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Justin Bieber Shares Update on Medical Condition Nine Months After Revealing Facial Paralysis, Diagnosis

By Lorri Wickenhauser March 16, 2023 at 5:06pm

Without saying a word or singing a note, pop musician Justin Bieber posted an Instagram update Wednesday that no doubt made his fans smile.

“Wait for it,” the clip was titled.

Bieber didn’t say anything on the video, but he moved his eyes from side to side, raised his eyebrows and then broke into a big grin that spoke volumes.

Most people wouldn’t think twice about making those facial movements. But for Bieber, whose enormously successful career was sidelined by facial paralysis last year, it showed tremendous progress.

The star posted the news as a story on Instagram, which expired in 24 hours, but entertainment news organizations, including Entertainment Tonight, quickly jumped on the scoop.

Wednesday’s news was a welcome change after the gloomy post Bieber shared last June, when he announced that he was suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition that kept him from being able to blink, smile or even move his nostril on one side of his face.

“Ramsay Hunt syndrome (herpes zoster oticus) occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears,” the Mayo Clinic reported.

“In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.”

In the June Instagram announcement, Bieber said the impairment would keep him from performing for the foreseeable future.

“I’m going to get better, and I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal,” the “Never Say Never” singer told fans, thanking them for their patience and support.

“I have hope, and I trust God,” he said. “It’s all for a reason and I’m not sure what that is right now.”

Some months later, Bieber attempted to resume touring, but again had to cut it short when he found the exertion was destroying his health.

“This past weekend, I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil,” he wrote in the Sept. 6 post.

“After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being.”