During the height of Justin Bieber's controversial era, he lived right next to Judge Judy Sheindlin-which proved to be difficult after she made it known that he was "doing a very good job of making a fool out of himself."
The prosecutor-turned-TV judge shared a hilarious story about the time when she and the pop star were neighbors.
"He's scared to death of me," she told Access Hollywood. "There was a period of time before he grew up - when he was foolish, and doing foolish things."
According to reports, it was that time when Bieber was always in the headlines due to some ruckus or issue. She also revealed that the singer started avoiding her after speaking up about his numerous controversies.
"I must have said something about it, and then, I understood that he was paying the front door people to let them know when I was there, coming and going, so he wouldn't have to bump into me," she explained.
Billboard noted that the judge's comments come after news of Bieber being charged with assaulting a limo driver as well as an instance wherein the singer allegedly egged a neighbor's-not Judge Judy-house.
He was also arrested for driving under the influence, resisting arrest, and driving without a license.
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Angry Teen
Bieber has been reformed since then. He is no longer gracing the headlines due to controversies, instead, he is keeping a low profile, releasing music here and there.
He admitted that it was a difficult time in his life in an Instagram post in 2021: "Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, misled, misunderstood and angry at god.. I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami. All this to say God has brought me a long way."
In 2014, Judge Judy reportedly talked about Bieber, noting that "being a celebrity is a gift."
"You could either treat it reverently or you could make a fool out of yourself. And he's doing a very good job of making a fool out of himself.
"I think it's sad. And nobody's going to remember that he was a marginal singer. But they're going to remember a young kid who had a chance to have it all and who is blowing it by acting like a fool," she had said.
Perhaps her words-or something else-clicked for the "Peaches" singer because he turned his life around. He has come a long way from his teenage to early twenties days and has grown more mature over the years.
Bieber is now currently married to model Hailey Bieber, nee Baldwin. His most recent studio album, "Justice," was released in 2021. It is his sixth studio album and was released by Def Jam Recordings.
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