Many media outlets around the world are reporting this week on a video clip in which Justin Bieber asks fans not to gather outside his Brooklyn apartment building.
The video, which dates back to fall 2019, went viral after it was posted this past weekend on TikTok. User @vanessafex shared a second clip taken earlier the same day and made it clear it was a throwback.
Bieber is seen returning to the S. 8th St. entrance to his apartment building and stopping to address a small group of fans. “I hear you, I hear you, I hear you,” the Canadian singer tells one young woman. “But this is my home, you know what I mean? This is where I live. And I don’t appreciate you guys being here.
“You know at the end of the night when you come home, and you want to relax? This is my space to do that.”
After listening to Bieber's plea, one oblivious fan still asks him for a hug – which he declines.
The video racked up more than 12 million views in its first 48 hours.
@vanessafexand that’s on when he came back i felt bad @justinbieber ##nyc ##jb ##justinbieberofficial
♬ Yummy - Justin Bieber
A different video showing the same interaction between Bieber and the fans was posted to YouTube in April and has only had a little more than 10,000 views.
Bieber has frequently taken issue with people gathering outside his homes. Last October, he wrote in an Instagram Story: “How do you convince yourself it’s not completely inappropriate and disrespectful to wait outside my home to gawk, stare and take pictures as I walk into my apartment. This is not a hotel. It’s my home.”
Bieber and his wife Hailey have been vacationing overseas in recent weeks, including stops in France and Greece.