Why Did Justin Bieber Unfollow Usher on Instagram?

Fans are buzzing with speculation online after Justin Bieber recently unfollowed his longtime mentor and friend Usher on Instagram.

The diss came amidst an unfollow spree of sorts from Bieber, who has noticeably nixed most of his original team from his following list on Instagram.

That includes former managers Scooter Braun and Allison Kaye, former stylist and Drew House collaborator Ryan Good, former bodyguard Kenny Hamilton, former producer Poo Bear and randomly, Hailey Bieber's dad Stephen Baldwin.

Now, Usher has faced Bieber's unfollow button wrath.

Because many of these figures were featured in Bieber's iconic documentary slash concert film Never Say Never back in 2011, fans immediately took notice of the apparent rift.

READ MORE: Why Justin Bieber Owes Us Nothing Regarding Diddy (OPINION)

"What the hell is going on behind the scenes? ... These people weren’t just colleagues they were his FAMILY," one fan tweeted after Bieber unfollowed Usher.

"Never Say Never is feeling less and less like a fun concert movie about a kid living his dreams and more and more like a 4K documentary about manipulation and child labor law exploitation," the same fan theorized in another tweet.

"Justin Bieber just unfollowed Usher. The same kid who RAN up to him when he first got to LA at 12 years old and told him he was his biggest fan. The same kid who begged Usher to listen to him sing and to give him a chance," another fan wrote in a tweet with a photo of the two performing together attached.

"This man is a victim of childhood abuse and, everyone he's unfollowed lately, are the causes of that abuse. I hope he is healing, in whatever way he chooses," one person tweeted, implying that Bieber's former team and mentor were responsible for his often public mental health struggles and more as a teen thrust into the music industry.

Just last year, Bieber congratulated his seemingly former friend on his Super Bowl performance.

"LOVE YOU MY BROTHER. NOONE CAN SING AND DANCE THE WAY YOU DO. LOVE YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART," he wrote in an Instagram post in February 2024.

Notably, Usher is closely associated with disgraced rapper Diddy, who many stars have been overtly distancing themselves from, leading many fans to speculate that could be the reason for Bieber's unfollowing.

In the past, Bieber has worked with Diddy on music and appeared with him in content on social media.

In 2009, a 15-year-old Bieber posted a video to his YouTube account titled "48 HRS with DIDDY!!"

The video shows a baby-faced Bieber checking out Diddy's expensive cars (while Good is seen in the background).

"They're [Bieber and his friend] having the times of their lives. Where we hanging out and what we doing, we can't really disclose, but it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream," Diddy said in the video.

"He's signed to Usher. I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album. I don't have legal guardianship of him but for the next 48 hours he's with me," he added.