According to a new TMZ documentary, Justin Bieber was in serious financial trouble when he sold his music catalog for \$200 million in December 2022.
The documentary, *TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?*, now streaming on Hulu, claims that Bieber—now 31—was on the brink of “financial collapse” when he sold the rights to nearly 300 songs to Hipgnosis Songs Capital. TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin alleges that despite earning between \$500 million and \$1 billion over his career, Bieber was forced to sell his catalog because he was financially broke, partly due to debts following the cancellation of his 2022 *Justice World Tour*.
Levin said during the program, “I was on a call with multiple people — Justin’s team admitted that in 2022, he was on the verge of collapse. That’s why he had to sell his catalog.” When PEOPLE reached out, a representative for Bieber declined to comment.
Levin also claims that when Bieber’s former manager Scooter Braun learned about the impending sale, he advised the singer to wait until January 2023 to benefit from a tax break. However, Bieber allegedly insisted on selling immediately. “Justin said, ‘I gotta sell it now.’ And he sold it in December. That’s how broke he was,” Levin said.
The documentary doesn’t specify exactly how Bieber spent his wealth, but one TMZ staffer suggests that during the *Justice World Tour*, he had eight tour buses and spent \$2 million refurbishing one. In addition, he reportedly flew on private jets and purchased multiple luxury homes in cash.
TMZ executive producer Don Nash also notes that Bieber could have earned up to \$90 million had he completed the *Justice World Tour*, which he canceled in September 2022 to focus on his health.
The TMZ claims follow a similar report from *The Hollywood Reporter* last month, which also suggested that Bieber ended up millions in debt after canceling his tour. In response, Bieber’s rep criticized the publication’s sources, calling the report “clickbait stupidity” and suggesting it came from “unnamed — and clearly ill-informed — ‘sources’” upset about no longer being associated with the singer. The rep added that Bieber remains committed to his personal growth and goals.
A source also told PEOPLE that Bieber, who became a father in August with wife Hailey Baldwin Bieber, is currently “struggling with a lot of demons” and has been making poor choices that are straining his relationships, finances, and career. “People are really concerned about him,” the source said.