BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, SPECIAL RATES APPLY. Justin Bieber attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/VF23/WireImage for Vanity Fair)
Justin Bieber is rocking a wide grin again! The singer shared an update on his facial mobility on Wednesday (March 15). Bieber looked around the camera frame while Tems’ Ice T played in the background. Captioned, “wait for it,” Justin showed movement in his eyebrows and eyes before zooming into his improved smile.
Last summer, Justin revealed his face was temporarily paralyzed after a diagnosis with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Bieber shared his health status after fans complained online about canceled tour dates. In a video posted to social media, Bieber said the condition, a severe virus, impacted the right side of his face–forcing a half-smile.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking,” he said in June 2022. “I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move, so there’s full paralysis on this side of my face. So those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically obviously not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case.”
Justin warned fans last year that it was only a matter of time before his facial movement returned. He mentioned that facial exercises were part of his recovery process.
“It’s just time, and we don’t know how much time it’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be okay. And I have hope, and I trust God, and I trust that this is all for a reason,” Justin said in the 2022 video.
About three months later, in September, Justin decided to cancel the remainder of his world tour to continue his recovery.
He delivered the news by saying:
“After resting and consulting with my doctors, family, and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend, I performed at Rock in Rio, and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil. After getting off that stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better.”
By November, Justin retook the stage–this time, in tribute to Takeoff at his funeral. The Migos rapper was fatally shot in Houston that month following a dispute outside o bowling alley.
Though the video is the first we’ve seen of his face in action, Justin also shared a still side-view of his broad grin three days ago while pictured with his wife, Hailey Bieber.
On February 7, the pop singer shared two selfies on Instagram–one alone and the other with friends in a vehicle. In the solo shot, he leaned over, capturing fish in a pond and a slight close-mouth smile. He had the same facial expression in the group shot.
After analyzing the photos, we should note that it does appear that the right side of his smile wasn’t as curved upward as the left. This could mean Justin’s improved grin is a recent blessing!
