Hailey Bieber Reveals Her Mental Health is “Fragile” After Selena Gomez Drama

Over the past few months, the world has witnessed the Hailey-Selena feud reach new heights. In the aftermath, Hailey takes to social media to reveal how the drama has had shocking impacts on her mental health.

Hailey Speaks Out

"Truthfully, since 2023 started, I have had some of the saddest, hardest moments I've ever had in my adult life," Hailey Bieber wrote on her Instagram in April 2023. "My mind and emotions have been fragile."

On the surface, Hailey has the life a million girls would die for. Married to the one and only Justin Bieber, founder of the popular RHODE skincare line and the it-girl of the moment, one might be inclined to think she has nothing to be sad about. Her real fans, however, will know what triggered this heartbreaking post.

The Ongoing Feud

From the moment she first crossed paths with her now husband Justin, Hailey (nee Baldwin) became the subject of intense online bullying. Justin had been involved with singer Selena Gomez in the prior years, and her fans were less than pleased that he had moved on.

Hurling abuse at the model, 'Jelena' fans (as they called themselves) made it their mission to bring Hailey down. A narrative was soon created, pitting the two women against each other. Jelena fans claimed Hailey was a 'bully' who had broken Selena and Justin up. As for the truth? We're taking it back to the very beginning...

2011: Jelena Is Born

Tracing the infamous feud to its origins, our story starts in February 2011, when Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber went public with their relationship at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. "We were so in love. Nothing else mattered. We were all about each other," Justin later told Complex about their relationship.

Everyone, it seemed, was a fan of Jelena. The two young stars were the definition of young Hollywood love, and the paparazzi and the public couldn't get enough. Amazingly, even Hailey Baldwin was a fan, tweeting her love for the couple. "I'm for sure 100% team #Jelena," she wrote in May 2011.

Fall 2014: Jelena on the Rocks

From that point onwards, Selena and Justin continued their on-and-off-again relationship. After breaking up in November 2012, they reunited in April 2013. In October 2014, however, things were off yet again, as Gomez confirmed in an interview on On Air With Ryan Seacrest.

"With Justin, I support him, [and] I think I always will," she told the radio host. "I get - I'm upset when he's upset; I'm happy when he's happy." Talking to Access Hollywood, Justin agreed. "I'm never going to stop loving her," he said. "I'm never going to stop checking in on her."

2015: "Just Friends"

By late 2015, the Justin romance rumor mill had started up again, this time involving Hailey Baldwin. Despite claims that they were dating, the two remained firm on the fact that they were "just friends." "People are crazy. I'm super single, and this is my good friend u would know otherwise," he captioned an Instagram photo of them.

A year prior, in 2014, Baldwin had spoken about her relationship with Bieber, confirming they were nothing more than friends. "I've known [Justin] since I was like 13—and we've just been good friends over the years. We have just stayed close, and there's nothing more to it than that."

January 2016: Hailey and Justin Go Public

It appeared that the friendship soon developed into something more, and the two went public with their relationship in January 2016. One month later, Baldwin told E! that although they were not exclusive, they were dating. In August 2016, the pair called it quits.

Over the years since, there has been much speculation about when the two actually began their relationship. Although they said it was not until 2015, many Jelena fans suspect there was some overlap between their relationships, accusing Hailey of coming between the singers. Hailey has continued to deny these accusations.

Moving On

With Jailey now over and Justin unfollowing Hailey on Instagram, fans were hopeful for a Jelena reunion. Bieber, however, went in a different direction, involving himself in a relationship with Sofia Richie. Years later, Hailey revealed she and Justin had ceased communications for two years.

"Our lives seemed to be going in very different directions," she told Elle Magazine in 2020. "I actually think—now that I look back at it being married [to Bieber]—that it was a good thing for the two of us, very healthy." It would still be many years until they would wed.

