For years, Usher has quietly felt pushed aside and underappreciated by his former mentee-turned-music superstar Justin Bieber, the Daily Mail has learned.
But sources say Bieber distanced himself for good reason: ‘He just didn’t protect him.’
Immediately after the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday night, this secret feud came to a head.
‘On Oscar night, it reached a boiling point,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘Usher feels Justin’s behavior of late and in particular on the night has been out of line.’
A second source denied Bieber was disrespectful in any way, adding: ‘Justin was at a party with his friends and with his wife [Hailey Bieber] and having a great time.
‘What [Usher’s] taking as disrespect may actually be him feeling guilty or ashamed.’
Earlier this week, news broke that the Grammy winners got into a ‘heated exchange’ at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Oscars afterparty at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
Sources connected to Bieber, 32, told TMZ that Usher, 47, allegedly approached the Sorry singer with ‘energy and anger’ but the dispute never became physical.
Usher got into a heated verbal exchange with Justin Bieber at a 2026 Oscars afterparty, the Daily Mail can confirm, as sources dive into the years-long tension bubbling underneath
A source said Usher felt Bieber’s behavior ‘has been out of line,’ while a second insider insisted the pop star was having a ‘great time’ with his wife and friends
The Daily Mail’s first insider said that the only reason the confrontation didn’t escalate into a full-blown fight was ‘out of respect’ for the party hosts.
‘[Usher] held himself back,’ the insider claimed.
‘Out of respect for Jay-Z and Beyoncé, he chose not to escalate the situation further, but some feel like he was ready for a fight.’
We’re told that when the Yeah! singer ran into Bieber at the starry fête, he felt ‘brushed off the same way he has for a while now.’
‘From his perspective, there’s a level of loyalty and gratitude that hasn’t been reciprocated, and the distance between them has come off as dismissive and disrespectful,’ the first source continued.
‘Usher, who played a key role in helping Justin get his start, feels that history matters.’
Now, the Daily Mail has learned why Bieber has kept Usher at arm’s length for a while.
‘He feels taken advantage of and has some disdain for his past management,’ a third source told the Daily Mail, referencing Bieber’s strained relationship with Scooter Braun. ‘There’s always been tension after Justin blew up.’
‘Usher was around from the beginning ever since Justin was a kid,’ the second source added, noting ‘it’s baffling’ that Usher would not know why there’s an issue.
In 2007, a 12-year-old Bieber started getting traction on YouTube for his singing.
Braun discovered him on the platform and signed him to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between the famed music manager and Usher, whom Braun met in the early 2000s in Atlanta while promoting parties.
Usher has mentored Bieber ever since the latter was a kid and helped kick off his singing career
Early on, Bieber was signed to Usher and Scooter Braun’s label Raymond Braun Media Group
Usher – who had already cemented himself as a successful entertainer at the time with numerous hit singles under his belt – helped catapult Bieber into stardom.
‘I saw a future of an artist who was very bright based off of his passion,’ the U Got It Bad singer once told Oprah Winfrey of Bieber in an interview.
‘I saw the potential of success. It was really always left up to him and I always told him that. I said, ‘You can go as far as you want to go, if you want to go there.”
Bieber decided that he wanted to rise to that next level of fame.
Usher then facilitated a meeting between the pop star and record executive L.A. Reid to sign a larger distribution deal with Island Def Jam since RBMG was a smaller label.
‘This kid was beautiful, like a woman can be beautiful and men rarely are, and he turned it on as soon as he stepped into the room,’ Reid recalled in his memoir, Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who’s Next.
‘Usher didn’t just bring me a kid with an amazing voice, he brought me a born entertainer, someone who would become the biggest of them all.’
Through Usher, Bieber also met Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, and developed a friendship that has since been viewed as controversial given the latter’s 2025 sex crimes trial.
Through Usher, Bieber was introduced to record executive L.A. Reid (second from left)
Bieber developed a friendship with Bad Boy Records founder Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs as a teen
Amid the federal investigation, a video resurfaced of Combs, now 56, alongside a then-15-year-old Bieber claiming they had spent 48 hours together and cryptically sharing: ‘What we’re doing we can’t really disclose.’
Bieber was forced to quiet all the noise via a representative at the time and shut down any speculation that he had ever been abused by Combs.
‘Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve,’ his spokesperson said.
In October 2025, Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He also has several civil sexual assault lawsuits pending. Combs has denied any wrongdoing.
Reid, 69, for his part, has also been sued for sexual assault and harassment by a former colleague. He denied the allegations and settled the case just this past January without admitting liability.
Bieber has never publicly called out any music execs for misconduct, but has candidly been open about his mental health issues due to the toxicity of fame.
Despite his hardships, he and Usher appeared on good terms as of 2020, when the Peaches singer posted a picture of him and his mentor shaking hands in the studio.
‘Love you bro @usher,’ Bieber captioned the Instagram post at the time.
The duo were last photographed hanging out together at Coeur d’Alene in Idaho in 2022.
In 2020, Bieber captioned this photo, ‘Love you bro’ and tagged Usher
Usher and Bieber were last photographed together during this outing at a lake in Idaho in 2022
The following year, Usher was asked to headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is when we’re told differences between the R&B star and Bieber heated up.
Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Usher was desperately trying to get Bieber to join him onstage and had thrown some ideas his way.
However, a source close to Bieber said of the Lonely singer’s mindset: ‘Justin is flattered that one of his mentors, Usher, wants him to be a part of the Super Bowl, but he is leaning towards letting Usher do his thing and Justin would rather have the opportunity to do the Super Bowl on his own in the future if he were to be asked.’
Bieber ultimately declined.
Usher said in interviews that he understood his former mentee’s decision, but we’re now told it actually hurt his feelings more than he let on.
The first source said of Oscars night: ‘It marked the first time they’d been in the same room in quite some time, and the tension had been building ever since Justin declined Usher’s invitation to join him at the Super Bowl a few years ago.’
Around that same time, in 2024, Bieber also became estranged from Braun. He parted ways with his management company at the time, and sources have since disclosed financial disputes behind-the-scenes due to the canceled Justice Tour.
Bieber and Braun reached a settlement on those financial issues in 2025.
The Daily Mail’s second source pointed out that it’s unclear how much Usher was ‘privy to’ regarding Braun and Bieber’s conflicts, but said that ultimately ‘there were opportunities where he could have stepped in.’
Insiders told the Daily Mail that Bieber’s feud with Usher is related in a big part to the R&B singer’s ongoing ties to Braun, who once managed Bieber
Usher and Braun have been friends since the early 2000s and reportedly remain close
The third source echoed a similar sentiment but did not elaborate on what allegedly transpired that called for Bieber to need protection.
Despite Bieber’s fallout with Braun, Usher remains friendly with the manager – who also had a very public feud with Taylor Swift – to this day.
The second source pointed out that Usher’s continued closeness has given Bieber even more reason to steer clear from rekindling any relationship with Usher.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail’s first source implied that Usher feels he is owed a certain level of ‘gratitude’ for all the Burn singer has done, but our other sources told us that Bieber ‘broke out independently over the years’ and has accomplished a lot on his own.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Usher and Bieber for comment.
