Pattie Mellette is a scriptwriter and producer – but today, she’s most known as the mother of pop sensation Justin Beiber.
However, few people know much about her and the challenges she has faced over the course of her life…
Justin Bieber is one of the biggest stars in the world, and in the eyes of many, the Canadian star has everything you can wish for.
But even famous people have issues and suffer crises – often without the public’s full awareness. Justin Bieber’s relationship with his mother, Pattie Malette, has been rocky – and considering her tough background, it’s not too shocking that things got complicated.
Pattie Mallette was born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, and comes from a French-Canadian background. Tragically, her early childhood was marked by an unimaginable loss. When Pattie was just 2 years old, her 5-year-old sister, Sally, was struck by a car while crossing the street and sadly lost her life. This devastating event would forever leave its mark on Pattie’s family and her early years.
Pattie gave birth to Justin at the young age of 17. She was single at the time and was not unfamiliar with dealing with obstacles. According to Daily Mail, Pattie raised Justin all by herself in a low-income housing space in Canada. She had some help from her parents, Justin’s grandparents.
According to Pattie, she dealt with years and various instances of abuse and violence, starting at the age of 3. She explained:
“My offenders include a male babysitter, the grandfather of one of my friends, and neighborhood children reportedly mature beyond their years,” she says.
As she grew to the age of 14, she began to use different substances. Around this time, she was also beginning to shoplift at stores and was expelled from her school for starting a fire in the bathroom. Sadly, the book sexual abuse continued. In her book, Patti describes date rape at age 15.
”I was sexually violated so many times that as the years went by it began to feel normal. It’s a strange marriage – knowing something is wrong yet at the same time finding it familiar and commonplace,” she said.
As a child, Mallette developed a passion for acting and singing. By the age of nine, she was making appearances on local TV shows, such as Romper Room and Big Top Talent, a children’s talent program broadcast in her area.
At the age of 15, she began dating Jeremy Beiber. Their relationship lasted for four years, but the teen ran away from home at 16 years old. She scraped by through theft and selling drugs.
”My life was really painful as a child,” Mallette told George Stroumboulopoulos, as quoted by Cosmopolitan. ”I had a love for the arts that I share with Justin, and we kinda bond over that.”
With her past and current habits catching up to her, her mental health deteriorated further.
After a long period of despair and suicidal thoughts, the 17-year-old tried to take her own life. She was committed to a mental institution that used Christian conversion therapy.
After being released from the hospital, Mallette reached out to former friends and coworkers who did not follow the same newly discovered religion she had found. This was when she reconnected with Jeremy Beiber once more.
After the couple began dating for six months, Pattie realized she was pregnant. Justin was born in London, Ontario, on March 1, 1994.
While Pattie and Jeremy at first continued to date after the birth of their son, they eventually decided to break up after just a few months.
Despite all of the hardship she had experienced, Pattie was a supportive and present mother. She helped Justin as he pursued his musical interests, eventually helping him to enter the 2007 Stratford Star talent competition when Justin was a teenager.
The now-star singer placed second for his rendition of Ne-Yo’s “So Sick,” and Pattie posted the video of his winning performance on Youtube. The video, in addition to the subsequent ones she continued to post online, gained much popularity over time.
Mallette’s autobiography was published in September of 2012 by the Christian publishing house Revell.
The book, titled “Nowhere But Up,” focused on not just Pattie’s difficult upbringing but also how she used faith and love to gain optimism and be the best single parent she could be for her son.
Today, their relationship has changed.
”When your kids hit a certain age your parenting style changes and it is hard letting go,” Mallette told People in 2013, when her son turned 19 years old.
”His life was my life and now I’ve had to let him go a little bit and let him be independent. It is hard to not be able to control everything that your adult child does.”
After his enormous breakthrough, Justin Bieber was facing trouble with the law. He got arrested back in 2014 when police officers were forced to pull him over around 4 a.m. while he was street racing.
That incident led to a rift in the mother-son relationship.
”I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was. We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust… it’s hard, but getting better. She’s an amazing woman and I love her,” the star told Billboard in 2015, as quoted by Cosmopolitan.
But today, that period in Justin’s life is almost forgotten, and Pattie is very proud of her son.
“I’m so proud of the amazing young man you are, and the young man you are becoming. None of us are perfect and never will be, (so we will always need patience and grace for each other), but your genuine growing relationship with Jesus is evident in the choices you are making daily and the good ‘fruit’ you bear. I admire your character and integrity. You are maturing beautifully and wise beyond your years,” she shared on Instagram.