Hailey Bieber Addressed The Selena Gomez Drama 'First Time Ever' & She Respects Her 'A Lot'

Hailey Beiber has finally addressed the disparity between the timelines of her engagement with pop star Justin Beiber and her husband's past relationship with another famous industry figure Selena Gomez.

Making an appearance on Spotify's popular podcast Call Me Daddy, Hailey revealed that she started seeing Justin when she was 18, and that they have been friends "for a very long time."

It was 'the first time ever' that she opened up about the 'public-generated controversy,' as per the episode.

"When we started hooking up, he was never in a relationship, ever," she said about lewd claims of being 'a homewrecker'.

No one really knows the 'timeline'

Hailey, 25, has been subjected to fierce online bullying and criticism by fans who shipped the 'Jelena' relationship. A section of this fandom was extremely upset after Justin got engaged to Hailey in 2018, months after the final breakup with Gomez.

The online vitriol against Hailey started pouring in immediately, some alleging that she had been the reason behind the breakup.

"The only people who know the timeline of the situation are me and him," she told the podcast's host, Alex Cooper.

"It's not my [in] character to mess with someone's relationship. I'm raised better than that," added Hailey.

When asked why the public was so enraged by their union, she confessed that they didn't have enough wisdom to deal with public attention better.

"I think the timing was obviously very rapid and very fast, which now being four years past that, I totally get it. That seemed really drastic and really crazy."

"It felt correct for the two of us at the time, and clearly we were right because here we are four years later."

Selena and Justin's breakup

Hailey went on to suggest that there are more behind-the-scenes facts to the story than what has been discussed by her haters.

"I understand how it looks from the outside..but that was a situation where I know for a fact that it was the right thing for them to close the door," she said about the Jelena relationship.

"It's hard for me to talk about it because I don't wanna talk on either of their behalf," she went on, but also added, "It was the most healthy mature decision he could have made."

Hailey, however, clarified that Justin and herself were only "able to get together because that door (past relationship with Gomez) was completely closed."

As for her feelings towards Gomez, things are civil between the two parties, she said.

"She doesn't owe me anything. Neither of us owes anybody anything," Hailey explained, and she still respects her "a lot."

And yes, they (Justin and Gomez) have spoken after the marriage, but the ex was never asked to intervene with the online bullying.

“She has been in the industry much longer than I have and she knows that nothing would ever fix anything”

Abuse and impact on mental health

Hailey also discussed the infamous Instagram Live in 2020, where she was flooded with abusive comments by Jelena stans, and also the Met Gala incident in 2021, when, according to her, a red carpet incident was taken out of context.

"It still happens to this day. If I was to go live on IG, it would still be happening, probably less, but still.." Hailey said.

She shared that it not only affects her but also gets to Justin. "For him, that's hurtful... if we have moved on, why can't you."

Because of how intense the hate was, Hailey said, she didn’t share post on the internet. She was too scared to speak up and "say the wrong thing". She had to be "very meticulous" about what she said and was unable to "be expressive" or be herself.

Things got really dark at one point when she had thoughts of being "not worth it" and "not wanting to be here". But thankfully, she found the right support system to get out of that mindspace.

She avoided invalidating her feelings, addressed childhood traumas and even did a seven-day therapy-intensive, where no phones were allowed. It enabled her to come to terms with the fact the a lot of her traumas stemmed from not "sticking up" for herself and not enjoying confrontation.

Hailey believes she gets it from her "very gentle, reserved and pulled back" mother, who "danced around" uncomfortable conversations while growing up.

The recovery started with "owning" who she was. “I grew up very normal, from a small town call Nyack, which is a suburb,” she said.

"I was home-schooled, did ballet, and I’ve remained the same person."

"Of course life has changed drastically, but I’ve been the same person at the core," and embracing that helped her get out of the darkness.

This conversation underlined the flipside of celebrity culture and the impact that online bullying can have on even the affluent. Of course it's an occupational hazard, but no one signs up for the pitfalls, as per Hailey.

On a lighter note though, the podcast then veered in a very different direction and delved into a spicier topic: the Biebers' sex life. Read about all those revelations here.