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Justin Bieber has a legion of reformed rock stars and rehabilitated former pop stars banging his door down to heap him with support and praise.
But there’s one person’s defence that he could probably do without – Toronto’s scandal-plagued mayor, Rob Ford.
Ford, who has hit the headlines almost as frequently as the troubled teen for a string of embarrassing public incidents ( including being caught on camera drunkenly rambling away in Jamaican patois in a fast food restaurant ), lent his full support to Bieber during an interview on Washington D.C. radio show The Sports Junkies last night.
"Well, you know what, he's a young guy," Ford, an avid football fan and regular guest on the show, said.
"At 19 years old, I wish I was as successful as he was. He's 19 years old, guys. Think back to when you were 19."
Show all 17 1 /17Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs gets arrested for DUI and drag racing The singer appeared dishevelled, but in high spirits, as he smiled for his police mugshot following the arrest for drag racing under the influence of alcohol and drugs
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs assaults a limo driver Fresh from his arrest in the US, Biebs headed back to his native Canada where he proceeded to get arrested and charged again... this time for assaulting a limo driver
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs lashes out at a photographer When in London on tour in March, Bieber attacked the paparazzi in an angry rage and tried to grab one photographer's camera. 'I'll f***ing beat the f*** out of you,' he said, before being forced into a car by his bodyguard. Nice.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs claims Anne Frank was a Belieber This wildly inappropriate blunder took place in April, in the unlikely setting of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. After touring the museum for an hour, Bieber wrote in the guestbook that he hoped the Jewish teenager (who died in 1945 at Bergen-Belsen aged 15 from typhus and malnutrition after hiding from the Nazis with her family for two years) 'would have been a Belieber' - a fan of his.
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Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs gets done for drugs The 'Boyfriend' singer was detained at Brisbane airport in Australia in May after customs officials found weed on one of Justin's friends. Bieber was released after a stern warning for 'inappropriate language'. Wash your mouth out Biebs.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs brawls in Southampton Who do you think he is? Bieber was reportedly involved in a fight at a Southampton nightclub last spring after taking over the VIP section. His bodyguards were investigated for using heavy-handed tactics to detour fans trying to reach him.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs tries and fails to own a pet monkey Justin Bieber's former pet monkey Mally was moved from quarantine into a German zoo in June after the six-month-old capuchin was seized by customs officials. Bieber was given several weeks to produce the health papers required to get him back, but failed to do so. Auf wiedersehen, pet.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs spits on fans The singer was accused of spitting on a crowd of adoring fans gathered under his hotel room balcony in Toronto. The July incident was brushed aside by Bieber, however, who denied doing anything so horrible. His representative said that the star had in fact bought fans hot chocolate and played them some new music instead.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs splits from Selena Gomez After a three year on-off relationship with Disney star Selena, teenage heartthrob Bieber has officially been back on the singletons market since July. 'Egos turn me off big time,' Selena said when asked about the split. Awkward.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs hits the brothel Bieber was filmed by a Brazilian girl in bed after a supposed brothel scandal in the summer. He was then pictured trying to leave, draped in a white sheet and surrounded by male minders. The singer allegedly did the same thing again in Rio de Janeiro in November.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs pretends to have been cast in a blockbuster In September, the pop star posted an Instagram picture of the script for the new Batman movie. Watermarked with his name, rumours that he could be the Robin to Ben Affleck's lead began to fly. Bieber has previously expressed his love of the superhero, going as far as having a custom-built Batmobile made for him. Fear not though, Biebs will be nowhere near the film set.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs wees in a bucket When a Bieber's got to go, a Bieber's got to go. The singer urinated in a restaurant mop bucket while laughing when in New York in October. He yelled 'F*** Bill Clinton' too, as apparently he has political views.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs vandalises Australia The singer was asked to clean up graffiti he spray-painted while on tour in Australia last November. He painted some images of cartoon characters onto a Gold Coast hotel wall,to the disgust of the local mayor. Bieber was visiting the famous beach strip following his 'Believe' world tour shows in Brisbane.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs takes a paternity test A lady called Mariah Yeater claimed that Bieber had fathered her 3-month-old son Trystan after a backstage tryst. She later dropped a paternity suit but the singer took a test in November to prove the allegations were false.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs hit by a bottle in Brazil Also in November, the Canadian pop star was struck by a bottle and stormed off stage in Brazil. Bieber upset hundreds of devoted fans when he did not return to sing his hit track 'Baby'. Teenagers were left waiting 30 minutes for the 19-year-old's return, but had to leave when his entourage started packing the equipment away.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs leaves the stage early again The singer left a performance in Buenos Aires early again, soon after he stormed off in Brazil. This time, he blamed food poisoning for his premature exit, offering an olive branch of evidence in the form of a selfie posted on Twitter showing him lying in a hospital bed hooked up to an intravenous drip.
Justin Bieber's biggest controversies and mishaps Biebs gets shunned by Aussie fans Twitter followers mean little when you can't shift tickets down-under. Biebs found this out the hard way when he was forced to sell many tickets for his eight-show Australian tour for half their original price. Haters gonna hate Biebs, America still loves you.
Ford made the comment after the host had blasted Bieber as “ Canada’s worst export”, who it seems, has got so many backs up in the US, that a petition to have him deported has now surpassed 200,000 signatures.
Ford did, however, stop short of citing himself a fan of the pop star’s music. His taste, he said, veers much more towards the classic rock giants Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and the Eagles.
"I'm 45 years old, so there's a big difference here."
Ford’s support comes after another day of full Bieber coverage, in which it was revealed that the star could face jail time for allegedly assaulting a limousine driver after he turned himself in at a Toronto police station .
The singer's Canadian lawyer said in a statement that Bieber is pleading ‘not guilty’ to the allegations.
Meanwhile, his toxicology reports were also released. Miami Beach police said Bieber told them he had taken a prescription medicine, smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol before he had gotten into his Lamborghini.
The mayor’s week hasn’t passed without incident, either. Yesterday, it emerged that he is being sued by the ex-boyfriend of his sister , who claims that Ford arranged for him to be beaten up in prison to prevent details of his ‘illicit behaviour’ being made public.
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