Fans of Selena Gomez have circulated theories that her latest social media post could be directed towards Hailey Bieber following Justin Bieber's bizarre Instagram post.
Selena Gomez sent her fans into overdrive on May 21 with a cryptic Instagram post that many believe is a subtle show of support for Hailey Bieber.
The post read: “You matter. Your voice matters. Your heart matters. You are worth so much more than you know.” She closed it with: “You know who you are and I’m cheering you on.”
While the message could apply to literally anyone, the timing had fans raising their eyebrows, especially since it came just after Justin Bieber’s now-notorious post about Hailey’s Vogue cover that many interpreted as… well, a bit of a mess.
On May 20, Justin shared pictures from Hailey’s Vogue shoot, but instead of a straightforward celebration of her achievement, the caption took an unexpected turn: “Yo this reminds me when Hailey and I got into a huge fight. I told Hails that she would never be on the cover of Vogue.
"Yikes I know, so mean," he continued. “For some reason because I felt so disrespected. I thought I gotta get even...”
Justin went on to reflect on their growth: “I think as we mature we realize that we’re not helping anything by getting even. We’re honestly just prolonging what we really want which is intimacy and connection.
"So baby u already know but forgive me for saying u wouldn’t get a Vogue cover cuz clearly I was sadly mistaken."
The post, which appeared to be an attempt at vulnerability and honesty, didn’t land the way he might’ve hoped. Social media users were quick to drag the singer.
“A simple congrats would’ve been fine, I fear,” one person wrote. Another scathingly added: “Imagine giving backhanded microaggressive compliments to the person who stood by you when you were getting dragged through mud…FREE OUR GIRL."
Others were even more direct: “You just stole her moment. All the attention is on you — hope you’re happy now."
Eventually, Justin changed the caption to a string of emojis, possibly realizing it had become a PR trainwreck.
Amid the chaos, Selena’s fans were here for what they saw as a classy, empowering message.
One user praised her: “Selena Gomez liking a post about Hailey and cheering up on her after her husband humiliated her on social media. we all can agree that Justin Bieber is the real problem.”
Another noted: “Internet trolls have been so he'll bent on painting her as the problematic third wheel, when she was always consistent with her 'be kind' 'don’t bully others' messaging.”
While someone else dropped the mic with: “The way Selena is way more supportive of Hailey than her husband.”
And another: “His fans will still call Selena the obsessed one when she is literally being a girls girl and supporting her.”
Meanwhile, Hailey has been open about her struggles in the spotlight—especially after giving birth to her and Justin’s son, Jack Blues, in August 2024.
“Giving birth was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she told Vogue. “That s*** was so crazy. That was not fun. They broke my water. I went into labor and I labored for a few hours. No epidural, nothing.”
Postpartum wasn’t any easier, Hailey suffered a hemorrhage and faced harsh online scrutiny.
“Being postpartum is the most sensitive time I’ve ever gone through in my life, and learning a new version of myself is very difficult,” she said.
“And to be doing that all the while going on the internet every day and people being like, ‘They’re getting divorced’ and ‘They’re this’ and ‘They’re not happy,’ it is such a mindf***, I cannot even begin to explain it. It’s a crazy life to live.”