Controversial Toronto mayor Rob Ford is speaking out his defense of the Canadian-born Justin Bieber in light of his recent legal woes.

During an appearance on the radio show The Sports Junkies, Ford, who has his own set of issues, blamed the pop star’s problems on his age.

"Well, you know what, he's a young guy. At 19 years old, I wish I was as successful as he was. He's 19 years old, guys. Think back to when you were 19,” he reasoned, NME reports.

Ford has admitted to smoking crack after a video surfaced of him doing the drug plagued his political career. After making it clear he won’t step down from his spot in office and even filing to run again, another scandal surfaced in which he’s accused of ordering a beat-down of his sister’s ex-boyfriend to keep him from speaking out publicly about his bad behavior.

Meanwhile, legal experts are telling the Toronto Star that both Ford and Bieber’s supporters are likely not going anywhere, no matter what they do.

Richard Powers, a professor of ethics and governance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said of their fanbases, “They put on blinders when their idols commit actions that could derail their idolization. They have excuses at the ready. It’s easier to make an excuse or to blame the people presenting the evidence, like the media, because that doesn’t remove their idol from the pedestal.”

image: Wikimedia Commons