Usher is setting the record straight. Days after reports surfaced claiming the R&B icon got into a “heated exchange” with his former mentee Justin Bieber at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Oscars afterparty, the singer has dismissed the rumors entirely. Through his close friend Da Brat, Usher called the speculation an overblown exaggeration.
“I spoke to Usher, and he said, ‘This is an exaggeration of the conversation,’” Da Brat revealed on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show. The clarification comes after a wave of online chatter fueled by anonymous sources and even AI-generated images falsely depicting the alleged confrontation.
The rumors painted a picture of tension between the two artists, with some reports claiming Usher approached Bieber with “energy and anger” at the Chateau Marmont soirée. Others went further, alleging a years-long secret feud tied to Bieber’s estrangement from former manager Scooter Braun.
Da Brat pushed back hard on that narrative, emphasizing Usher’s unwavering support for Bieber over the years. “He’s been nothing but supportive of plenty of issues that Justin Bieber has had throughout the years,” she said. “Justin is on his own journey dealing with his own reality that he’s created. Usher wishes him nothing but the best, and they have no hostility towards each other.”
She added that the two “definitely love each other” and that any perceived tension was simply a conversation taken out of context.
The speculation gained traction partly due to the pair’s long and complex history. Usher played a pivotal role in launching Bieber’s career after the Canadian singer was discovered on YouTube in 2007. Alongside Braun, Usher helped sign Bieber and guided his rise to global stardom.
In recent years, the two have taken different paths. Bieber stepped back from the spotlight to focus on his mental health and family with wife Hailey, while Usher continued a massive career resurgence capped by his 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show, a performance Bieber ultimately declined to join.
But according to Da Brat, that decision did not create lasting bad blood. “They are definitely cool with each other, and they have love and they support each other,” she said.
As the internet moves on to the next viral moment, Usher’s message stands: there is no feud, no fight, and no drama worth chasing.
