Usher is shutting down the claim that he got into an intense argument with Justin Bieber at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Oscars afterparty.
Last week, TMZ reported the “Baby” singer, 32, and his former mentor, 47, got into a “heated exchange” after Usher went up to Bieber at the star-studded bash angrily.
But Usher’s friend Da Brat said the “Yeah!” singer told her the report was “exaggerated,” during an episode of “The Rickey Smiley Show.”
“I spoke to Usher, and he said, ‘This is an exaggeration of the conversation,’” Da Brat said. “He’s been nothing but supportive of plenty of issues that Justin Bieber has had throughout the years and y’all can actually check the records for all that, he has been.”
“Justin is on his own journey, dealing with his own reality that he’s created,” she continued. “Usher wishes him nothing but the best, and they have no hostility towards each other.”
The rapper noted that the two singers “definitely love each other.”
“People just take stuff out of context when they see something and they run with it, and I’m just here to say that is not the issue,” she said. “They are definitely cool with each other, and they have love and they support each other.”
According to TMZ’s sources, while Bieber and Usher’s alleged altercation did not turn physical, it was “intense.”
A source claimed to the outlet that Bieber has “always been rude” to Usher and he’s trying to “erase everyone in his past.”
Page Six reached out to reps for Bieber and Usher, but didn’t receive a response.
Usher and Bieber’s former manager, Scooter Braun, were key figures in the early stages of Bieber’s career, with Usher serving as a longtime mentor.
Sources told Page Six in February 2024 that Usher asked his former protégé to take part in his Super Bowl halftime show, but Bieber “wasn’t feeling it.”
A music industry source told us a the time.“There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it — he just wasn’t feeling it.”
Back in 2016, Usher noted that Bieber was “like a child” to him while discussing Bieber’s past troubles with the law.
“As a mentor, he’s accepted my opinion, I can give him my perspective,” he said during his appearance on “The Howard Stern Show.” “He’s like a child to me, so I don’t necessarily feel like it’s business, you know what I’m saying? I feel like I’m talking to someone who has had hardships.”
“If your child ever has difficulties, every person who’s listening to this s—t right now understands that nobody’s perfect,” he continued. “You’re gonna have moments. And if he does, I can only show him the reality of what has happened … Of course, we’ve had stern talks.”
Bieber reflected on “letting go of resentment” in an Instagram post in December while speaking about his difficult past.
“I grew in a system that rewarded my gift but didn’t always protect my soul,” he wrote. “There were moments I felt used, rushed, shaped into something I didn’t fully choose. This kind of pressure leaves wounds you don’t see on stage.”
He acknowledged that he “carried anger,” but said he had been “healed” by his faith.
“I’ve asked God why. But Jesus keeps meeting me in the middle of the pain – not excusing what hurt me, but teaching me how not to become bitter,” he wrote.
“I’ve been through pain that shaped me before I had the words to name it… I don’t want to burn the music industry down,” he continued. “I want to see it made new – safer, more honest, more human.”
