In the chaotic landscape of mid-2010s celebrity culture, few headlines felt more like a fever dream than the sudden, recurring proximity of Kourtney Kardashian and Justin Bieber. One minute, Justin was the teen heartthrob evolving into a pop titan, and the next, he was reportedly sneaking out of the Montage Hotel at 4 a.m. while the eldest Kardashian sister smirked her way through late-night talk show interrogations.
It was 2015. Kourtney had just ended a grueling nine-year saga with Scott Disick. She was 36, a mother of three, and looking for a clean break from the "Lord’s" drama. Justin was 21, fresh off the Purpose era, and seemingly on a mission to spend time with every member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
The internet absolutely lost its mind. Was it a rebound? Was it a PR stunt? Or was it just two famous people in the same zip code having a bit of fun? Honestly, it was probably a chaotic mix of all three.
The Timeline of the Kourtney Kardashian and Justin Bieber Rumors
The spark didn't just appear out of nowhere; it was a slow burn of public sightings that started at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood. In October 2015, they were spotted dining together before heading to Universal Studios for "Halloween Horror Nights." People initially wrote it off as a family friend thing. After all, Justin had been close to the family for years. Kris Jenner was famously obsessed with him, and he’d even been photographed babysitting Kourtney’s eldest son, Mason.
But then December happened.
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The paparazzi caught Kourtney leaving the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills—Justin’s frequent L.A. home base—in the early hours of the morning. This wasn't a "family friend" brunch. Sources told People at the time that they had been "hooking up on and off for a few months." It wasn't deep. It wasn't a "soulmate" situation. It was described as a "huge ego boost" for Justin. He liked that she was older and hot; she liked that he was a fun distraction from the heavy emotional toll of her breakup with Scott.
The "Lord Knows" Incident
Justin, never one to shy away from a little digital trolling, threw gasoline on the fire with a single Instagram post. He shared a photo of himself in a suggestive position with a woman (whose face was obscured) and captioned it, "Lord knows." The subtext was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Scott Disick famously refers to himself as "Lord Disick." The world took it as a direct jab at Kourtney's ex. While it was later revealed the woman in the photo wasn't actually Kourtney, the damage was done. The narrative was set: Justin was the new guy in the picture, and Scott was supposedly "convincing himself" that Kourtney was doing it just to hurt him.
What They Actually Said About Each Other
Celebrity denials are an art form, and Kourtney is a master. When she sat down with Ellen DeGeneres in January 2016, the questioning was relentless.
"We’re friends," she said, over and over. But she couldn't stop smiling. When Ellen pointed out that her "friendship" smile looked a lot like a "something more" smile, Kourtney just reached for her water. It was the classic Kardashian non-answer that says everything while saying nothing.
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Justin was a bit more vocal, if equally cryptic. During an interview on The Bert Show in early 2016, he was asked point-blank about the rumors. His response? "I’m being used, man. What can I say?"
He was joking, mostly. He followed it up by saying, "No, but for real, she’s great. I’ve known the family for years." He didn't confirm they were dating, but he certainly didn't shut down the idea that they were more than just casual acquaintances.
Addressing the Weirdest Rumors
Whenever two people this famous are linked, the internet goes to some dark, strange places. The most persistent—and frankly, debunked—theory was that Justin was the biological father of Kourtney’s youngest son, Reign.
This theory relied entirely on "side-by-side" photos of Justin and Reign at similar ages. It ignored the very simple timeline of Kourtney’s pregnancy, which lined up perfectly with her relationship with Scott. Despite the lack of evidence, the rumor lived in the comment sections of Instagram for years. In 2017, sources close to the family had to explicitly shut down reports that Scott had requested a paternity test. It was one of those urban legends that just wouldn't die because the visual "resemblance" was enough for the conspiracy theorists.
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Why This Connection Matters in Pop Culture History
Looking back, the Kourtney Kardashian and Justin Bieber "fling" was a pivotal moment for both of them.
For Kourtney, it was her "reawakening." For years, she had been the "boring" sister who stayed home with the kids while Scott was out partying. The Justin rumors signaled a shift. She started dressing differently, going out more, and reclaiming her identity as someone who could have a "hot girl summer" (before that was even a phrase). It paved the way for her later, much more serious relationship with Travis Barker.
For Justin, it was a bridge between his tumultuous Selena Gomez years and his eventual marriage to Hailey Bieber. Speaking of Hailey, she was actually in the wings during this entire Kourtney era. By early 2016, Justin had pivoted from his nights out with Kourtney to a tropical vacation with Hailey, effectively ending the Kardashian speculation.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Observers
If you’re still trying to piece together the truth of this 2015-2016 era, keep these nuances in mind:
- Look at the "Nice Guy" sightings: That restaurant was the Ground Zero for their public appearances. Most of their "dates" happened there in group settings.
- Differentiate between "hooking up" and "dating": Every reliable source from that time period used the former. There was never a conversation about a long-term future.
- The "Family Friend" Factor: Don't forget that Justin's manager, Scooter Braun, and the Kardashians move in the same tiny circle. Some of these outings were definitely just social overlap.
- Timeline check: The rumors essentially evaporated by the time Justin's Purpose tour went into full swing and he became public with Hailey.
While we might never get a play-by-play of what happened behind closed doors at the Montage Hotel, the legacy of Kourtney Kardashian and Justin Bieber remains one of the most entertaining "did they or didn't they" chapters of the Calabasas chronicles. It was a moment in time where two worlds collided, the "Lord" was trolled, and Kourtney Kardashian reminded everyone that she was just getting started.