Justin Bieber, Sofia Richie Dating: What Does Lionel Richie Think Of The Relationship?

The relationship between Justin Bieber and Sofia Richie is still new, but could they have already met members of each other's families? While Richie has yet to confirm anything, it looks like her father, musician Lionel Richie has definitely been told about the relationship.

So what does the “Hello” singer think of Bieber? In an interview with TMZ while leaving a juice bar with Sofia, Lionel teased his daughter a little bit before saying that he has been given strict directions not to speak about Bieber and the relationship. When asked if he approves of the relationship, Lionel tried to ditch the question before saying yes. The singer was also asked if a collaboration between him and Bieber is in the cards, and Lionel said that he's open to the idea.

Bieber and Sofia have not been seen together in public lately. The last time they were photographed together was during their vacation in Mexico, and it didn't look like something they wished were documented. Photos of the two during a heated, intimate moment surfaced earlier, according to the Daily Mail. The photos went around on Twitter and spawned the hashtag “justinsextapeleakedparty.”

The release of the photos, which were taken without Bieber and Sofia's consent, comes a few days after the “What Do You Mean” singer deactivated his Instagram account in order to keep his privacy. Prior to closing his account, Bieber warned fans that he will make the social media page private if they will continue to say bad things about his new lady love.

Prior to the deletion, Bieber's ex, Selena Gomez, reportedly told the “Sorry” singer that he shouldn't be mad at his fans. Gomez also said that he should not be posting photos of his girlfriend if he didn't like the attention. After another exchange with the singer, including him calling her an attention-seeker, Gomez took to Snapchat to apologize for what she said.