Selena Gomez addresses Hailey Bieber, calling for an end to bullying
When Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber ended their tumultuous relationship for the final time in 2018, many were on Team Selena, cheering her on and supporting her. But in the years since, it seems like the internet, Justin and his wife, supermodel Hailey Bieber, and everyone’s respective fanbases, just can’t let the relationship go. In fact, Netizens have become increasingly hostile to their respective fanbases, and it keeps boiling over into toxic bullying and now, death threats.
We all know navigating the internet in 2023 is a minefield, and protecting your own mental health is incredibly important, that’s why Selena has now chosen to speak up for her ex-boyfriend’s wife, who it seems has asked for the singer’s help.
"Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity," Selena wrote on Instagram. "This isn't what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying."
"I've always advocated for kindness," she added, "and really want this all to stop."
She then followed Hailey on Instagram as a show of solidarity.
The supposed drama between the two has allegedly been going on for years, with rumours abounding that while Selena and Justin were still dating, the “Peaches” singer was cheating with Hailey.
This past October, Hailey and Selena posed for a photo at the Academy Museum Gala, quieting speculation of an ongoing feud, but for some reason, the peace and quiet didn’t last long.
Selena recently became the most followed woman on Instagram; a title that used to be held by Kylie Jenner (at 381 million followers to Jenner's 380 million), and Kylie is famously besties with Hailey.
That’s when things started to pop off. Selena took to TikTok and made a seemingly innocuous post about laminating her eyebrows "too much," in an effort to look as pretty as Bella Hadid. Selena and Bella both famously dated Toronto’s own The Weeknd. That’s when the internet took issue with Kylie and Hailey who made a conveniently-timed Instagram story where they appeared to poke fun at Selena’s brows, although Kylie has since denied any ill intent.
Selena then got involved herself on TikTok in support of her best friend Taylor Swift after Hailey shaded her in an old interview.
#TeamSelena and #TeamHailey were off to the races after that.
The “Lose You To Love Me” singer informed fans that she would be taking a brief hiatus from social media.
"I'm going to be taking a second from social media because this is a little silly. I'm 30 and am too old for this," she declared in a TikTok video on February 23. "But I love you so much, and I'll see you guys sooner than later. I'm just gonna take a break from everything.”
But now it appears that Hailey has privately spoken with Selena about her vitriolic fans, and how vulnerable she feels being on the receiving end of all this hate.
This isn’t the first time Hailey and Selena have spoken privately about their issues. In September, Hailey revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that they have nothing but “love.”
“Yes, [we have spoken]. Yes [we have spoken after my marriage],” she said. “So that’s why I’m like, it’s all respect, it’s all love. It’s also why I feel like if everybody on our side knows what happened, and we’re good and we could walk away with clarity and respect, then that’s fine. Which had brought me a lot of peace, and I’m like, ‘hey, we know what happened. It is what it is.’”
She continued, “You’re never going to be able to correct every narrative, and there’s going to be new ones that come [from this interview]. It’s never going to end, and that’s why I get to the point where like, that’s why I didn’t speak about a lot of this stuff because I’m like, there will be something new.”
At press time, Justin has not made one public statement regarding the ongoing #TeamHailey vs #TeamSelena, seemingly letting the women defend themselves against the wolves alone.
