Selena Gomez defends Hailey Bieber from 'death threats,' 'hateful negativity'
"This isn't what I stand for," Gomez wrote in defense of Bieber.
Selena Gomez is defending Hailey Bieber from "hate" and "bullying."
The "Only Murders in the Building" actress, 30, took to her Instagram Stories on Friday to issue a statement in support of Bieber.
"Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity," Gomez's statement began.
"This isn't what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying," she continued. "I've always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop. ❤️."
After Gomez shared her statement, Bieber also took to Instagram to "thank Selena for speaking out." She said that they have been talking about the last few weeks and "how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I."
"The last few weeks have been very hard for everyone involved and millions of people are seeing so much hate around this which is extremely harmful," Bieber wrote in her Instagram Stories. "While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this only create extreme division instead of bringing people together."
"Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they are intended," she added. "We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself. In the end, l 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."
Fans have pitted Gomez and Bieber against each other for years, as Bieber became engaged to Gomez's ex, singer Justin Bieber, shortly after they split for the last time. The couple married in September 2018.
Speaking to the "Call Her Daddy" podcast last September, Bieber denied that she "stole" Justin Bieber from Gomez.
"I can say, period, point blank, I was never with him when he was in a relationship with anybody. That's the end of it," she declared in the interview. "I was raised better than that."
Gomez and Bieber put rumors of their yearslong feud to rest last October when the two beauty moguls posed for a photo together at the 2022 Academy Museum Gala.
That feud was reignited last month when Bieber and Kylie Jenner shared social media posts about their eyebrows, which fans took as them shading Gomez.
In the comments section of a now-viral TikTok video explaining the supposed drama, Jenner and Gomez shut down the claims.
"This is reaching. no shade towards selena ever and i didn't see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly," Jenner wrote.
Gomez responded to Jenner's comment, writing, "Agreed @kyliejenner It's all unnecessary. I'm a fan of Kylie!"