Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic
Selena Gomez is taking a complete break from social media after a TikTok drama involving her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber’s wife, Hailey Bieber.
On Thursday, Gomez took to a quick TikTok Live to tell her fans that she’ll “take a second” and walk away from social media altogether. The decision comes after she commented on several videos that insinuated bad blood between her and Hailey.
“I’m going to take a second from social media, because it’s kind of silly. I’m 30 and I’m too old for that. But I love you so much and I will see you again sooner rather than later,” she said. “I’m just going to take a break from everything.”
In a recent vanity lounge interview, the Only murders in the building The actress explained how she completely got rid of social media except for TikTok, and instead opted for her assistants to manage her digital accounts.
“The world was my high school for a very long time and I started to get inundated with information that I didn’t want. I went through a rough patch during a breakup and didn’t want to see any of the [feedback] — not necessarily about the relationship, but my opinions about [someone] otherwise,” she told the magazine. “There would be thousands of really nice comments, but my mind goes straight to the bad guy.”
She added: “People can call me ugly or stupid and I’m like, whatever. But these people are detailed. They write such specific and mean paragraphs. I would cry constantly. I constantly had anxiety… I couldn’t take it anymore. It was a waste of time.”
Her decision to quit TikTok and social media altogether comes after Gomez found herself in the middle of a familiar narrative between her and Hailey. More recently, she commented on a redone video showing Hailey appearing to throw shade (she made a face while vomiting) upon hearing a co-host refer to Swift. The TikTok video describes Hailey as a “mean girl” and “a bully.”
Underneath the video, Gomez left a comment defending Swift, writing, “So sorry my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” Gomez and Swift have been friends for a long time, and Gomez said rolling stone in her recent cover story that Swift was her “only friend in the industry.”
“I never fit in with a cool group of girls who were celebrities,” she said at the time. “I remember feeling like I didn’t belong. I felt the presence of everyone around me living full lives. I had this position, and I was really happy, but… was I? Do these materialistic things make me happy? … I didn’t like who I was, because I didn’t know who I was.
On Wednesday, a TikToker hinted that Kylie Jenner – a close friend of Hailey’s – shaded Gomez’s eyebrows, writing “Was it an accident??” on her Instagram Story after the singer shared that she had her eyebrows laminated “too much.” Jenner also shared a screenshot of a FaceTime between her and Hailey shortly after.
“It reaches,” Jenner commented on the video. “No shade to Selena and I didn’t see her eyebrows! you’re doing something out of thin air. that’s silly. And Gomez also chimed in, writing, ‘Okay @kyliejenner. Everything is useless. I’m a Kylie fan!
Additionally, on Thursday, under a video of a fan saying she felt “really bad for Selena Gomez” after Bieber married Hailey just months after their split, Gomez wrote, “It made me cry. THANKS!And on a separate TikTok about nepot babies that referenced Hailey and Jenner, Gomez wrote, “I love you!”
Gomez and Hailey appeared to have squashed their beef after they were photographed hugging at an event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, though it’s unclear where they stand today.
In September 2022, Hailey went on the call her daddy podcast and shared that there was “no drama” between the two women. “All is love. None of us owe anything but respect,” she said. “I respect her a lot, and I think there are no expectations [between us]. I respect her.”
This story was updated Feb. 23 at 4:15 p.m. ET to include Selena Gomez’s decision to take a total break from social media.