Page Six Rumors

Despite Hailey attempting to stay out of the narrative after their breakup, Page Six later revealed that Hailey had never given up on getting back together with Justin. "She was super obsessed with him," their source revealed in October 2018.

"Justin was trying to get back with Selena, and [Hailey] couldn't get over that. She wouldn't talk to other guys, wouldn't date other guys. Wouldn't give other guys the time of day. She wanted to [put] it super out there how religious she was, I think, just so it would hook [Bieber]."

November 2017: Jelena Returns

Fresh off her breakup with The Weekend in October 2017, Selena Gomez was single again and ready to mingle. Of course, it didn't take long for People magazine to report on her potential reunion with Bieber. They were photographed together riding bikes and laughing.

The two never confirmed they were officially back together, but a Selena interview with Billboard suggested it was for real. "I'm 25. I'm not 18, or 19, or 20. I cherish people who have really impacted my life," she said. "So maybe before, it could have been forcing something that wasn't right. But that doesn't mean caring for someone ever goes away."

December 2017: Reaching Out to Hailey

Just one month after their supposed reunion, TMZ reported that Justin had reached out to his ex Hailey in order to "clear the air." Two years since they last spoke, it appeared that Bieber regretted how the relationship had abruptly ended.

The publication confirmed that this had all been part of Justin's new "open and honest approach to life," inspired by his involvement with the Hillsong church. TMZ noted that Selena had been unhappy about the exes reaching out, causing them to fight and even attend couples therapy.

March 2018: Jelena Is Over for Good

To the utter disappointment of Jelena fans, the two called it quits forever in March 2018. Initially, the separation was believed to be a temporary break, but reports soon confirmed it was an actual breakup. It was confirmed that the two were no longer speaking and enjoying their singlehood.

Talking to E!, an insider revealed, "Selena realized even though he's made some positive improvements, they just aren't a perfect match right now." Although Justin was spotted on a date with Baskin Champion, insiders told People that Justin "thinks and talks about Selena all the time."

May 2018: Hailey Discusses Justin

In May 2018, Hailey sat down with The Times UK and discussed her on-and-off relationship with Justin. "Justin and I were friends for a long time," she explains of their relationship. "I met him when I was really young, and he was one of my best friends."

"Everybody knows that at a certain point in time, that turned into something else, but that just happens when you're 18, 19. It was what it was. We went through a long period of time when we weren't friends. We didn't speak for quite some time, and there was a lot of weirdness that went on. We've moved past that."

June 2018: Back On

One month later, the "better as friends" narrative had changed significantly as the two became romantically involved yet again. "We ended up being at this church conference together in Miami, and it was the first time we'd seen each other in a while," she reminisced to Elle in February 2020.

"I remember we were hanging out, and I was like, 'Listen, I'm really, really happy for us to be friends again. I want us to always be cool and be friends,'" Hailey recalled. "He was like, 'Yeah, here's the thing: We're not going to be friends.' And I was like, 'Oh. Is that so?"

July 2018: Engagement

Things evidently got off to a good start because Justin decided to pop the question just one month into their relationship. While the two were on vacation in Bermuda, Justin got down on one knee and proposed to his new girlfriend. They confirmed the surprising news on Instagram.

"My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS," Justin captioned a photo of himself and his fiancee Hailey. "I will ALWAYS put you first! You are the love of my life Hailey Baldwin, and I wouldn't want to spend it with anybody else. You make me so much better, and we complement each other so well!!"

Selena’s Take on Things

Immediately, Jelena's fans rushed to social media to show their support for Selena, who they imagined would be struggling with this news. The Same Old Love singer simultaneously posted a photo of herself on a yacht in NYC, giving off the impression she was more than okay.

E! soon quoted an insider who confirmed that Selena was unbothered by the announcement. "Selena is totally over him.," they said. "She had tried again to make it work that last time, and it didn't work out. Selena is definitely on a different path right now and in a much better place since Justin is out of the picture."

