Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber seemingly waved the white flag just last year.
In November 2022, Gomez and Hailey posed for a sweet photo together that set the internet ablaze. This came after years of an alleged feud over Justin Bieber. Gomez famously dated Bieber on and off between 2010 and 2018. The couple called it quits after a brief reunion that year, then he and Hailey tied the knot just a few months later.
Hailey clarified the notion that she “stole” Bieber from Gomez on a September episode of Call Her Daddy and explained that she never interfered with their relationship. “When he and I ever started, like, hooking up or, like, anything of that sort, he was not ever in a relationship, ever at any point,” she told podcast host Alex Cooper. “It’s not my character to mess with someone’s relationship. I would just never do that. I’m not interested in doing that and I never was.”
And even after clarifying the timeline and taking a photo with her husband’s ex, there have been new developments between Hailey and Gomez. It seemingly started last month when Hailey deleted a TikTok after Gomez was hit with body-shaming comments after paparazzi shots of her in a bathing suit appeared on Instagram. The drama continued thanks to a video Gomez shared about her eyebrows earlier this week, which fans think inspired a response from Kylie Jenner and Hailey. Things have gotten so out of hand that it led to Gomez announcing that she would be taking an indefinite social media break.
Here’s everything you need to know about Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber’s reignited feud.
When: January 2023
In January, Hailey posted a TikTok video with friends Kendall Jenner and Justine Skye in which they mouthed the words, “I’m not saying she deserved it, but God’s timing is always right.” Hailey then deleted the video after fans commented saying it was directed at Gomez after she was hit with body-shaming comments on a recent bikini photo.
And while Hailey said “she never comments on this type of thing,” she clarified that the deleted post was “a random TikTok sound for fun. It’s not directed at anyone.” Gomez, on the other hand, said she wasn’t bothered by it.
“It’s OK! I don’t let these things get me down! Be nice to everyone!” Gomez commented underneath a viral fan theory video.
When: February 2023
Gomez, who has been rather active on TikTok as of late, shared a video of her makeup, saying: “I accidentally laminated my eyebrows too much.” Kylie Jenner found herself in the middle of the feud after she posted a photo on her IG Stories writing “this was an accident?” on top of her own laminated eyebrows. The timing was questionable, considering that Gomez shared the video on TikTok just a few hours before.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Jenner shared a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Hailey, where they both showed their eyebrows to the camera. Jenner quickly denied mocking Gomez in the comments section of a viral video posted by a fan. “This is reaching,” she wrote. “No shade towards Selena ever, and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly.”
Gomez agreed with Jenner, adding that there isn’t any beef between them in the comments section of the video. “Agreed @kyliejenner. It’s all unnecessary. I’m a fan of Kylie!” she wrote.
When: February 2023
After the eyebrow ordeal, Gomez came across a resurfaced video of Hailey seemingly targeting her best friend, Taylor Swift. In the TikTok clip, Hailey was co-hosting Drop the Mic with Method Man. After the rapper says “in a one-on-one rap battle full of the meanest lyrics about a celebrity since Taylor Swift’s last album,” the supermodel sticks her finger in her mouth, making a gagging notion.
In the comments section, Gomez came to Swift’s defense, commenting: “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.”
When: February 2023
After leaving that comment on the resurfaced Hailey video, Gomez announced her plan to take a break from social media. “I’m gonna be taking a second from social media, because it’s—this is a little silly. And I’m 30. I’m too old for this,” she told fans on TikTok Live, before deleting her account on Feb. 24.
Gomez, who takes social media breaks often, revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this month that she was fond of TikTok. “The only thing I have on my phone is TikTok, because I find it to be a little less hostile.”
She continued, “There are wonderful things about social media—connecting with fans, seeing how happy and excited they are and their stories. But usually, that’s filtered through [for me now]. I created a system. Everything I do, I send to my assistant who posts them. As far as comments, my team will put together a few things that are encouraging.”
Just days before announcing her social media hiatus, Gomez reclaimed her spot as the most-followed woman on Instagram (383 million followers), surpassing Kylie Jenner.
When: February 2023
Following the reignition of their feud, Gomez’s fans did some deep digging to find ammo to use against Hailey. Fans believe that Hailey has been copying the Gome for years. Several TikTok videos were created pointing out things fans don’t believe to be coincidences.
An example of this is Gomez’s interviews. In one part of Gomez’s resurfaced clip, she said she wished more people knew her heart. Hailey then went on to say the same thing during a Jimmy Fallon interview. The same thing appeared to be true when Gomez said she was a fan of Britney Spears, and Hailey echoed a similar sentiment.
Another TikTok video also pointed out similarities between Gomez and Hailey’s cooking show. Gomez launched Selena + Chef on HBO Max in August 2020. Two years later, Hailey launched What’s In My Kitchen? on YouTube. The viral clip that points out the likeness between the two cooking shows captured Hailey saying “Okey dokey,” a phrase that Gomez is known for saying on Selena + Chef.
When: March 2023
Gomez said Hailey contacted her about “receiving death threats and such hateful negativity.” She then reminded fans that she runs an anti-bullying platform. “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity,” Gomez wrote in a text post shared to her Instagram Stories. “This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying.”
She continued, “I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
After Gomez’s public plea, she and Hailey followed each other on Instagram.
When: March 2023
Hailey shared a message to her Instagram Stories thanking Gomez for “speaking out.” She explained that they have been in contact for “weeks” to change the narrative amid their online drama.
“I want to thank Selena for speaking out, as her and I have been discussing the last few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I,” Hailey wrote.
“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.”
Hailey concluded her message by encouraging others to be more thoughtful about their posts on social media, including herself. “We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself,” she wrote. “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.”
