Selena Gomez Asks Fans to Stop Bullying Hailey Bieber: "This Isn't What I Stand For"

Selena Gomez is speaking out against the hatred directed at Hailey Bieber during their bizarre alleged TikTok feud. On 24 March, the "Only Murders in the Building" star posted a message on Instagram telling those who are bullying Bieber to lay off. She wrote, "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."

She continued, "I've always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop." Bieber has not yet posted about Gomez's message on social media.

Gomez's message is the latest development in an ongoing digital drama involving Hailey Bieber, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and some very old, relatively unsubstantiated rumours. Back on 23 Feb., Gomez announced that she was taking a break from social media amid the drama, and since then, many of her fans have accused Bieber of being a bully online. However, on 5 March, Gomez returned to TikTok with a makeup tutorial, and in the comments, she asked her fans to be kinder and more conscious of mental health.

Gomez wrote at the time, "Thank you and love you all so much. I'm deeply grateful for each and every one of you humans. You make me unbelievably happy." In a second comment, she added, "Please, please be kinder and consider others' mental health. My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone. All my love."

Gomez's continued pleas come after her alleged drama with Bieber bubbled over in February. Read ahead for a breakdown of the strange celebrity back-and-forth.

How Did Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber's Alleged TikTok Feud Begin?

It all started with a 7 Jan. TikTok video posted by user Rivet Soro, or @riristea. She reposted a TikTok that Bieber posted and quickly deleted. In it, Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and Justine Skye lip-sync to the popular audio, "And I'm not saying she deserved it, but I'm saying God's timing is always right." Soro questioned if this was a veiled message to someone, though she didn't speculate who. Bieber responded to the claim on 7 Jan., writing in the comments, "I never comment on this type of thing but we were just having a girls night and did a random tik tok sound for fun. It's not directed at anyone."

@riristea

Hailey Bieber Posts & Deletes TikTok With Kendall Jenner And Justine Skye! #haileybieber #haileybaldwin #kendalljenner #justineskye #riristea #entertainmentnews #celebritynews #celebnews #rivetsoro

♬ original sound - RiRi’s Tea ☕️

Days later, some accounts began to speculate that the lip-sync moment was Bieber and friends responding to people body-shaming Gomez.

The drama heated up again on 22 Feb. when a TikTok account called @devotedly.yours made a new claim that Bieber and Kylie Jenner were shading Gomez on social. Gomez had made a TikTok video about how she'd "accidentally" overlaminated her brows. Kylie posted a selfie on Instagram shortly after, captioned, "this was an accident???" She also posted a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Bieber where both of their faces were close to the camera. The TikTok user speculated they were making fun of Gomez's brow blunder.

Kylie commented on the TikTok, writing, "This is reaching. no shade toward selena ever and i didn't see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly." Gomez replied, writing, "Agreed @kyliejenner it's all unnecessary. I'm a fan of Kylie."

A day later, Gomez jumped into the TikTok arena herself. A user posted a clip of a moment from Bieber's tenure hosting "Drop the Mic" from 2017 to 2019. Method Man says in the clip that the next rap has "some of the meanest lyrics about a celebrity since Taylor Swift's last album." Bieber pretends to gag. The TikTok user called Bieber "a mean girl" and a "bully." Gomez commented, "So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game."

But later that day, Gomez had apparently decided all the TikTok back-and-forth was too much. She went live on TikTok and said, "I'm gonna be taking a second from social media cause this is a little silly and I'm 30. I'm too old for this," according to a clip reshared by Pop Crave. She was otherwise silent on the issue until her 5 March comments.

But some of her friends did jump into the TikTok fray. On 14 March, Gomez's "Wizards of Waverly Place" costar Jennifer Stone posted a TikTok of her mouthing the words, "Back the f*ck off and let this woman shine her light" along with the caption, "When people try to mess with my people." She followed it with the hashtags "#backoff #growup #jealousyjealousy #shineyourlight #womenforwomen #teamselena."

@jenniferlstone

When people try to mess with my people… #backoff #growup #jealousyjealousy #shineyourlight #womenforwomen #teamselena

♬ original sound - Betches

Back in October 2022, Bieber addressed the alleged feud between her and Gomez publicly. It all goes back to speculation that Bieber got together with her husband, Justin Bieber, when he was still dating Gomez. She denied that in an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, saying, "When him and I ever started, like, hooking up or like anything of that sort, he was not ever in a relationship. Ever, at any point." A day later, Gomez seemed to respond when she spoke to her TikTok followers urging them to act with kindness.

Then on 16 Oct., Gomez and Bieber posed together at the 2022 Academy Museum Gala, seemingly putting all the alleged drama between them behind us. It seemed the fighting was over forever, but the internet can give anything a second life.