Hailey Bieber slams 'vile' online narrative pitting her against Selena Gomez 'because of a man'

• Hailey Bieber called the online narrative pitting her against Selena Gomez "vile" and "dangerous."
• She and Gomez have denied any feud. Justin Bieber married Hailey the same year he split from Gomez.
• She said it was "disappointing" that they are painted as adversaries "because of a man."  

Hailey Bieber spoke out about the "vile" and "dangerous" narrative pitting her against her husband Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez on Bloomberg's "The Circuit" with Emma Chang. 

Asked to comment on the "drama" by Chang at about the 18-minute mark of the interview, Bieber said that the issue had nothing to do with her and Gomez as individuals or any "division between two women." 

"It's about the vile, disgusting hatred that can come from completely made up and twisted and perpetuated narratives that can be really dangerous," the 26-year-old skincare founder said. 

Instead of feeding into the drama, which Bieber said was manufactured by the media and people on the internet, she wants to use the situation as an "opportunity to really stand for bringing people together." 

"I'm not OK with the kind of division that it caused," Bieber told Chang, adding that she doesn't like the idea that anyone would declare themselves a part of her "team" over Gomez's.

"I'm just not about that. I want to be able to bring people together," she added. 

She also acknowledged that the headlines created an "important moment" for her to condemn the "divisive" nature of internet culture. 

Bieber expressed her frustration with being pitted against Gomez "because of a guy."

"I hate it. I've hated it since the beginning," she said, citing the made-up feud as an example of how she's "misunderstood." 

"Time and time again I don't know why I keep having to say and we keep having to say that there is no issue and there is no problem," she concluded, calling it "disappointing that people still behave this way...over a man."

Rumors of a feud have been swirling for years, but resurfaced in January of 2023

Bieber and Gomez have been considered adversaries online since the self-proclaimed "nepo baby" married Justin in September 2018. The "Love Yourself" singer had been in on-and-off again relationships with both Bieber and Gomez until his final split with Gomez in March 2018.

The duo tried to squash rumors of a feud by posing in a picture together in October 2022, but the narrative resurfaced in January 2023 when Bieber posted a TikTok that the internet interpreted as Bieber endorsing the body shaming Gomez was receiving while wearing a bathing suit on vacation in Mexico. Gomez reportedly commented on the video, confirming to her supporters that she thought the shade was directed at her.

Then in February, Gomez posted about accidentally laminating her eyebrows. Bieber's friend Kylie Jenner posted a picture of her eyebrows shortly afterward with the caption, "This was an accident?????" written in text placed over her brows. The reality star next shared a screenshot of a Facetime call with Bieber, featuring the pair zooming in on their eyebrows. 

Although Jenner and Bieber denied that their actions were directed at Gomez, the internet labeled the duo "mean girls" and rumors of the feud between Justin's wife and his ex sparked again. 

In March 2023, Gomez posted a message to her fans on Instagram after she said Bieber had reached out to her about receiving death threats online. 

"Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity," the "Calm Down" singer wrote. "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," she concluded in her Instagram story, adding a red heart emoji.