Hailey Bieber has urged her fans to stop writing “nasty comments” on other people’s Instagram posts after Selena Gomez’s photo was criticised.
The 26-year-old model took to her Instagram Story on Monday to send the message about online hate. Although she didn’t mention Gomez by name, the post came after trolls took to the comments of the singer’s recent post and made claims about her speculated drama with Bieber. Despite the ongoing speculation of a feud, Gomez and Bieber issued a statement in March shutting down the rumours.
In her Instagram Story, the Rhode Beauty founder criticised those who were leaving unkind comments, seemingly referring to comments on Gomez’s latest photo.
“If you’re leaving mean or rude comments on anyone’s post just know that I don’t want that, nor do I ever or will I ever support or condone hateful, mean, or nasty comments,” she wrote. “Doing that is not supporting me…”
She then emphasised that she will not be a part of this online hate and urged fans to stop writing negative comments on Instagram.
“If you are participating in that you are part of a culture that I want no part of,” she concluded. “Please be nice or don’t say anything.”
Gomez and Bieber have been pitted against each other since the model married the actor’s ex, Justin Bieber, in 2018. The marriage also came only months after the “Stay” singer and Gomez ended their off-and-on relationship of eight years.
In January, fans once again speculated that the two women were feuding, with claims that Bieber and friend Kylie Jenner were making fun of the Disney Channel alum, after Gomez confessed in a TikTok that she accidentally laminated her eyebrows too much.
However, Jenner quickly denied the claim in a comment on a TikTok video, writing: “No shade towards Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! You guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.”
Two months later, Gomez called for an end to the rumours and defended Bieber from the ongoing backlash that she’d been facing.
“Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity,” the Only Murders in the Building star wrote on her Instagram Story. “This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying.”
She concluded: “I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
“I want to thank Selena for speaking out, as her and I have been discussing for the last few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I,” she wrote on her Instagram Story in March.
She went on to note that “millions of people are seeing so much hate around this, which is extremely harmful,” before criticising social media.
“While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this one create extreme division instead of bringing people together,” Bieber added. “Things can always be taken out of context or constructed differently than they were intended. We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself.”
She concluded: “In the end, I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to meet each other with more empathy and compassion.”
Back in September 2022, Bieber also made it clear that there was no bad blood between her and the “Rare” singer. During an appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, she said: “[Selena Gomez] doesn’t owe me anything. Neither of us owe anybody anything except respect. I respect her a lot and I think there’s no expectations. There’s no drama personally.”
Bieber also denied rumours that she was “romantically involved” with her now-husband while he was with Gomez. “When he and I ever started hooking up or anything of that sort, he was not ever in a relationship, ever, at any point,” she clarified.
“It’s not my character to mess with someone’s relationship. I would just never do that, I was raised better than that,” she added. “I’m not interested in doing that and I never was.”
