Hailey Bieber is having a rough 2023. Bieber's beef with Selena Gomez, accidental or not, has sparked so much backlash that the model's entire year is now the hardest of her life.
Hailey opened up in an Instagram Story she uploaded on April 19, which featured plain white text on a blank black background and curiously framed her mental state as a general message of affirmation, rather than exploring the circumstances behind her current condition.
"Since 2023 started, I have had some of the saddest, hardest moments I’ve ever had in my adult life," Hailey wrote. "My mind and emotions have been fragile to say the least.
"That being said, let’s keep being there for one another. Let’s be there for loved ones and friends and family and strangers. Let’s just be there for people."
This is the most open that Hailey has been about the Selena Gomez controversy since the whole thing began in March 2023, back when Hailey was widely dragged on social media after a TikTok she uploaded was seen as shading Selena.
Several subsequent videos uploaded by Hailey and friend Kylie Jenner were also perceived to be Selena disses. They were summarily deleted (and eventually reframed as mere coincidence by Hailey) but stans came out against Hailey in force.
Selena, in the meantime, took a break from Instagram to collect her thoughts before returning with a makeup-free selfie that garnered a whopping 25 million "Likes" on Instagram.
But the uproar continued.
Selena defenders continued attacking Hailey and Kylie in their Instagram comment sections, so much so that Hailey apparently reached out to Selena to ask for help in squashing the beef.
However, even Selena's intervention hasn't had much on the Hailey hate, apparently.
Even over a month later, anti-Hailey tweets still trend on Twitter with remarkable frequency.
In fairness, there's been an uptick in Hailey defense, as well, though the anti-Selena Hailey stans are getting nearly as much backlash as their idol.
Even headline-hungry PETA elected to take aim at Hailey because she... ate chicken wings in her new cooking video.
Hailey's husband, Justin Bieber, hasn't weighed in publicly, which has inspired further speculation about his stance in the drama.
Selena stans have delighted in Justin's apparent neglect of Hailey, though it's apparently not intentional.
“Justin knows [Hailey's] truth and despite what some people may say or think, he knows she only wants the best for people and has the best intentions,” a Bieber source told Us in late April 2023. “it’s been difficult seeing her upset and all he can do is be by her side and be there for her no matter what.”
Selena, meanwhile, has apparently begun dating former One Direction member Zayn Malik, so even amidst all this mess, she seems to be living her best life.
