Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) is ready to put her rumored drama with Selena Gomez to bed.
“I don’t think that this is about me, Hailey Bieber, and Selena Gomez. This is not about this pitting between two women and division between two women. It’s about the vile, disgusting hatred that can come from completely made-up and twisted and perpetuated narratives,” the model, 26, said of her history with Gomez, 30, during a recent episode of Bloomberg’s “The Circuit with Emily Chang.”
Bieber went on to call the feud speculation — which gained new traction in February — “really dangerous,” adding, “I think that it’s an opportunity to really stand for bringing people together and not being OK with the kind of division that it caused because I’m not OK with the kind of division that it caused.”
She continued: “I don’t like this whole idea of ‘team this person’ and ‘team this person.’ I’m just not about that. I want to be able to bring people together and I think that that was a really important moment for people to see that you can do that and you can bring people together and it doesn’t have to be about this divisive nature.”
Fans have long speculated drama brewing between Gomez and Bieber due to their respective relationships with Justin Bieber. Earlier this year, the rumors were reignited after Hailey and pals Kendall Jenner and Justine Skye seemingly shaded Gomez in a February TikTok upload. The since-deleted post featured the trio lip-synching to an audio trend that said, “And I’m not saying she deserved it, but I’m saying God’s timing is always right.”
Amid the back and forth, Gomez responded to resurfaced footage of Hailey pretending to gag at the mention of Taylor Swift on an episode of Drop the Mic. “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game,” Gomez commented on a fan’s TikTok upload in February, defending Swift, 33.
Gomez — who previously dated Justin, 29, on and off from 2009 to 2018 — let fans know at the time that she wasn’t offended by Hailey’s suspected shade, but she proceeded to take a break from social media. She returned to Instagram days later to share pics with her friends.
Both stars have since brushed off the drama, with Gomez encouraging fans to “please be kinder and consider others’ mental health” in a March 5 TikTok upload. “My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone. All my love,” she wrote in the post’s comments.
The Disney Channel alum spoke out in support of Hailey again later that month after learning that she had received death threats over their TikTok feud. “This isn’t what I stand for,” Gomez asserted via her Instagram Story on March 24. “No one should have to experience hate or bullying.”
Hailey simultaneously revealed via her own Instagram Story that she and Gomez had discussed “how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I.” The Rhode Skin founder added: “While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this only create extreme division instead of bringing people together.”
As the dust has settled on the drama, Hailey proved she has not bad blood with Gomez by liking one of the “Liar” singer’s Instagram posts earlier this month. She previously discussed their dynamic on a September 2022 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, denying there was any overlap between her relationship with Justin and his romance with Gomez.
During her appearance on “The Circuit with Emily Chang,” Hailey noted that the supposed rivalry between her and Gomez is something she’s “hated” ever since she and Justin began dating in 2015. The couple tied the knot in September 2018 and said “I do” again in front of family and friends the following year.
“It’s like time and time again, I don’t know why I keep having to say and we keep having to say that there is no issue and there is no problem,” Hailey explained. “It’s so disappointing that people still behave this way because of, like, over a man. Yeah, it’s the world we live in, unfortunately.”