October 2018: Selena Is Hospitalized

In September 2018, just four months after beginning to date, Hailey and Justin said: "I do." Ignoring all the Selena-focused hate that had come their way from the public, the lovebirds showed the world their love was forever. One month later, Selena is hospitalized.

According to TMZ reports at the time, Selena had been rushed into urgent care after her white blood cell count had been low. After she experienced a panic attack in the hospital, she was admitted to a treatment center. When the news broke, Justin was seen crying with Hailey outside a church.

March 2019: Justin Addresses the Bullying

As the Jelena fans continued to message his wife with hateful messages, Bieber decided to stand up against the bullies. "I absolutely loved and love Selena," he wrote. "She will always hold a place in my heart, but I am head over heels in love with my wife, and she is absolutely the BEST THING that has ever happened to me."

"This is a reply to all immature sick people who send Hailey hurtful messages like 'he always goes back to Selena' or 'Selena is better for him.' YOU HAVE NO IDEA MY LIFE AND WHAT'S good for me. Hailey is my Bride, period. If you don't like that or support that, that means you don't support me."

April 2019: Pleading With the Public

Sadly, Justin's words had not had the intended effects, and the internet continued to hurl abuse at Hailey. One month after her husband had pleaded with the public to stop, she jumped on Instagram to give it a go herself. "You little internet kiddos need to learn how to move on for real," she wrote.

"We're adults that have better things to do than waste time explaining something just so you can stop your delusional fantasies," she continued. "I'm not gonna sit here and let obsessive strangers try to tell me about my own husband; you wanna talk about somebodies [sic] husband, then get ur own. G'night!!"

June 2019: Selena's Instagram Purge

Perhaps noticing the online abuse being sent to Hailey on her behalf, Hailey made a move to confirm to the world that she had officially moved on from the Baby singer. In June 2018, she silently went through her Instagram and deleted all traces of her ex-boyfriend.

Most notably, she removed a post she had made in March 2018 in honor of her then-boyfriend's birthday. Most of her fans took this to mean that the Jelena chapter was officially closed and they should cease their abuse of Hailey. Other fans ignored the message and continued on with their bullying agenda.

October 2019: Alleged Shade Thrown

The Hailey-Selena feud reached new heights in October 2019 after Selena released her song LoseYou to Love Me. The emotional breakup ballad was undoubtedly about Justin, and her fans appreciated her emotional vulnerability on the matter. An Instagram post from Hailey soon after sparked backlash.

Posting in her story that she was listening to Summer Walker's I'll Kill You, Jelena fans couldn't help but assume this was her way of sending a message to Gomez. The next day, she responded to the accusations by writing, "Please stop with this nonsense. There is no 'response." This is complete BS."

"Please Be Kind"

But it seemed the Jelna stans were more riled up than ever, and they continued to accuse Hailey of bullying Selena. The singer then went to Instagram Live to tell her fans to stop the harassment. "I do not stand for women tearing women down," she said.

"I will never, ever be by that. So please be kind to everyone," she continued. "It doesn't matter what the situation is. If you're my fans, don't be rude to anybody, please." E! News reported that neither Hailey nor Justin was annoyed about the song's release. "Justin and Hailey both want Selena to be happy and in a good place and aren't fazed by it," they said.

May 2020: Hailey Discusses the Comparisons

During a Facebook Watch with her husband, Hailey answered a fan's question about the public's involvement in her relationship. "It's definitely not easy," she confirmed. "Justin knows that I've had a really, really hard go, and a really hard time with a lot of the things people say and a lot of the ways that I feel like people have made comparisons."

"I think especially when people have fans that are really passionate, and they want to express that, and they want to express their opinion," she continued. "People think they know what happened in his life and his relationships, and they think they know what happened between us and our relationship and how we got here, and there's no possible way they could."

