Fans went wild when Justin Bieber did an impromptu performance during a DJ set at Las Vegas' XS Nightclub. Or so they thought, anyway.
Because it turned out it wasn't Bieber at all but an impersonator, Dylan Desclos, who tricked the entire staff, including the DJ who let him onstage.
Gryffin, the DJ who was spinning that night, posted a video all about the stunt he's calling "Biebergate."
In the video, Gryffin explained that while he was doing his set, he was approached by staff and members of "Bustin Jieber's" entourage who explained that "Bieber" wanted to do a quick performance.
Even after meeting the impersonator, nobody seemed to notice it wasn't actually Bieber, which Gryffin chalked up to the noise and dim lighting in the club making it hard to suss it all out.
In any case, "Jieber" made it onstage and began performing Bieber's hit "Sorry" to the adoring crowd. It was only after the performance was complete that anybody realized it wasn't the real Bieber.
Gryffin included in his video the moment he was told the truth—that it was "totally fake."
In footage of the impersonator leaving a Las Vegas Balenciaga store, he seems quite a bit more muscular than Bieber, which Gryffin later said he noticed in the club.
"I was like, d*mn he put on a lot of weight since the album drop."
Desclos' dedication to the bit is intense: He made reference to the singer's recent management change to explain why nobody at the club knew his entourage, and has covered himself in tattoos identical to the real Bieber's.
Commenters on TikTok were not exactly impressed by his "likeness." That dim lighting and noise in the club was definitely doing the heavy lifting!
Rumors initially circulated that the impersonator had even been paid for his performance.
But in a statement, management of the Wynn hotel and casino where XS is located said the impersonator was immediately barred from the venue and fined when his ruse was revealed.
"After an elaborate and multi-step ruse by him and his advance team, a Justin Bieber impersonator was granted access to the XS stage."
"As soon as the error was recognized, he was removed from the resort and denied future entry.”
On social media, people couldn't believe Desclos actually got away with his trick.
Jeff/TikTok
Lauren Ryan/TikTok
TheLasVegasBarbie/TikTok
@normanjay_lasvegas/Instagram
@misskarlidarling/Instagram
@hailstagramm/Instagram
As for the nearly $10,000 tab Desclos and his team ran up at XS, they did pay it before leaving, despite being banned from the club for life.
New York Post
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
