A provocative new investigative documentary has sent shockwaves through the music industry by claiming that Justin Bieber’s historic $200 million music catalog sale in late 2022 was not a strategic business move, but a desperate attempt to avoid total financial ruin. The film, titled TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?, which premiered on Hulu in mid-2025, alleges that the global pop icon was on the verge of a “financial collapse” after years of unchecked spending and a series of professional setbacks. According to the documentary’s producers, the singer had amassed a fortune estimated between $500 million and $1 billion over his decade-long career, yet found himself effectively “broke” by the time he reached his late twenties.
The documentary points to the 2022 cancellation of the Justice World Tour as the primary catalyst for Bieber’s alleged fiscal crisis. After being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which left him with temporary facial paralysis, Bieber was forced to walk away from a projected $90 million payday. The film suggests that the financial burden of the tour’s overhead—including millions spent on custom-renovated tour buses and a massive payroll—left the singer with staggering debts that his remaining liquid assets could not cover. Insiders interviewed in the documentary claim that Bieber’s penchant for high-stakes luxury, including private jets and the cash purchase of several multi-million dollar estates, further depleted his once-impregnable reserves.
One of the most striking revelations in the report involves Bieber’s former manager, Scooter Braun. The documentary claims that Braun strongly advised the singer against selling his 290-song catalog so early in his career, even suggesting he wait until January 2023 to secure a significant tax break. However, the film alleges that Bieber’s financial situation was so dire that he insisted on closing the deal in December 2022 to receive the $200 million payout immediately. This urgency, the documentary argues, is the clearest indicator of how close the star was to the brink of insolvency.
In response to these explosive allegations, representatives for the “Peaches” singer have issued a scathing rebuttal, dismissing the documentary as “clickbait stupidity” and “ill-informed fiction.” His camp maintains that the claims are based on disgruntled former associates and that the decision to sell his catalog was a forward-looking investment in his family’s future, particularly following the birth of his son, Jack Blues, in August 2024. They argue that Bieber remains in a position of strength, especially given the billion-dollar success of his wife Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand, Rhode, which has significantly bolstered the couple’s combined net worth.
Despite the firm denials from Team Bieber, the documentary has reignited a global conversation about the sustainability of the “mega-celebrity” lifestyle and the immense pressure placed on young stars to maintain a multi-million dollar machine. As Bieber continues to navigate his health and his new role as a father, the film leaves audiences with a haunting portrait of the high-wire act that is modern superstardom. Whether the $200 million sale was a calculated exit or a necessary rescue, it marks a definitive end to one era of Bieber’s legacy and a complex beginning for his next chapter.
With additional report: people.com