December 2020: Justin Tries Again

Exhausted and heartbroken over how the public was treating his wife, Justin again attempted to reason with the bullies. "This sad excuse of a human just encouraged people on video to literally go after my wife telling people to say that my previous relationship was better so on and so forth," he said on Instagram.

"It is extremely hard to choose to take the high road when I see people like this try and rally to gather people to bully the person I love the most in this world," he continued. "It is not right. We need prayer and support as we continue to put ourselves out there!"

April 2022: "Leave Me Alone"

Despite Hailey and Selena publicly supporting each other and confirming there were no bad feelings between them, the Jelena fans refused to stop. With this, Hailey reached her limits and went to TikTok to record an emotionally raw video. "Leave me alone at this point," she pleaded.

"I'm minding my business," she added. "I don't do anything. I don't say anything. Leave me alone, please. Enough time has gone by where it's valid to leave me alone. I beg of you, truly. That's my only request. Leave me alone. Be miserable somewhere else, please."

May 2022: The Tables Are Turned

For the first time in the history of the Selena-Hailey feud, Selena became the target of online abuse. In this instance, it was the Hailey fans who had gotten riled up on behalf of their favorite celebrity. Selena had recorded a skincare tutorial video on TikTok, and the Jailey fans believed it was her attempt at mocking Hailey.

Considering Hailey was known for her skincare tutorials, they assumed she was viciously mimicking her. Although Selena had not mentioned Hailey in the clip, she still responded to the criticism with an apology. "Guys, no idea what I did, but I really am sorry. Zero bad intention," she wrote.

September 2022: Call Her Daddy

Finally, after years of endless back and forth, it was finally time for Hailey to sit down and tell her truth. For this, she chose the Call Her Daddy podcast, where she laid it all out with host Alex Cooper. From their relationship timeline to the harassment, no topic was off-limits.

"I respect her a lot… There's no drama personally," she said of Gomez. She then explained that she and Selena had spoken personally: "It's all respect; it's all love." That being said, Bieber suggested that Gomez had never publicly told her fans to stop the abuse. A day later, Selena did precisely that.

October 2022: The Viral Photo

October 2022 brought an internet-crashing moment that no one could have seen coming. Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber hugged tight at the Academy Museum Gala, showing the world in crystal clear color that there was no bad blood. Would this finally put an end to all of the drama?

"Selena and Hailey were both super chill together at the Academy Museum Gala. They've both moved on and are happy in their own lives," a source told Entertainment Tonight. "They wanted to show the world that there's no beef or bad feelings between them anymore. Justin, Hailey, and Selena are glad to have cleared the air, moved on with their lives, and closed that chapter."

February 2023: The Never-Ending TikTok Drama

Unfortunately, it seemed the good vibes were short-lived, and by February 2023, a new TikTok scandal had breathed new life into the Hailey-Selena feud. To put it all briefly, it all began on February 9 when fans speculated that Hailey had been bullying Selena in a TikTok clip.

Rather than deny or ignore, Selena commented on the fan-made video saying, "It's ok! I don't let these things get me down!" A week later, Kylie Jenner and Hailey were accused of mocking Selena's eyebrows. Both Kylie and Selena went on to refute these claims. Still, that didn't stop the #teamselena hashtag from kicking off again.

March 2023: Calling a Truce

After briefly quitting social media in response to the drama, Selena quickly reactivated her account, and the drama is seemingly put behind them. While Hailey posts pictures of her and Justin's vacation to Cabo, Selena is seen filming on set for Only Murders In The Building.

Even though they moved on from the drama, the TikTok community didn't. This caused the women to connect and uniformly call for a ceasefire. "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."

Hopeful Future

Following her statement, Selena proceeded to follow Mrs. Bieber on Instagram, making it crystal clear they were on good terms. Hailey also publically thanked Gomez for speaking out. "Her and I have been discussing the last few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I," she wrote.

"We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself," she continued before following Selena back. Will this public call for peace finally mark the end of this ongoing bitter feud? While we certainly hope so, only time will tell...