By: Gaby Maldonado
Since the start of the year, TikTok has had several shocking feuds. One of the most prominent was the Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber drama. Both Selena and Hailey have millions of followers on TikTok, and the feud has been one of the most talked-about subjects on the platform since it began.
From 2010 to 2018, Selena and Justin Bieber had an on and off relationship but were a highly praised couple. In 2016, Justin and Hailey dated for six months before the two got together again in 2018, a month after Justin and Selena broke up. This year, things got heated as the drama between Hailey and Selena went viral. Many thought the drama started because Hailey was jealous of Selena and Justin’s former relationship, and others thought it was because they just simply don’t get along.
It began when fans assumed Hailey was throwing shade at Selena with a TikTok she posted and then quickly deleted. In the video, Hailey, Kendall Jenner, and Justine Skye, were lip-syncing to the sound, "And I'm not saying she deserved it, but God's timing is always right.” This lead many to assume that it was a reference to Selena and her body being shamed over vacation photos. Selena is currently battling lupus, an autoimmune disease resulting in the body's immune system attacking its own tissues and organs. Earlier this year, she opened up about how her medication has affected her body. She stated, "[When I'm taking it, I] tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. When I'm off of it, I tend to lose weight.” Selena has been very vocal about her battle with lupus, and her fans have been incredibly supportive of her. It was assumed that Hailey's TikTok was an intentional diss to her because the sound hadn’t been trending for over a year, and it was posted right when articles were going around about Selena’s body.
A month after the first clash, Selena posted a fun TikTok about accidentally over-laminating her eyebrows. In an Instagram story hours later, Kylie Jenner posted the words "This was an accident???” over her own eyebrows. She also posted a screenshot of her and Hailey showing off just their eyebrows on FaceTime. Many fans began calling Kylie and Hailey “mean girls” for publicly making fun of Selena. Others thought Kylie’s pictures were unrelated to Selena and that she was just promoting her new makeup products. Kylie responded by saying, “This is reaching. No shade towards Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! U guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.”
Additionally, a video was found of Hailey gagging at the mention of one of Selena’s best friends, Taylor Swift. Selena responded by writing, “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” Afterwards, Selena took a break from social media because everything was escalating.
Videos, tweets, and comments of Hailey and Selena continued to go viral. Fans claimed Hailey had been copying Selena's Instagram posts, interview answers, and cooking tv shows for years. Some argued in favor of Selena while others sided with Hailey. With the hashtags, #TeamSelena and #TeamHailey spreading rapidly, Hailey lost thousands of followers whereas Selena gained millions.
At the end of March, Hailey herself reached out to Selena and admitted that she had been struggling with all the drama. Selena posted on Instagram, “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. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.” As she thanked Selena for speaking out, Hailey recognized she should be careful with what she shares online.
Since then, Hailey and Selena have shown support for each other on social media from following each other to liking each other's posts. Despite the initial bad blood between the two, their recent social media interactions suggest that their relationship is on the mend.