8 Times Justin Bieber Was in the Spotlight for the Most Controversial Reasons

Justin Bieber's most faux pas moments in his famed career

Under the constant scrutiny of the public, Justin Bieber's career in the spotlight has been characterized by incidents that go beyond celebrity and catapult him into the public glare. From legal troubles to headline-grabbing moments, Bieber's experiences in the public eye have frequently been met with criticism and discussion. Every aspect of his life—from his heartbreaks to embarrassing gaffes—became the subject of tabloid speculation, from his early days as a teenage star to now as an adult. Here are 8 occasions in which the pop phenomenon became the focus of attention for all the wrong reasons, and stayed there.

1. Justin Bieber spat on his fans in 2013

When Justin Bieber allegedly gave his fans a "spitty" greeting in 2013, he faced criticism. When TMZ published images of the then-19-year-old singer spitting over a balcony in Toronto, Canada, coupled with images of several Beliebers staring up at him from the sidewalk, the combination created a stir and led many to believe that Bieber was spitting on the audience. But his representative then verified to US Weekly that the rumors were untrue. “Justin didn’t spit on anyone. No fans were below the balcony,” his rep says. “Earlier in the day, Justin bought his fans hot chocolate and played them some of his new music. Justin loves his fans.”

2. He refused to walk when at the Great Wall of China and was carried around

The singer went to the Great Wall in 2013 while on The Believe Tour in China, per CNN. But when pictures of his security escorting him around one of the seven wonders of the world surfaced, his reputation took a really bad hit. As they ascended the steps, Bieber can be seen in the photos sitting over the shoulders of two members of the security crew. On social media, this exhibit received a lot of criticism. It's safe to assume that he didn't get many new fans from those photos.

3. He once peed in a mop bucket

The musician reportedly just could not control his urination one evening as he was leaving a nightclub, according to TMZ at the time. The musician stopped at a mop bucket in the restaurant's kitchen in the footage that TMZ was able to get and pissed himself, per USA Today. Bieber made it apparent in a 2015 interview that he thought the incident was blown out of proportion. "Honestly, I think the pissing in the bucket wasn't as big as people made it seem," he said. "Imagine, you hear that f***ing Ozzy Osbourne pisses backstage. Immediately, 'Oh, he's a freaking rock star!' As soon as I do it, 'He's being a brat.' Dude, what is bratty about pissing in a bucket? I had to go piss, we all have to pee... The bathroom was on the other side... It wasn't like I was being disrespectful. I feel like that was pretty ostracizing — bigger than it should've been."

4. He once posed in front of a War Criminal Shrine

In the middle of his 2014 trip to Tokyo, the Confident singer stopped at the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, which is home to more than a dozen Class A war criminals, per The Guardian. Bieber posted a picture of himself posing in front of the shrine and wrote in a since-deleted social media post, "Thank you for your blessings." Following criticism, Bieber took to Instagram to apologize.  "While in Japan I asked my driver to pull over for which I saw a beautiful shrine. I was misled [sic] to think the Shrines were only a place of prayer. To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan," Bieber wrote.

5. He once visited Anne Frank's memorial and said she could be a 'Belieber'

After the musician visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam in 2013 and made a very insensitive and bizarre statement in the museum's guestbook, controversy broke out, per The Guardian. "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully, she would have been a belieber," he reportedly wrote. Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who wrote about her experiences during the Holocaust. The Anne Frank Memorial is a moving memorial to her. The memorial, which is situated in Boise, Idaho, encourages tolerance while educating visitors about the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. It has a bronze figure of Anne, a symbol of tenacity and memory.

6. He once did pushups after getting arrested for a DUI

Justin Bieber's first arrest occurred in 2014. The Rollercoaster singer was arrested in Miami on many counts, including resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated. The musician also had Xanax and marijuana in his bloodstream, according to CBS News. Despite the incident, the 19-year-old pop sensation didn't seem to be any worse off, as he was captured on camera performing push-ups following his booking. Hours after the arrest, Bieber paid bond and was let free. He was made to pay a fine and attend lessons after entering a guilty plea to reckless driving and resisting arrest.

7. He made racist jokes

In 2014, footage of Justin Bieber making offensive statements about race surfaced, bringing his past back to haunt him. The artist cracked a joke that included using the n-word and chainsaw noises in a video that TMZ was able to secure. After watching the footage, Bieber, who was 15 at the time, expressed regret for what he had done. "I'm very sorry. I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior," he later wrote in a statement.

8. He once said he'd be part of the KKK

But the music artist faced criticism for more bigoted videos as well. In the same year, TMZ discovered another old video in which he performed an inappropriate version of One Less Lonely Girl while using the n-word. Furthermore, he sang, "If I kill you, I'll be a part of the KKK." The publication added that Usher had shown Bieber why the lines were so damaging and that he was aware of the video. Bieber expressed regret, telling TMZ, "As a kid, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was okay to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact, my actions were continuing the ignorance."