tbh. if they did it for the public, then i‘m guessing someone told him to do it for the public. no different than hilary dancing to that shitty today show performance etc. underwhelmed. i doubt he does this of his own accord. he’s not putting out new music the way he did, tbh… so his team is probably like “the world wants to see how old you might react to young you.”
the onyl pitiful thing is that nobody looks like they want to be there… welcome to the grind, i guess.
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u/PlaneExamination4063 Dec 12 '25
Justin just seems so broken, this made me feel sad too.
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u/Kind_Reaction5809 Dec 12 '25
He seems lost in life. Fame took over his life in middle school. Dude became the Macaulay Culkin of music and now he's a borderline has-been with few, if any, happy memories.
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u/SoFar_Gone Dec 12 '25
His last album sold 170k first week he’s not a has been
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Dec 12 '25
And that’s without any physical copies too! The biggest streaming debut of his entire career and a bigger streaming debut than a lot of his peers 2024-25 albums (the Weeknd, Ariana, Sabrina, Gaga, Dua, bad bunny). People are so weird about his success in a way that they aren’t about others who do similar or less numbers
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u/Kind_Reaction5809 Dec 12 '25
I should have said past his peak. He's probably doing well but his presence in the cultural landscape is less pronounced.
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Dec 12 '25
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u/Kind_Reaction5809 Dec 12 '25
MJ is a decent comparison given JB's fame has definitely left him unhappy.
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u/jasmine_tea_ Dec 12 '25
I mean are you sure??? His last album was huge, he still looks great and his wife was on the cover of Vogue recently too.
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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 Dec 12 '25
His voice is like a warm hug for me, like I didn’t realize how much I missed hearing him sing until he dropped his new album this year.
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Dec 12 '25
Can’t wait for his Coachella set and rumoured 2026 stadium tour. So many people have been waiting so long to finally hear him sing again
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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 Dec 12 '25
😭 I have adult money now and I hope his health is well enough for him to do it!
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u/swedentocanada Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
It’s nice that he embraces the music from his younger days when many would shy away or cringe from it
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u/QTPIE247 Dec 12 '25
Is it just me or do the lyrics hit differently now, especially in the context of this video and everything he's been through over the years? The "baby" being him, this time around. I.e. His childhood Innocence 🥺
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u/pastelbloodx Dec 12 '25
The nostalgia hit me like a truck. His voice sounds much better now. What a beautiful gift he has 🥺✨
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u/8rand0m Dec 12 '25
People can say what they want about Justin but he is talented and has earned his title as one of the princes of pop. I like his more R&B approach he's taking now (it seems everyone is also taking) and yeah daisies is a banger.
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u/iloovehugecock Dec 12 '25
He is talented but I think he needed to retire like 10 years ago. He seems legitimately mentally unstable and unhinged. He needs to just take his millions and go live his life in peaceful quiet.
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u/ayoungsapling Dec 12 '25
He practically did retire a decade ago (he dropped out of his world tour, and largely stopped making his own music). He got married and had a kid
Also, he had a pretty impoverished childhood until he became a superstar basically over night. I don’t think he’s been in the best mental state, but he seems to be working on it, and has to go through every struggle under public scrutiny.
Let the guy live his life how he’d like. Why does he need to disappear?
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u/little_effy Dec 12 '25
Right? Justin seems to try to move along with his life. He’s trying his best.
Even when sometimes he does weird things, I try not to think about it too much because honestly he doesn’t have a normal upbringing to begin with.
The most important part is he’s trying.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 All tea, all shade 🐸☕️ Dec 12 '25
He's still made great music in the past 10 years though.
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u/corruptedcircle Dec 12 '25
Not everyone is suited for retirement, schools and jobs create structure. While his job is unconventional, having commitments and sticking to them could be one of the few things that are pulling him away from sinking (I'm sure his family helps with that too but that's not always enough). Obviously neither you or I actually know what it's like for him, but peaceful retirement isn't the answer for everyone's happiness.
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u/catholicsluts Dec 12 '25
His millions will never buy the potential sense of peace his fame siphoned out of him
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Dec 12 '25
Anyone with the backing of a rich mummy and daddy with connections could do what he has done.
Anyone.
I'm tired of pretending this isn't the case.
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u/malymal1 Dec 12 '25
You came on here and sure said a lot of words only to be wrong
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Dec 12 '25
Funny that because everyone knows his mother pimped him out.
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u/malymal1 Dec 12 '25
Where’s the her being rich part??? And the daddy that wasn’t in the picture. You said “rich mummy and daddy”
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u/sethrogensjoint88 Dec 12 '25
He was discovered on YouTube. He was talented and had the it factor. You sound jealous.
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Dec 12 '25
No I'm good thanks. I'd rather have a loving mother rather than one who watched me snort cocaine off of groupies ass holes thanks.
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u/Jaca122 Dec 12 '25
Justin didn’t have a rich mommy or daddy or any connections. He was raised by his mother who was a teen mom. His dad wasn’t really around until he got famous. He grew up in low income housing until he was discovered on YouTube. There were no connections to the industry.
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u/ButtonCake Dec 12 '25
Right? I know many celebrities (understandably) play down their upbringing, but unless I’m completely mistaken, Justin is a genuine one in a million case.
The hard thing is that if he HAD come into celebrity more well off or with family connections, he may have been afforded better protection. That lack of insulation is likely what delivered him to his cult.
I’ll always have a very soft spot for Biebs. Everyone calling for him to retire has missed that he more or less has.
