In an intimate and emotional interview, Pattie Mallette, the mother of pop superstar Justin Bieber, opened up about the painful struggles she faced as a teenager—struggles that nearly took her life and ultimately led to a decision that changed everything.
Long before she became a mother, Mallette lived through years of sexual abuse, a trauma she confronts openly in her memoir, Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom. She spoke honestly about the lasting damage caused by those experiences and the burden of shame she carried for so long. According to her, many survivors live with a sense of brokenness, and she was no exception. She admitted to internalizing guilt and feeling like there was something fundamentally wrong with her.
Those emotional wounds drove her into a spiral of depression and substance use. Eventually, in her teens, she attempted to take her own life. She described that time as a culmination of years of suffering—abuse, emotional pain, and the weight of addiction. Drugs and alcohol didn’t numb the pain, they deepened it. She hit rock bottom.
Then, at just 17 years old, Mallette learned she was pregnant. Alone and overwhelmed, she was encouraged by others to have an abortion. But despite everything, she felt a deep conviction that she couldn’t end the life growing inside her. She had no clear plan and no idea how she would make it as a single mother, but something within her told her to hold on.
When her son Justin was born, everything changed. She remembers the first moment she heard him cry—how his tiny voice sounded like music to her ears. She smiled recalling it, saying his cry was like a song, something beautiful and unforgettable. In that instant, she knew she had made the right choice. She felt an overwhelming love, a desire to protect and cherish this little life.
Her early years as a mother weren’t easy. Raising a child on her own, still healing from her past and fighting to stay strong, tested her constantly. But she remained determined. The love she felt for her son became her anchor, her reason to keep going even when life felt impossible.
Years later, that baby boy would become one of the most recognized names in music across the world. But to Pattie, he was always more than just a star—he was the child she chose to fight for, to believe in, when everyone told her to give up.
Her journey is a story of survival, of courage in the face of trauma, and of a mother’s unconditional love. In her memoir, she goes even deeper, revealing both the pain and the strength it took to raise her son into the man he became.
Pattie Mallette’s story reminds us that even the most broken beginnings can lead to something beautiful. And sometimes, the hardest decisions lead to the most extraordinary outcomes.