Diane Keaton’s Bieber Crush? Inside the Real Story Behind Their Ghost Collaboration
Amid a surge of tributes, fans are revisiting Diane Keaton’s scene-stealing turn in Justin Bieber’s Ghost—a pop-culture spark ignited by their flirty Ellen Show meet-cute and Keaton’s gleeful admission: "I like that boy."
With everyone mourning Diane Keaton, I keep coming back to the unlikely, oddly perfect thing she did with Justin Bieber: that tender, bittersweet Ghost music video. If you missed how that pairing even happened, the road there starts with an Ellen interview, a blush, and a hug.
The Ellen moment that lit the fuse (2015)
Keaton met Bieber on The Ellen Show back in 2015, and they clicked immediately. When she was asked about him, she said, 'I like that boy.' Ellen, ever the referee, pointed out that he was a man now. Keaton did not miss a beat: 'Even better.'
Then the show threw up a bunch of shirtless Bieber photos. Keaton took one look and, well, reacted like a human: 'That is gorgeous. Wow, now we are talking.' Bieber came out, they hugged, and the audience lost it.
Cute, funny, a little chaotic — and, in hindsight, a preview of what came next.
From talk show flirt to Ghost co-star (2021)
Cut to 2021: Keaton co-stars in Bieber's Ghost, playing a widow trying to move forward after losing her husband. Bieber plays her grandson, quietly helping her rejoin the world. It is a simple setup, and it works because Keaton sells the heartbreak and the warmth without a single false note.
A fun wrinkle: before they worked together, Keaton said she was not a Bieber superfan. She knew who he was — obviously — but she was not exactly a Belieber. So she was genuinely surprised when Bieber handpicked her to play his grandmother in the video. Not the pairing you predict on paper, but it fits.
On set: loose, stylish, very Diane
'All my life, I have been an actress and had lines, and sometimes I have gotten to loosen them up a little — but this was just completely loose and relaxed. Nobody ever told me to do anything, which made it so much fun.'
That is Keaton talking to Vogue about making Ghost, and you can feel it in the final cut: the vibe is easy, lived-in, almost documentary casual. She pulled style cues from her own closet too, which is why the costumes feel so authentically her. And yes, she called Bieber a true gentleman on set.
The quick hits
- 2015: Keaton meets Bieber on The Ellen Show, flirts a bit, gets a hug.
- September 10, 2021: Ghost is released as part of Bieber's Justice era.
- 2022: Keaton returns to Ellen and says co-starring with Bieber was the most pleasant experience of her life.
Why Ghost lands the way it does
Ghost is about loss, but it is also about the gentle push you need to start living again. Keaton brings the weight; Bieber brings the lift. That contrast is the secret sauce.
Remembering Diane Keaton
In the wake of her passing, the Annie Hall icon is being honored across the industry, and for good reason. Her Ghost cameo is a small thing in a huge career, but it is one of those late-period choices that sums her up: funny, open, stylish, and generous with her scene partner.
If you have not revisited Ghost lately, now is the time. It is three minutes, and it sticks with you.