KENNEDY: I’m worried about Justin Bieber’s decline and have a theory on why it might be happening

I fear Justin Bieber is wasting away before our prying eyes, crashing toward a superstar supernova.

Many celebrities have been seen wearing pyjamas and slippers in public, from Nick Nolte to Britney Spears. However, there is a noticeable change in the appearance of the singer known for the song ‘Lonely’, with a gaunt and untidy new look.

Lately, he’s been papped padding around New York and LA unshaven and shirtless.

Whether accompanied by his glamorous wife Hailey, who often looks sulky, or seen alone in a bathrobe, supposedly heading out for spa treatments, he gives off an eerie vibe reminiscent of a character from the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Recently, the couple was spotted dining at the trendy Bar Pitti in Manhattan, but interestingly enough, they were there separately. Justin showed up 45 minutes after Hailey had already left, leaving many to wonder about the reasons behind their solo outings.

Of course, every high-profile, hot marriage is dogged by breakup rumors. For the famously betrothed, it’s a badge of honor. But is it that simple?

I fear Justin Bieber (pictured in January) is wasting away before our prying eyes, crashing toward a superstar supernova. 

From Nick Nolte to Britney, we’ve seen plenty of celebs in their jammies and slippers, but there is something truly concerning about the Justin Bieber’s gaunt and grubby new look.

Early last year, Justin looked as happy and settled as he had in years. In May, he and Hailey announced they were expecting their first child.

By September, weeks after baby Jack Blues was born, Justin was showing what appeared to be the physical signs of a downward spiral.

That descent seemed to coincide with the scandal of his former mentor Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s arrest. 

Diddy has been criminally indicted on a host of charges including sex trafficking and racketeering while dozens of alleged victims have come forward to accuse the disgraced hip hop mogul of hideous acts in a string of civil suits. (He has pled not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.)

Back in 2009, Diddy famously snatched a 15-year-old Justin away for two days of ‘unsupervised’ debauchery, which the then 40-year-old bragged about on camera.

‘He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out [sic] and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. We’re gonna go full buck crazy,’ Combs said.

As a mom of teenagers, watching that footage back is enough to make you weep and wonder: Where the hell were his parents?

And while it’s easy to throw touchdowns as a Monday morning quarterback, Justin himself admitted in a 2020 documentary that he’d been exposed to too much too young.

He talked of feeling suicidal and turning to pills to numb the terrible trauma of child stardom.

He said he felt protective of fellow teenager-turned-A-lister Billie Eilish, then 19: ‘I don’t want her to go through anything I went through. I don’t wish that upon anybody.’

Imagine how he might feel now he’s a new dad!

By September, weeks after baby Jack Blues was born, Justin was showing what appeared to be the physical signs of a downward spiral. (Pictured: Justin and Hailey in February). 

As a mom of teenagers, watching that footage back is enough to make you weep and wonder: Where the hell were his parents? (Pictured: Justin and Diddy partying in 2014). 

Justin’s mom Pattie had her own tough road. She is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, had Justin at 18 while his dad was in county jail and became estranged from her son for a few years at the peak of his adolescent fame.

That’s when his waste-of-space father Jeremy re-emerged after years of abandonment, suddenly getting hammered and sporting matching tattoos with his son.

It seems this narcissistic deadbeat was living his unfulfilled fantasies through Justin yet didn’t put in the necessary work to shield his boy from the nasty excesses of Hollywood and the music industry.

Has ol’ Jer Bear evolved? It seems not.

He now runs an Insta account for his 6-year-old daughter Bay, Justin’s youngest half-sister. He posts pictures of her in her cheerleading outfits and bikinis for a growing legion of fans, some of whom are grown men that pen sickening comments.

We all know you can’t pick your parents, so now Justin has to do the best with what he’s got.

He and Hailey deserve a chance to carve a better path forward as parents – in a young family whose newest member deserves a happier chapter.

Royal mess

Princess Kate shared a portrait of her, sketched by 11-year-old Prince George, that had Royal enthusiasts gasping at the accuracy and emotion captured in a simple scribble.

But let’s be honest: it’s far from extraordinary. Maybe just slap it on a coffee mug like every other gushing mom?

Princess Kate shared a portrait of her, sketched by 11-year-old Prince George, that had Royal enthusiasts gasping at the accuracy and emotion captured in a simple scribble. 

Obamination 

Barack Obama gave his wife a Valentine’s gift every woman dreams of: an unflattering photo posted with a disingenuous caption, so devoid of emotion even the coldest AI chatbot would raise a digital eyebrow.

‘Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away. Happy Valentine’s Day, @MichelleObama!’

Why can’t you breathe, did she sock you in the stomach for being so humiliatingly unromantic?

Barack Obama gave his wife a Valentine’s gift every woman dreams of: an unflattering photo posted with a disingenuous caption, so devoid of emotion even the coldest AI chatbot would raise a digital eyebrow. 

Meg in a jam 

Duchess Dreadful is at it again, rebranding a brand that doesn’t yet exist, because the original brand hocking jellies that no one craves fell at the first hurdle when the trademark Gods declared you can’t monopolize a chunk of coast. 

Meghan was originally doing a C-minus impression of Martha Stewart under the ‘American Riviera Orchard’ tag, but had to switch to ‘As Ever’ because apparently ‘Farts in a Jar’ was already taken.

Will this re-rebrand rehabilitate her tainted image? As if!

Beauty and the Beast

Selena Gomez shared a new love ballad and accompanying video with her hirsute fiancé Benny Blanco titled ‘Scared of Loving You’. 

Babe, if I woke up next to that wolfman it would scare my ass too!

Plane frightening

Air travel is not having the best month. 

First, a Black Hawk helicopter flew into a commercial American Airlines jet over DC. Then a medical aircraft burst into flames and plummeted into a Philadelphia mall. A small plane crashed in Alaska. And now we’re seeing horrific footage of that Delta liner losing its wing and literally flipping onto its back.

If I feel the urge for some midwinter sun, I’ll probably Amazon some tan-in-a-can and stay home.