Judge Judy says former neighbor Justin Bieber was 'scared to death' of her

Judge Judy claims former neighbor Justin Bieber used to be "scared to death" of her and took measures to avoid any potential run ins at their complex.

The no-nonsense TV personality and former prosecutor, full name Judy Sheindlin, told Access in an interview published Monday that some of her previous comments about the pop star made him skittish around her.

"He's scared to death of me," she said. "There was a period of time before he grew up, when he was foolish and doing foolish things. I must have said something about it and then, I understood that he was paying the front door people to let them know when I was there, coming and going, so he wouldn't have to bump into me."

The foolish behavior the judge is referencing appears to be Bieber's 2014 arrest for driving under the influence, at the age of 19. Prior to that arrest, the "Baby" singer repeatedly had run ins with the law, including charges pertaining to vandalism and assaulting a limo driver. The year of his DIU arrest, Judge Judy had stern words about the pop star.

"Being a celebrity is a gift; you can either treat it reverently, or you can make a fool out of yourself, and he's doing a very good job of making a fool out of himself," she told CBS News at the time. "And I think it's sad. Nobody's going to remember that he was a marginal singer, but they're going to remember a young kid, who had a chance to have it all, and who is blowing it by acting like a fool."

Bieber, now 28, has been vocal about his past addiction struggles and sobriety in the years since. His 2020 YouTube Originals docuseries Seasons documents much of the turmoil, as well as his battle with Lyme disease. "I'm committed to getting better and committed to doing whatever I have to do, whether it's inconvenient or not, because I know ultimately it's not only for me," he says in the doc. "Being the best me is gonna help me be the best husband, the best father, the best friend that I can possibly be."

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