Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, might be on the cusp of a divorce—at least according to some fans.
Speculation is growing around the couple after the singer unfollowed Hailey on Instagram, in the same way he did her father, Stephen Baldwin, recently, while sharing a photo of himself smoking marijuana out of a bong.
Fans were taken by surprise as the couple were currently vacationing in Aspen, Colorado and sharing happy photos and videos of their moments together.
“He’s not okay,” one of them wrote, believing the singer is going through some type of personal turmoil as he also unfollowed several key figures in his life, including his mentor Usher, former manager Scooter Braun, and Ryan Good, the best man at his wedding.
Justin Bieber fueled fan theories about a possible divorce after he unfollowed his wife, Hailey, on Instagram
Chief among fan theories is the idea that Bieber’s marriage of six years is in trouble, and that the singer is looking for a way to get divorced and not deal with his responsibilities.
“Maybe he wants a divorce and doesn’t want to deal with Hailey’s dad?” one user stated. “’That way he doesn’t have to deal with him when the divorce happens.”
“Things are getting spicy… it is now Instagram official,” another said.
Others instead think Bieber is looking to reduce his social media presence, as they believe he’s dealing with personal problems and under a great deal of psychological stress.
“I don’t know why anyone would be surprised by this. I don’t know Justin, but just looking at him, I mean it doesn’t look good. That guy has a lot of problems,” a user pointed out, lamenting how the former teen idol has promoted his marijuana use on social media.
“You’re a father. This is not your way,” they said.
Neutral netizens criticized fans for what they labeled an “unhealthy fixation” on the singer’s personal life
More neutral netizens, on the other hand, reacted with exasperation at what they considered an unhealthy fixation of a segment of Bieber’s fanbase surrounding his private life.
“How jobless do you have to be to notice this?” one reader asked. “They are literally in Aspen together right now, y’all can relax on the Biebers.”
Others defended the singer’s photos smoking the herb, pointing out how its usage is allowed in Colorado, and that it’s entirely within his right to partake in whichever legal substances he wants.
“I think it’s hilarious that it is entirely normal for people to post photos of them drinking and everyone just giggles and thinks it’s hilarious because they relate,” one user wrote. “Yet a guy can’t smoke a legal substance without it being a problem.”
Some fans dismissed the divorce theory, pointing out how the couple has shown nothing but support for each other in recent weeks
The more positive segment of Bieber’s fanbase dismissed the divorce claims as baseless speculation, pointing out how the couple have been sharing nothing but positive things about each other on social media recently.
For instance, the singer uploaded an Instagram story last Saturday (January 18), where he gushed about his wife, calling her “the greatest woman I have and will ever know.”
UPDATE: Following the social media storm that the unfollowing of his wife caused on Instagram, Bieber himself came out to put an end to the rumors, addressing the issue directly.
“Someone went on my account and unfollowed my wife. S**t is getting suss out here,” he wrote on a story on his Instagram.
While his message squashed one side of the rumors, it also fueled even more speculation, now surrounding the reasons as to why someone would’ve entered his account and unfollowed his wife.
Some netizens worriedly theorized that the singer could’ve been hacked, while others dismissed the entire issue as a desperate “publicity stunt” by the celebrity couple.
Bieber has taken the chance to tease a yet unreleased and unnamed new single. The track was briefly featured in a video on Bieber’s Instagram, in a story where he and his wife Hailey were seen driving while listening to it.
The story quickly sparked speculation about a new album.
“Embarrassing.” Netizens bickered among each other as rumors of the singer’s divorce continue to spread
