My TikTok feed has been flooded with videos about the Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez drama. The entire Internet is taking sides and anticipating what could happen next.
While it initially started as drama surrounding one specific incident, it quickly got deeper and started ‘exposing’ Hailey and her group of friends for what they have done to Gomez in the past. She isn’t the only one who is suffering from all the Internet heat but so is her husband, as people started claiming that these issues wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for Justin.
Who are they?
Selena Gomez is an actress and singer most notable for her role as Alex Russo on the show “Wizards of Waverly Place,” which aired on Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012. Since then, she has starred in several movies and shows, her most recent one being “Only Murders In The Building” on Hulu. She has also released several albums, the last one being “Rare,” which is also the name of her makeup brand, Rare Beauty. Although she launched the brand during the 2020 pandemic, it still continues to be a top selling brand at Sephora. She has a strong social media presence across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, yet keeps her private life very lowkey.
Hailey Bieber (nee Baldwin) is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and graphic designer Kennya Deodato Baldwin. She can be regarded as a model, influencer and socialite. She is signed with agency IMG Models and has modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, among other brands. She released her skincare line Rhode Skin in 2022.
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez began their relationship in 2011 and dated on and off until 2018. Throughout those years, they had a very tumultuous relationship that involved infidelity and public shading between the two. In between their relationship, they both have dated others such as Selena and The Weeknd and Justin and Sofia Richie. A big competition for Selena has always been Hailey, who Justin seemed to run to every time they would break up. Since their marriage, Hailey has been assumed to be ‘shading’ Selena multiple times and fans are not happy. The newest TikTok drama has been one of the most fan influenced, and it has gotten out of control.
Here is a more detailed timeline of the situation:
– Hailey posts and deletes controversial TikTok rumored to be directed towards Selena
The TikTok features Bieber alongside her best friends Kendall Jenner and Justine Skye, as they all mouth over the viral sound “I’m not saying she deserved it, but I’m saying God’s timing is always right.”
Selena’s fans thought that the video was directed toward her as at that time she was receiving lots of negative comments about her weight after a paparazzi photo came out of her on a boat in a bikini.
Bieber deleted the video and responded to the accusations saying, “I never comment on this type of thing but we were just having a girls night and did a random TikTok sound for fun. It’s not directed at anyone ✨🤍.”
Selena chimed in by commenting on a reaction video made from a fan by saying, “It’s OK! I don’t let these things get me down! Be nice to everyone!”
– Selena posts a story on TikTok saying she overlaminated her eyebrows
Selena posted a series of TikTok stories, one using the sound, “My name… my name is Bella Hadid.” She then said she wishes she was as pretty as Bella and then says, “My name… my name is Selena Gomez,” mimicking the sound and then says that it doesn’t sound as good.
She then posts a picture saying that she “accidentally laminated her eyebrows too much.”
This is where it all began.
– Kylie Jenner posts a selfie with words “this was an accident?” near her eyebrows
Soon after Selena’s story posts, Kylie Jenner posts a selfie with “this was an accident ?????” over her right eyebrow.
Fans definitely felt this wasn’t just a coincidence considering…
– Kylie proceeds to post a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Hailey where both women
show their eyebrows up close
Twice in a row?
Here is where it gets bad.
Kylie then posts a screenshot of a FaceTime call between her and Hailey on her Instagram story, both of them only showing their eyebrows. Fans immediately associated it with Selena’s TikTok story as it was right after she had posted it.
Fans were posting the screenshot all over social media and writing that the best friend duo were “mean girls” and “childish.”
Kylie quickly responded to the shade by saying, “This is reaching. No shade towards Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts. You guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.”
Selena then follows up with “It’s all unnecessary. I’m a fan of Kylie’s.”
– Selena announces she’s taking a social media break
Amid all the drama, Selena goes on TikTok live to announce that she’s temporarily leaving social media.
Selena states on live that she’s going to take a second from the apps because all the drama is silly. She then mentions that she’s now 30 and “…she’s too old for this.”
Knowing that she stands for mental health and being kind to others, it was no surprise she wanted to escape the toxic platforms.
Her short lived break flooded her IG with positive comments while Hailey has been receiving all negative comments on all of her old/recent posts. She had posted a carousel of photos for Justin’s birthday and all of the comments were shocking.
– Fans make claims that Hailey has been ‘copying’ Selena for years
As soon as the Internet declared Hailey and her friends were ‘mean girls,’ old videos were resurfacing of all of them. These videos showed instances of them being mean to fans, included racist remarks made, how they treat people they claim are their best friends, etc. But the most bewildering videos being made are of Hailey ‘copying’ Selena throughout the years.
These range from outfits to tattoos to even their cooking shows. There are striking similarities that seem too accurate to be coincidences.
Selena has a tattoo of a “g” behind her ear for her sister Gracie and Hailey got the exact same one. Selena has a show called “Selena + Chef” which was released during quarantine. Most recently, Hailey has released her cooking show titled “What’s In My Kitchen?” Fans have noticed that there are so many similarities between the two shows, such as the way it is filmed and words said.
Fans are creating assumptions/theories on why they think she does and while some are too wild to be true, some actually make sense.
One theory is that she actually is in love with Selena and not Justin, while another claims that she does all this to gain Justin’s love.
Theories about Justin have also been circulating the Internet, saying that he only married her for a visa to gain U.S. citizenship (which he might be struggling with on his own due to his many legal issues) and that he still shows his Selena tattoo in photos because he isn’t over her.
– Selena posts a story on her Instagram asking fans to leave Hailey alone
This was super unexpected but also very necessary. The drama had been going on for a while when she posted a story defending Hailey by saying, “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity. This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
Hailey also posted on her story calling an end to the feud fans had created against the two women. She started by thanking Selena for her message and then mentions that they have been in touch figuring out how to move past this situation.
Her lengthy message continues with “…The last few weeks have been very hard for everyone involved and millions of people are seeing so much hate around this which is extremely harmful. While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this only create extreme division instead of bringing people together. Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended. We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself. In the end, I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to meet each other with more empathy and compassion.”
Both women then seemed to call an end to the drama by following each other on Instagram and Hailey most recently liked Selena’s throwback post of her as a blonde.
Why Is This Drama Important for Social Media?
This situation is more than just a feud between two women who have dated the same man. It is about what people are now willing to accept from influencers/celebrities on social media. In my opinion, superficiality is out and authenticity is in. I am personally exhausted of seeing the fake, flashy and mean girl attitude. I feel that social media would be a lot better without all the negativity that is thrown around, but that change has to also be wanted by all the creators/celebrities that continue to do what they do.