Justin Bieber referenced ketamine in a series of Instagram Stories where he expressed frustration about being told he needs to “work hard” on improving himself.
“This is how I feel after people keep telling me there’s more work to do after I’ve given everything I have to give. I don’t think any of us can handle hearing, ‘You just gotta try a little harder and you will be like me.’ It’s not true,’” Bieber, 31, wrote over an extreme closeup photo of his face via Instagram on Saturday, June 7. “I listened to fools who told me to work harder. And there’s no end to trying to earn ur spot in this life because I tried.”
He added on a more positive note, “U have everything U need right now.”
The “Peaches” singer later shared more thoughts about the way some people “wanna make [their] life about work so bad.”
“This life is about God loving us so we can love each other,” he insisted. “Quit making ur life about work smh [shaking my head]. God will always inspire U to want to work hard.”
Bieber then argued, “U think if you don’t tell people to work hard, they won’t. Stop playing God please.”
Another slide included screenshot of an AI response to Bieber asking if “ketamine has been used to control people’s emotions.” The AI response claimed that “there is clear evidence ketamine has been misused in certain law enforcement scenarios” with “proportionate effects on Black individuals.” (Ketamine is a prescription drug that can be used as a dissociative anesthetic to treat depression and pain management under a doctor’s care.)
In a subsequent Instagram Story, Bieber suggested that “conditioning” will “make u feel like u didn’t know what the f*** you knew.”
“I f***ing always knew in my gut that Jesus was the answer to the pain we are all facing,” he continued. “People still keep making me think if I work hard on myself, I’ll [be] better like them. But the harder I work on myself, the more I think about myself. I thought the point was to think about one another? The only thing that helps me to think about others [is] to let go, not try harder.”
Bieber concluded by encouraging his followers to “join [him] in letting go of not trying harder.”
His latest poignant posts come on the heels of another contemplative Instagram message on June 3, where he argued that “’loyalty’ is manipulative language.”
“Loyalty is a duty, it’s an obligation,” he wrote. “That’s not free will. Love is not a duty. Love is a delight. Please stop using loyalty to keep people around you out of your own fear … it’s hurting us.”
He then claimed, “Mafia members use loyalty to keep people in their gangs. Let’s not perpetuate this manipulative language. Love over loyalty forever.”
Bieber has been posting cryptic messages frequently via his social media over the last few months, including telling his followers that “God decides what we deserve” on June 3.
Elsewhere, Justin celebrated wife Hailey Bieber becoming a billionaire after e.l.f. Beauty acquired her skincare brand Rhode on May 28. He released photos showing him kissing Hailey, 28, on the cheek while they shared a hug.
On May 29, Justin even offered a rare glimpse at his 9-month-old son Jack Blues, including one adorable shot of Jack perched on his shoulders while they posed in front of a golf cart.
Justin and Hailey welcomed Jack in August 2024. The couple tied the knot in a New York City courthouse ceremony in September 2018, before hosting a wedding reception for friends and family in South Carolina in September 2019.
