Justin Bieber has been hanging out with Dave Chappelle quite a bit as of late and a source exclusively tells In Touch the comedian’s been a rock of support for the new father while offering his signature sage advice to get the troubled singer’s chaotic private world firmly back on track.
“Dave has been through the ringer in his time in Hollywood,” the insider says. “When he was at his most successful, he pulled the plug and checked himself out of the madness of television and headed to South Africa.”
The Chappelle’s Show creator, 51, told Time Magazine in May 2005 he needed to cool off on what he called a “spiritual retreat,” though he called his sudden absence a “clumsy dismount.”
The Half Baked actor walked away from a $50 million contract with Comedy Central to care for his own wellbeing — something he would go on to note no one else in his Hollywood circle was keen on doing. He denied committing himself to a mental health facility in South Africa, but did see a psychiatrist there.
“I’m not crazy,” Dave told the publication shortly after his return to the United States. “I’m not smoking crack. I’m definitely stressed out.”
“You hear so many voices jockeying for position in your mind that you want to make sure that you hear your own voice. So I figured, Let me just cut myself off from everybody, take a minute and pull a Flintstone — stop a speeding car by using my bare feet as the brakes.”
“Everyone was bashing him at the time, accusing him of being on drugs,” the insider explains, “but that wasn’t the case at all, he just needed to do what was right for himself.”
Like Dave, who made the decision to quit his show at age 31, Justin, also 31, has been through a similarly rough time during his career. The two were spotted taking a smoke break and chatting about life outside Barney’s Beanery in Los Angeles on February 22.
“To say he understands and sympathizes with Justin and what he’s going through right now is an understatement,” the insider adds. “He’s a great mentor for Justin, because he’s got all this life experience and isn’t at all judgmental.”
The “Baby” singer has fans worried as of late over some cryptic messages he posted to his Instagram stories, not to mention previous years of wild behavior, alleged drug abuse, and legal troubles. He just became a father with wife Hailey Bieber, which may have prompted the text image, “It’s time to grow up,” accompanied by John Mayer’s “Free Fallin.”
“Changing is about letting go! Not trying harder! Are you tired of trying to follow all of the rules in hopes to get the results you crave? I’ve found love to be more powerful than rules. I tried to follow the rules. I’m not good at it,” the 2010s music icon added.
While this recent strangeness may end up not being as severe a meltdown as the singer’s suffered in the past, the source notes that Dave is now there for him, even if it’s just to talk.
“He’s just a cool guy, he makes Justin laugh non-stop, they have a good time together,” the source says. “He’s even helping Justin from a creative perspective, their friendship is multifaceted. Dave isn’t the only old school comedian that Justin’s close to, he’s also tight with Adam Sandler, they go way back, too.”
