Justin Bieber Face Paralysis

About

Justin Bieber Face Paralysis refers to a viral video on Instagram uploaded by pop artist Justin Bieber in mid-2022 regarding a condition he'd been suffering from called Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome that paralyzed half of his face. The disease affected his concerts and performances, as well as his personal life and well-being in general. After being uploaded, the news inspired viral discussion, including many memes exploiting a screenshot from the video where Bieber's eyes struggle to blink. Many online also started to theorize a conspiracy that Bieber's condition was a side effect of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Origin

On June 10th, 2022, Justin Bieber posted a video to Instagram^[1] that used the front-facing camera and gave an update and announcement to his fanbase. In the video, he stated that he'd been suffering from an illness called Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which is a variant of shingles related to having chicken pox as a child. Bieber had type two of Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome where a virus had attacked the nerves in his inner ear, causing half of his face to be paralyzed. He later went on to apologize for the cancelation of his upcoming concerts due to the illness. Over the course of two days, the video received roughly 51.6 million views and 8.4 million likes (shown below).

Spread

Immediately after posting the video on June 10th, 2022, fans and supporters of Bieber posted "get well soon" wishes. For instance, on June 10th, Twitter^[2] user samariajdavis_ tweeted, "I feel so bad for Justin Bieber I hope he gets better soon," which earned roughly 13,300 likes in three days. On June 13th, the fans behind the Twitter^[3] account JustinCrew posted a video of them holding a group prayer for Bieber's health, earning roughly 15,800 views in less than a day (shown below).

We said a prayer for justinbieber</a> tonight at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanSeriesJB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StanSeriesJB</a>. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/fantobandd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">fantobandd for hosting this wonderful event and thank you @biebsclubhouse for leading the prayer tonight 🤍 pic.twitter.com/OEpS8P5w4X

— Justin Bieber Crew (@JustinCrew) June 13, 2022

On June 11th, 2022, Twitter^[8] user and content creator Ricky Berwick posted a side-by-side reaction video to Bieber, humorously reiterating that Bieber was, "ONE OF US," as in a part of the disabled community. Over the course of two days, the video received roughly 83,800 views and 4,400 likes (shown below).

ONE OF US pic.twitter.com/eqAviZkIrS

— Ricky Berwick (@rickyberwick) June 12, 2022

Going into the days following, multiple memes were made referencing Bieber's face or using a screenshot taken of Bieber within the first moments of his Instagram video. For instance, on June 11th, Twitter^[9] user __Curtdoggg captioned a photo of a disfigured Peter Griffin in a hospital bed with the caption "Justin Bieber right now:," earning roughly 3,900 likes in two days (shown below, left). On June 12th, the Instagram^[10] page grandoldmemes photoshopped U.S. President Joe Biden behind Bieber, rubbing his shoulders, being an image taken from the Creepy Joe Biden image macro. Over the course of one day, the post received roughly 13,000 likes (shown below, right).

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine Conspiracy Theory

After posting the video on June 10th, 2022, many internet users began promoting a conspiracy theory which speculated that Bieber's condition was supposedly a direct cause of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine given his young age and the rare nature of the disease. For instance, on June 10th, Twitter^[4] user thevivafrei posted a tweet that related Bieber's rare condition to his wife Hailey's rare blood clot, labeling them both as purported side effects of their vaccinations. Over the course of three days, the tweet received roughly 25,300 likes (shown below).

More Twitter users started to chime into the conspiracy theory discourse going into the remainder of June 2022. Many cited a study by the National Library of Medicine^[5] published in September 2021 that assessed a female patient who exhibited symptoms consistent with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome following administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Memes were also created related to the proposed theory, for instance, on June 12th, 2022, Twitter^[6] user hrkbenowen tweeted a meme that included Bieber's face in a "Pfizer Smile" image, earning over 445 likes in one day (shown below).

Inherently, others disagreed with the idea that Bieber's condition was caused by his COVID-19 vaccination. On June 13th, 2022, Twitter^[7] user sailorrooscout posted a tweet that led with, "No, COVID-19 vaccines DID NOT cause Justin Bieber’s Ramsay Hunt Syndrome," earning roughly 2,300 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Various Examples

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External References