Justin Bieber Dropkicks Two Reckless Rumors In 66 Characters
Justin Bieber is apparently a boy-man of few words these days. But, although his March social media riot acts may be a thing of the past, it seems he can still pack a punch when necessary.
In precisely 66 characters, the 19-year-old recently addressed two damaging stories — if they had been true — that have dominated the recent Bieber news cycle.
Namely, a paternity claim by a unidentified Swedish woman and the singer’s role in an alleged reckless driving incident.
A glut of media coverage greeted the arrival of both these entertainment news gifts, and attracted the usual mix of ‘Belieber’ defenders and virulent ‘haters’ on comment pages.
But such is the power of Twitter, especially when you’ve got an over 39 million audience and every media outlet in town refreshing your page every hour, that it can also be a powerful way for an embattled teen superstar to cut through days of speculative headlines.
Bieber delivered the dual K.O’s in response to a tweet from Tyler, The Creator.
On June 1, Tyler Gregory Okonma, a 22-year-old rapper-producer, publicly admitted he was behind the wheel of the singer’s white Ferrari during an alleged reckless driving incident on Memorial Day.
Tyler’s tweet read:
That Was Me Behind The Wheel Of Justins Vehicle. Don’t Blame Him. People Are Actually Evil Swearing Up And Down That It Was Who It Wasnt.
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) June 1, 2013
Okonma was referring to an alleged reckless driving incident and claims by two (possibly three) witnesses — including ex-NFL star Keyshawn Johnson — that Bieber’s Ferrari sped past them at “freeway” velocity in the gated Calabasas, Los Angeles neighborhood on May 27.
It’s now the subject of a Los Angeles police investigation and general gnashing throughout the interwebs. So, amid rumors that someone other than the singer had been driving and Johnson’s TMZ video missive, Tyler cleared up the furor.
Bieber’s response came two days later:
@fucktyler all good buddy. i deal with this everyday. thanks though. the baby aint mine either.
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 3, 2013
Brief and to the point, with just a dash of nuance, the singer thanked Tyler for his admission, tagging his tweet with a world weary rebut of a recent paternity claim.
The Canadian’s second in two years, it was originally reported by the tabloid Star Magazine. A 25-year-old woman claimed she had sex with a then 15-year-old Bieber after they met at a Miami Beach T.G.I. Friday’s on February 4, 2010.
The magazine cobbled together juvenile-sounding texts supposedly sent from an adolescent Bieber to the woman, a grainy picture of faceless kissers, and an inevitable ‘source’ who said the woman didn’t want money but was “100 sure” her approaching three-year-old daughter had a very famous, very rich daddy.
Although the story was laughable it did the media rounds because that’s what we do. Now, however, with Bieber’s short thrift denial this should put an end to the farce.
Meanwhile, back in Calabasas, the residents are reportedly revolting. Literally.
According to TMZ, homeowners in the gated community are apparently up in arms over the teen singer’s allegedly unruly behavior and are threatening to withhold payments of monthly service charges to the Homeowner Association.
Alleged causes of the mutiny are noisy parties, Bieber’s urban friends, assorted mutterings about segway riding, inhaling, reckless driving, and a more serious ongoing battery investigation still pending from March.
There may be truth to some, all or none of the above. But there’s also very little chance the ante won’t be vamped up on this latest crisis in Calabasas. So buckle up and strap in, the cycle has a new bone to chew.
As Bieber said: “I deal with this everyday.”
[Image via Brandon Remier]
