Oh boy. It was just four months ago when Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber posed together at the 2022 Academy Museum Gala, seemingly putting all the alleged drama between them behind us. But now, in the wake of some TikTok drama that happened thanks to a lot of fan speculation, Gomez has announced she’s taking a social media break (again). Let’s break down this strange celebrity back-and-forth.
It all started with a Jan. 7 TikTok posted by 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 Jan. 7, 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
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 Feb. 22 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.
Back in October, 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.
Weeks later, when they posed together at the Academy Museum Gala, it seemed the fighting was over forever, but apparently some feuds just never die.