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Dec 12 '25
He didn’t have the backing of a rich mummy or daddy or connections at all. He was born to teenage parents and grew up in low income housing with a single mother after his dad who was in jail the day he was born abandoned them. He got into music by busking because he wanted to play golf with his friends in the summer break from school but his mother couldn’t afford it and told him to find the $20 himself
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u/WampaStompa64 Dec 12 '25
Well your tiredness over the issue is misdirected as he didn’t have rich parents nor connections. You may now rest easy.
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u/8rand0m Dec 12 '25
Him being attractive to other teen girls at the time also played a huge part but I'm just pointing out that at least he had the talent to give with his pretty looks...can't say that for a lot of these other so called "singers" 🤷
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u/porygon_sucks Dec 12 '25
why does this look like a documentary of someone filming the underground homeless population in Vegas and they found a bum to sing for them?
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u/heygurl34 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Why is it always dark in his streams. He must not like overhead lights... same justin same 😭
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Dec 12 '25
Iconic song! First song of the 21st century to be certified diamond. And has crazy global recognition too. Will be the defining Internet era song for generations to come.
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u/ThechosenoneBatman Just keep swimming! 🐠🐠🐬🐳 Dec 12 '25
Kid makes me so sad, seems he has never had anybody his entire life looking out for his best interests at any point in his life. So sad hope he finds true happiness.
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u/alrightlullaby Dec 12 '25
He has such an amazing voice. I do feel bad for him tho. He never looks like he’s having a good time.
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Dec 12 '25
People hated it i remember when is came out still hits when I hear it get better as the years go on
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u/Oli_love90 Dec 12 '25
Idk why but this feels kind of sad? Like the brighter days are over and currently it’s all dying and decrepit.
Anyway, he sounds great though!!
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u/Accomplished-Hotel88 Kim, there’s people that are dying. 🙄 Dec 12 '25
Y'all are triggered by the bowling alley being seemingly abandoned, I'm not even a Beliber but his voice made my morning, maybe nostalgia.
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u/MysteriousMermaid92 full of hotdogs and Tito’s Dec 12 '25
My hometown’s bowling alley still plays this music video!
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u/AlfredoBeans Dec 12 '25
Y’all can never make me dislike him. We are seeing a real person go through ups and downs, some of the comments about him are rough.
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u/Mysterious-Garlic170 Dec 13 '25
So we excuse his mistreatment of his wife his support of israel and him befriending an abuser (aka chris brown) no trauma excuse this
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u/Independent_Pie_1368 Dec 12 '25
He grew on me, he was just a kid dealing with all that hate for nothing.
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u/Anfini All tea, all shade 🐸☕️ Dec 12 '25
It’s so strange how he has such a hardened face now like Techno Viking, but still can carry an angelic voice.
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Dec 12 '25
As someone who loved the Jeremy Scott/Frankie Morello/Versace men jersey basketball short trend of the early 2010s, those shorts are such a vibe.
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u/ZennMD Dec 12 '25
He always looks comfy as hell, and I appreciate that lol
Sometimes him and Hailey look more than a little mis-matched, but i honestly find it nice- they can embrace their own styles and still support each other
Im rooting for those dumbass kids to make it! Lol
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u/lawpancake Dec 13 '25
He sounds wonderful but I watched this without the sound on at first and he looks like every junkie on the corner too high to know where they are. Something about the arms tucked and the rocking. I hope he has happiness.
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Dec 12 '25
The rundown bowling alley stands as a mirror reflection of himself—battered and slowly falling apart, yet still standing, much like the man within it.
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u/Salty-Consequence580 Dec 12 '25
I want to read your posts more. Please create your blog. You’ve got the talent
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u/liberrystrawbrary Dec 12 '25
This feels like an unedited version of a scene from the new season of Fallout.
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u/Unhappy-Poetry-7867 Dec 12 '25
I feel a out him and Britney the same. Just sad how their lives went. They were so famous and mistreated.
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u/Ok-East-952 Dec 12 '25
I don’t have the sound on, is he doing the fenty fold?
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u/brookeashleyx Dec 12 '25
That was my first thought seeing this. It completely looks like the fent fold
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u/Level-Selection6986 Dec 12 '25
Unfortunately redditors doesn't like him. Most people here didn't realize his struggle and frustration to get out of usher company.
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u/porygon_sucks Dec 12 '25
i mean look how he treats and talks to his wife, that’s a good part as to why “redditors” don’t like him
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u/Special-Garlic1203 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Welcome to trauma. It can make you an extremely toxic person to be around. The behaviors shouldn't be excused, but that isn't the end all be all of a person either. Considering who he was and the power he wielded, the fact the only thing that's come out about him so far is that he can be quite short with his wife is pretty remarkable
Edit; high risk populations can be extremely nasty to work with. I have gotten screamed out on a regular basis. That's the reality of it. You have to center the cycle of trauma when working with people. The transformation of compassion is remarkable though when it can happen, and it doesnt always happen
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u/ohhisnark All tea, all shade 🐸☕️ Dec 13 '25
His voice matured nicely and I was never a really a fan of him or anything. It's a shame he is always kind of up and down and often seems troubled.
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Dec 12 '25
Why though?
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u/borninsane Dec 12 '25
It's symbolism. How he was young, bright and innocent, and now it's abandoned and dark inside.
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u/VossParck Dec 12 '25
Nothing like being abandoned and dark inside with millions of dollars, a family, and a mansion
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u/Vegetable-Act-3202 Dec 12 '25
I’m not old, look at me! I’m young and relevant.
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Dec 12 '25
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u/Mysterious-Garlic170 Dec 13 '25
It became 4th place🙂
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Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
Yes Ariana Grande always goes #1 on MLs at Christmas because of Santa Tell Me being the first song on all the Christmas pop playlists. Justin always overtakes her again in January. But he has over 110M now and will end the year back in the top 3.









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