In January 2023, Justin Bieber made headlines when he sold his 291-song catalog. He reportedly earned $200 million for the sale. While the move was initially celebrated, there might have been a sad motivation behind the sale. A TMZ documentary suggests Justin Bieber had to sell his catalog to escape a mountain of debt. So, is the global pop star broke?

A new documentary suggests Justin Bieber is out of money.

Justin Bieber has made headlines for various reasons over the last few months. His erratic behavior on Instagram, his hostile attitude towards photographers, and his zoned-out look at Coachella have fans concerned. All of his recent troubles could be tied to money. TMZ recently released a new documentary, TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber. The documentary alleges Bieber has significant financial troubles and owes money to his former manager, Scooter Braun.

According to the documentary, much of the former child star’s money woes began in 2022, when he canceled his world tour. Bieber had planned the Justice World Tour and accepted a massive $40 million advance, but pulled out of the tour for medical reasons. While Bieber’s health concerns, including his diagnosis with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, were valid reasons to cancel the tour, it had serious financial implications. He was obligated to return $24 million of his advance upon cancellation.

While Bieber had been working since he was just a teen, he was in a bind. According to TMZ, Bieber’s then-manager, Scooter Braun, and his company, Hybe, stepped in to cover the bill, with the popstar agreeing to repay the loan within ten years. Bieber reportedly never made good on the loan. According to reports, the loan and Bieber’s insistence that he didn’t owe Braun money led to the breakdown of their personal and professional relationship. They ended their professional relationship in August 2022. A dispute over money remains active.

Is Justin Bieber out of money?

While TMZ and other sources claim Justin Bieber’s financial situation is precarious at best, he doesn’t appear to be without cash in the traditional sense. Still, there are some signs of trouble. Before the documentary, a spokesperson from Bieber’s camp called previous reports of financial instability “clickbait stupidity.” According to several sources, Bieber’s net worth still hovers around $300 million. He has a deal with Spotify and projects in the works, but his lack of new music in recent years has ensured his money isn’t exactly growing.

At the very least, he hasn’t grown his wealth at the same rate as people around him. For example, Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, has grown her wealth from roughly $10 million in 2013 to $1.3 billion in 2024.