Justin Bieber Posts Heartfelt Message To His Dad Jeremy: Inside Their Rollercoaster Relationship

Justin Bieber has had a warm and fuzzy social media feed as of late, as part of what seems to be a spiritual reawakening that has included tributes and shout-outs to the important people in his life. Now, the 23-year-old “Purpose” singer is expressing gratitude for his close relationship with his dad, Jeremy Bieber.

In a new Instagram post, Justin Bieber posted a poignant message to his dad in which he said he will always love him. Justin captioned a photo of himself and his dad with the message:

“I love continuing to get to know my father I love working through hard things to get to the good things. relationships are worth fighting for especially with family!! Love you forever and always daddy!”

Justin Bieber’s relationship with his father had not always been so close. Jeremy Bieber walked out on Justin and his mom, Pattie Mallette, when the future superstar was a baby. In a 2015 interview with Billboard, Justin defended his dad, explaining that his parents were teenagers when he was born. Bieber revealed that at age 18, his young father was “not in a place where he could raise a kid.”

“He was immature,” Justin said of his dad.

“He left for like a year when I was about 4, went to British Columbia, came back on Father’s Day. I remember my mom said, ‘If you’re going to be here, you have to be here.’ There’s a misconception that he’s this deadbeat dad, but he has been in my life since. I was with him on weekends and Wednesdays.”

While Justin Bieber’s mom has been credited for getting him on YouTube where he was spotted by future agent Scooter Braun, Justin says it was his dad who encouraged his musical talent.

“I was a white boy from a small town in Canada singing ‘So Sick’ by Ne-Yo,” Bieber told Billboard. “I was always that fearless kid who would jump onstage or do whatever. My dad would be like, ‘Rap that 2Pac verse,’ and I’d do ‘Thugz Mansion’ — I was probably 8.”

Justin Bieber was notoriously close to his mom during his younger days as a teen superstar—his close bond with Mallette was even detailed in the hit 2011 documentary, Never Say Never—but in recent years his relationship with Jeremy has grown. Justin and his mom Pattie were even estranged for a while when the teen star went through his “bad boy” phase, which included arrests, egg tossing antics, and more. In 2014, Mallette told People she had to change her parenting style as Justin hit adulthood—and that meant stepping back.

“When your kids hit a certain age your parenting style changes and it is hard letting go,” Bieber’s mom told People. “A lot of people might think that I have my head in the sand or that I am oblivious to the things my son is doing. “I know who my son is and I don’t always agree with every single thing that he does but I don’t necessarily have to address that with everyone else. He’s my son and I have to respect he is not going to want me going around being ‘that mom’ talking about his behavior.”

While Mallette stepped back, Bieber Sr. stepped in. In a 2016 cover story for GQ, Justin Bieber admitted his relationship with his parents has “switched.”

“I’m a lot closer to my dad than I am to my mom,” Bieber admitted in 2016.

Justin Bieber’s dad lives in Ontario and his mom is in Hawaii, but the Bieber patriarch has been the one by Justin’s side during his various troubles. According to TMZ, earlier this year when Justin had a bad week that included pulling the plug on his Purpose tour and hitting a paparazzi with his vehicle, Jeremy immediately flew to L.A. to be with his son.

In many ways, Justin and his dad have been more like friends than father and son. The two have been photographed partying at nightclubs and in 2014 they even got into trouble together on a flight from Toronto to New York for the Super Bowl.

Take a look at the video below to see Justin Bieber talking about his parents, Jeremy Bieber and Pattie Mallette.