It was 2013. Justin Bieber was the biggest pop star on the planet, and he was about to pull double duty as the host and musical guest of Saturday Night Live. On paper, it was a guaranteed win. In reality? It became one of the most infamously awkward weeks in the show’s storied history.
Honestly, if you ask the cast members who lived through it, they don't exactly hold back. Bill Hader and Jay Pharoah have been pretty vocal about how "rough" that week was. Hader even went as far as to say Bieber was the only guest who actually lived up to a bad reputation during his eight-year tenure.
The 2013 Disaster: More Than Just "Glice"
When we talk about justin bieber in snl, we usually start with that February 9, 2013, episode. It’s the one where he played a character named Michael in the "Overly Protective Brother" sketch. He accidentally said the word "glice" instead of "ice" or "glass." It was a tiny stumble. Taran Killam played it off beautifully by making it a running gag, but the tension behind the curtain was the real story.
Bieber showed up with an entourage that would make a Roman emperor blush.
We aren't talking about a couple of security guards. Hader told Howard Stern that Bieber arrived with about 20 guys. Imagine trying to navigate the tiny, cramped hallways of Studio 8H while some guy is just standing there holding a slice of pizza for the star. Another guy was apparently tasked with holding a Diet Coke.
It sounds like a parody, but it wasn't.
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Why the Cast Was So Frustrated
The problem wasn't just the pizza guy. It was the vibe. Most hosts come into SNL ready to work, ready to be part of the ensemble. Bieber, at least according to the veterans, seemed "at the end of his rope."
- He was only 18.
- He was in the middle of a massive world tour.
- He had just split from Selena Gomez.
- The pressure was clearly getting to him.
Pharoah mentioned seeing Kanye West "yank" someone once, which he found funny, but the Bieber experience was different. It wasn't explosive; it was just exhausting. The audience in the studio that night was packed with "Bieberites" who shrieked every time he flashed his abs, which made the comedy sketches feel secondary to the spectacle.
The Redemption Arc in 2020
Fast forward seven years. The world is different. Justin is married to Hailey. He's talking openly about mental health and the struggles of growing up in a fishbowl. When justin bieber in snl became a headline again in February 2020, people were skeptical.
Could he actually pull it off without the drama?
The answer was a resounding yes. Performing "Yummy" and "Intentions" (with Quavo), Bieber looked like a completely different person. The mustache was controversial, sure, but the performance was tight. He started "Yummy" inside a green cube with an acoustic arrangement featuring cellos. It was creative. It was mature.
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He didn't host this time. RuPaul did. That was probably a smart move. By sticking to the music, Bieber reminded everyone why he became a star in the first place without the pressure of carrying 90 minutes of live sketch comedy.
The Late 2020 Return with "Lonely"
Later that same year, in October, he came back again. This time, he performed "Holy" with Chance the Rapper and "Lonely" with Benny Blanco.
The "Lonely" performance was particularly striking. He started in his dressing room, walking through the bowels of the studio while singing about the isolation of child stardom. It felt like a direct response to the person he was in 2013. Seeing him walk past the same hallways where he once frustrated the cast—this time as a grown man singing about his own mistakes—was a full-circle moment that most people missed.
A Legacy of Highs and Lows
Bieber's history with the show actually started way back in 2010. He was just 15, performing "Baby" and "U Smile" with Tina Fey as the host. He was the kid with the purple hoodie and the hair flip. He even did a sketch called "Lonely Teacher" where he played Jason Deeps.
He was charming back then. The "bad" Bieber years were a middle chapter, not the whole book.
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Key Appearances to Remember:
- April 2010: Musical guest for the first time. The "Baby" era.
- February 2013: The infamous hosting/musical guest double duty. The "glice" incident.
- February 2020: The comeback with "Yummy" and "Intentions."
- October 2020: The raw, emotional performance of "Lonely."
Kate McKinnon’s impressions of him also deserve a shoutout. Her "Calvin Klein" parody remains one of the funniest things the show has produced in the last decade. Bieber, to his credit, took those parodies in stride, which showed he was finally learning to laugh at himself.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think Bieber was banned from SNL because of the 2013 episode. He wasn't. Lorne Michaels is famous for giving people second (and third) chances if they are talented enough to bring in ratings. The tension with Hader and Pharoah was real, but it didn't end his relationship with the show.
Instead, it served as a measuring stick. You can track his entire public evolution just by watching his SNL bumpers. From the wide-eyed kid in 2010 to the stressed-out teen in 2013, and finally to the sober, reflective artist in 2020.
If you want to understand the reality of justin bieber in snl, look past the memes. The real story is about a kid who was given too much too fast, failed publicly on one of the biggest stages in the world, and then had the guts to come back and do it better.
To get the full experience of this evolution, start by watching the 2013 "Overly Protective Brother" sketch to see the "glice" moment for yourself. Then, immediately follow it with the 2020 performance of "Lonely." The contrast is the most honest look at celebrity culture you'll ever find. It’s not just about the jokes; it’s about the person behind them.