If there’s one thing Hollywood never runs short of, it’s unexpected celebrity feuds. But when pop icon Justin Bieber, known for chart-topping hits like “Sorry” and “Love Yourself,” challenged Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise to an MMA fight in the UFC, the internet was left both confused and entertained. While bizarre celebrity moments are nothing new, this particular showdown in 2019 quickly became one of the most bewildering in recent memory.
Justin Bieber’s Outrageous Call-Out of Tom Cruise
Back in June 2019, Justin Bieber took to Twitter with a challenge that no one saw coming. In a tweet that instantly went viral, Bieber boldly called out Tom Cruise, star of the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible franchises, for a fight inside the UFC’s octagon.
“I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you don’t take this fight you’re scared and you will never live it down.”
The tweet, which seemed to come out of nowhere, left fans and followers puzzled. Why would Justin Bieber, a pop star with no history of physical combat, challenge a 57-year-old action star to a cage fight? The confusion only deepened when Bieber added, “Who is willing to put on the fight?” tagging UFC president Dana White in the post.
The world couldn’t help but ask: Was this some kind of joke, or had Bieber truly lost his mind?
Was Bieber Serious? The Bottle Cap Kick Video Added Fuel to the Fire
As if the initial tweet wasn’t odd enough, Bieber took things a step further with a video. The singer posted a clip of himself performing the viral bottle cap challenge, kicking the cap off a bottle in one smooth motion. But instead of leaving it at that, Bieber said:
“This could be Tom Cruise’s head.”
Fans were quick to react, with some genuinely questioning Bieber’s motives and state of mind. One Twitter user wrote,
“Bieber lost his mind lol,”
while another hilariously added,
“As in you’re on the Internet making a right pelican of yourself challenging a man twice your age.”
The tension between the two, however, was entirely one-sided. Cruise remained silent, neither accepting nor acknowledging Bieber’s challenge, much to the dismay of fans who secretly hoped for a Hollywood brawl.
The Confusion Behind the Feud: Was It All a Joke?
As the buzz around Bieber’s challenge grew, it became apparent that the singer may have been less serious than people thought. In a later interview with TMZ, Bieber clarified that he was “just playing” and that the tweet had been a joke. However, the confusion didn’t stop there.
In an appearance on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, Bieber was grilled about the now-infamous tweet. The Late Late Show host asked why on earth the singer had challenged Cruise, to which Bieber responded candidly:
“I was just being stupid, to be honest. But then people were like, ‘I wanna see this happen.’ And I was like, ‘You know what? That could actually be funny.’”
Despite his explanation, many were left wondering if there was more behind the stunt. Was it a PR move? A cry for attention? Or just another wild, spur-of-the-moment celebrity tweet?
The Internet Weighs In: “Has Bieber Lost It?”
As with anything that stirs the pot in Hollywood, fans and commentators took to social media in droves to share their thoughts. While many fans of both Bieber and Cruise took the challenge lightly, others were quick to point out the absurdity of the situation.
Some tweets, like one from @SatoshiFlipper, summed up the general confusion with:
“Bieber lost his mind lol.”
Another Twitter user remarked:
“Challenging a man twice your age to a fight is peak Bieber.”
There was no doubt that the age gap between Bieber, who was 25 at the time, and Cruise, who was 57, only made the call-out stranger. Many fans pointed out that Cruise had built a career performing death-defying stunts in his action-packed films, while Bieber had no history of fighting or action roles.
Tom Cruise’s Silence: Why Didn’t the Action Star Respond?
One of the more amusing aspects of this story was Tom Cruise’s complete silence on the matter. Known for his intense dedication to his craft, and being a bonafide action hero, Cruise likely had more important things to focus on than a bizarre challenge from the pop world.
Although fans tried to stir the pot, urging Cruise to accept the challenge or at least address it, the actor remained unfazed. His quiet response—or lack thereof—was interpreted as a sign that Cruise had little interest in participating in Bieber’s spectacle. After all, what does a man who’s been scaling skyscrapers and flying jets for Top Gun have to prove in a UFC octagon?
Why This Feud Became a Legendary Hollywood Moment
While no actual fight materialized, Bieber’s random challenge to Tom Cruise remains one of the most amusing moments in recent Hollywood history. In a world where celebrities often engage in heated Twitter wars or trade insults in public, Bieber’s light-hearted yet bizarre call-out to a much older actor seemed more like something out of a surreal comedy than a real beef.
In retrospect, Bieber’s antics served as yet another example of how celebrity culture often blurs the line between reality and performance. Whether it was a joke or a bid for attention, one thing is clear: the internet had a field day with the entire situation, and the “fight” between Bieber and Cruise has solidified itself in pop culture as one of Hollywood’s weirdest moments.
Looking back, it’s clear that Justin Bieber’s challenge to Tom Cruise was never meant to be taken seriously. Yet, the sheer oddity of the situation made it a viral sensation. Whether it was a publicity stunt, a joke gone too far, or just Bieber having fun with his fans, the incident is a reminder that Hollywood’s unpredictability is one of its greatest charms.
While Tom Cruise never responded, and no UFC octagon ever saw these two icons battle it out, the moment lives on in entertainment history. One thing’s for sure: it’s not every day that a pop star challenges an action hero to a fight—and that’s precisely why we love Hollywood.