It’s one thing to be a passionate fan and another to wage a jealousy-fueled attack.
Justin Bieber threatened to make his Instagram account private over the weekend after his fans attacked Sofia Richie, daughter of 80’s pop star Lionel Richie, simply for appearing in some selfies with the pop star.
So called Beliebers sent a mountain of chauvinistic, below-the-belt insults at Richie after she appeared with Bieber in photos he posted on his Instagram page.
Speculating that the two may be romantically linked, Bieber’s fans raged on Richie.
In response, Bieber posted a photo to the social site along with the note: “I’m gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don’t stop the hate this is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that I like.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJE9qqCBbdX/
Fans are afire with conversation about Bieber’s warning, making the hashtag #RIPBeliebers the No. 1 trending item worldwide on Twitter.
Within the hashtag, the response is mixed. Some fans are expressing frustration, claiming the pop star hasn’t been showing them enough attention lately.
A nit-picky group, other fans are off-put by Bieber’s involvement with Richie — whether romantic or simply friendly — while others are angry because he referred to them as “fans” and not by the preferred nomenclature: Beliebers.
This is far from the first time the “Purpose” singer has ruffled the feathers of his fans.
He took time out from a recent concert to chastise a fan who attempted to give him a present during his performance.
“Take this moment to listen, and try not to give me a hat or whatever you’re trying to throw onstage right now, because I probably don’t want that sh-t,” Bieber hissed.
The singer quickly sought to soften the blow he’d just dealt, admitting, “Sorry, that was mean.”
In recent months Bieber has had a complicated relationship with his fans. The “Baby” belter decided earlier this year to no longer do meet-and-greets with his fans while on tour.
In May, he announced that he’s “done taking pictures” with fans, writing on Instagram, “It has gotten to the point that people won’t even say hi to me or recognize me as a human. I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity. I realize people will be disappointed but I don’t owe anybody a picture.”
Here is a sampling of Sunday’s #RIPBeliebers tweets:
https://twitter.com/voguelence/status/764912219326939136
https://twitter.com/Rauhlezx/status/764912184866508801
THIS is how you treat your fans. You can really learn from Hayley Williams, Justin 💁🏻 #RIPBeliebers pic.twitter.com/yc4vfeNLTG
— Danielle Marro (@brvndneweyes) August 14, 2016
Not even in the fandom but hope he takes some notes 💅🏻 @justinbieber #RIPBeliebers pic.twitter.com/h4V11TfymE
— Rita (@ARitaSilveira) August 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/bernsloveape/status/764911907853565952
#RIPBeliebers Only applies for the ones that are not really beliebers, thanks y'all I'm not leaving Justin
— gin (@geuwel) August 14, 2016