Warning: This article contains allegations of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Fans of Justin Bieber are speculating online that the musician may have made a veiled reference to parties hosted by Sean 'Diddy' Combs in one of his music videos.
Speculation on social media has seen rumors circulating that the music video for 'Yummy' had some coded message.
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According to the theory, which has been doing the rounds, there is a section of the video which has a piece of bread and a cherry placed in an odd pattern on a table.
Taking to TikTok, Bieber fan Alexis Mae (@alexismae.xo) said: "Look at the placement of the bread, the bread is set up like a shield almost.
"If you take a closer look at the sandwich there is actually a cherry there, so the bread is set up to protect the cherry."
Fans of the musician say they think that this is a veiled reference to protecting 'innocence' due to a cherry being a symbol of virginity.
The TikToker went on to say that later in the video the bread resembled 'a face with a tongue sticking out'.
Meanwhile, the cherry looked as though it had gone rotten.
A cleared plate is shown at the end of the video which features a picture of Bieber as a child.
Mae also claimed that the way that the party in the music video was staged made it look like a 'white party' thrown by Combs.
Several fans seemed to back the speculation, with one writing: "We had this conversation years ago, where were y'all?"
Another said: "I remember going down this rabbit hole during the pandemic and nobody was believing it?"
However, a more doubtful fan wrote: "Y'all are reaching."
Bieber's professional relationship with Combs began early on in the singer's career, with Diddy appearing to act as a mentor to the rising star.
It has seen renewed attention after Combs was arrested and multiple allegations were made against him.
Combs was arrested at a New York hotel on September 16 and is currently being held in federal custody.
The rapper has also been charged with federal sex trafficking and racketeering, and federal prosecutors have accused him of 'creating a criminal enterprise'.
Among the allegations are claims that Combs abused, coerced, and threatened women in order 'to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.'
As of the time of writing, 11 people have come forward with allegations against Combs.
Some of the allegations date back as far as the 1990s.
The person who has come forward most recently is Thalia Graves, who has alleged that Combs and his bodyguard bound, drugged, and raped her in 2001 and filmed the assault.
Combs has denied all criminal wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges made against him.
UNILAD has contacted representatives of Justin Bieber for a comment.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Topics: News, US News, Diddy, Celebrity, Justin Bieber, Music, Crime
The UNILAD Team