If you were wondering why Justin Bieber seems to have come down with a permanent case of PMS, the not so new theory on the block is that it’s all down to that old monkey on the back (sorry) — heartbreak.
Specifically, Selena Gomez.
Much has been written about the 19-year-old’s behavior on his ongoing Believe world tour — lateness, a collapse, a worst birthday, shirtlessness, a run-in with a paparazzo, Mally the monkey — and latterly, the battery allegations in which his Calabasas, Calif., neighbor claims the singer spat on and threatened to kill him.
With the obvious exception of the battery, which lest we forget is alleged , most of these so-called symptoms of a “meltdown” were in fact recently explained by Bieber in Us Weekly , as just part and parcel of what happens on tour, inevitably distorted in the glare of a freeze-frame.
Still, it seems clear that the singer isn’t at his happiest right now.
According to TMZ , Biever has been in pieces since his break-up with Gomez. Reportedly, the couple temporarily first split November last year, made up, then finally called it a day when the Spring Breakers actress left him halfway through their Mexico vacation in December.
Nothing is mentioned in TMZ about why Gomez walked out, but the website quotes unnamed sources who say it left Bieber feeling “torn apart.”
Going by Gomez’s recent guest spot on Late Show with David Letterman , her decision not to clarify speculation on whether the “Douchebag” dance YouTube she appeared in was about her ex-boyfriend, and her comments about enjoying the single life — it seemed clear that she had moved on and wanted everyone to know it.
However, TMZ reports that Bieber and Gomez’s estrangement may not be as cut and dry as it appears. The same sources say Bieber feels “tortured” because the actress-singer is still calling and texting daily and basically blowing hot and cold with mixed messages.
As a result Bieber is reportedly confused, frustrated, and lashing out because of he’s locked into a grueling tour and has to hit the stage every night and deliver. Unable to sort his love life out and at the mercy of raging hormones, it all adds up to an episode of The Young and The Restless.
The Canadian was also spotted at Gomez’s home in Los Angeles last week after briefly returning from Europe.
Given some of the psychobabble that’s been written about Bieber in the past few weeks, in a way it’s ridiculous that the simplest explanation was missed.
First time heartbreak is a killer. Even if you can’t remember that far back, take a nose around your kids’ puppy love exploits and it will all come flooding back.
Scrolling through a timeline of Bieber’s teenage indiscretions — smoking pot, speeding citations, paparazzi clashes, and his tour antics — noticeably, most are post-Gomez.
Reportedly, sources close to the actress have hit back at suggestions that she is teasing her ex-boyfriend, saying:
”[Justin] just bugs the s*** out of [Selena] and the only reason she picks up her phone is because it’s easier than dealing with harassment. It’s so typical that a man would blame a woman for the fact that he’s ruining his life and it’s sexist stupidity.”
Whatever the truth is, in a recent Teen Vogue interview an isolated sounding Bieber admitted he kept his circle of friends pretty tight, adding :
“I get good vibes from people all the time, and I probably could get along with them and be their friend, but now I just don’t trust anybody. Literally, my phone never rings. I only have, like, four people that I keep in contact with.”
That’s quite a revelation for someone with close to 37 million Twitter followers and over 50 million Facebook likes. It seems even an unprecedented social media presence can’t replace the simple comfort of one special relationship.
Heartbreak may be as old as the hills, but the first cut is the deepest.
[ Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com ]