Justin Bieber Just Shared The Real Story Behind Those Crying Paparazzi Photos

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but often, a random photograph of a celebrity is only telling part of the true story. In the most recent installment of his YouTube docuseries, Seasons, Justin Bieber explained the story behind those crying paparazzi photos. And it's definitely proof that a picture really can't tell you everything.

It all began in August of 2018, when Bieber was infamously photographed crying while out with then-fiancé Hailey Bieber in New York City. At the time, rumors began swirling that the singer was having some kind of a breakdown, or possibly romantic trouble with Hailey, who was also spotted crying later that day. However, in the most recent installment of Seasons, Bieber explained that the real story was not as dramatic as everyone assumed. "I'm just being a normal person and crying," the singer explained in the docuseries, adding that he's just an "emotional" person, "and that's okay."

"There's so many people every day who are in a conversation with their girl or their wife or their mom and they break down, you know? But they don't have cameras capturing it," Bieber continued, adding that because he's a global superstar, when he is spotted being emotional in public, it becomes a source of speculation. "When I'm in the media and I look at things on the Internet and people are like, 'Justin's upset, why is he upset?'" the singer explained. "It's like, they don't give me permission to be upset. I don't have permission to be, you know, human and shed tears."

In that specific instance, for example, Bieber explained that far from breaking up with Hailey, he was actually just overwhelmed by the prospect of opening up to her about his innermost struggles. "I remember feeling, emotionally, just overwhelmed," Bieber said of the conversation captured in the photos, adding that he was "frustrated" by "not knowing how to communicate" what he was going through to his partner. "You know, there's been a lot of things that have happened in my life and I think this was a point in my life where I was just so overwhelmed."

In an interview of her own for the show, Hailey defended her husband's displays of emotion, explaining that his struggles with his mental health are relatable to people everywhere. "It doesn't really matter who you are," she said, "everybody's going to have days where they feel crappy and they don't feel like pushing through that day but it's part of life."

Bieber has long been open about the difficulty of struggling with his mental and physical health in the public eye. Back in 2015, he told NME magazine that he felt "depressed" all the time due feeling "isolated" while on tour. "You're in your hotel room and there are fans all around, paparazzi following you everywhere, and it gets intense," he explained. "When you can't go anywhere or do anything alone you get depressed. I would not wish this upon anyone."

In January, Bieber also revealed that his emotional well being took a hit during his battle with lyme disease, as many people speculated that he was on drugs when he was actually trying to get answers to his health issues. "While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like sh*t, [is] on meth etc. they failed to realize I've been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease," Bieber wrote on Instagram, adding that he also has been dealing with "chronic mono" that impacted his "skin, brain function, energy, and overall health."

Lesson learned: it's impossible to ever fully know what someone is going through based on appearances or photos, especially when the person photographed is Justin Bieber.