A question that has undoubtedly haunted Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber’s thoughts after stumbling upon online rumors about themselves: "What do you mean?" For the "Sorry" singer and the Rhode beauty mogul have repeatedly emphasized, time and again, that much of the chatter surrounding their lives, relationships, and cryptic social media posts is simply untrue.
"I feel like I’ve fought so hard to make people understand me, to know who I truly am, or to see me for who I am," Hailey shared with Vogue in a cover story released in May. "And sometimes, people just refuse. There’s nothing you can do about that. I’ve found myself in situations where I’ve tried to tell my side of the story, correct a false narrative, or reveal the truth behind a lie, only to hear, 'Well, she’s lying.' Imagine how suffocating that feels."
Navigating a barrage of rumors—ranging from the state of their union to Justin’s well-being—did not make their first year as parents to 12-month-old Jack Blues Bieber any smoother.
"Going through the postpartum period has been the most emotionally vulnerable time of my life," the model continued. "Learning a new version of myself is incredibly challenging. And to do that while constantly scrolling through the internet, where people claim, 'They’re getting divorced,' 'They’re this,' or 'They’re not happy,'—it’s mind-boggling. I can’t even begin to explain how insane that is. It’s a wild life to lead."
A life they’ve been navigating for quite some time. After crossing paths at a Today show taping in 2009 and fostering a friendship, Hailey and Justin embarked on an on-again, off-again romance that eventually led them back to each other in 2018, culminating in a swift engagement announcement.
Questions have swirled about whether there was any overlap between their romance and Justin’s past relationship with Selena Gomez—the "Purpose" singer and star of Only Murders in the Building (now happily engaged to Benny Blanco) also shared a years-long, tumultuous on-again, off-again connection before parting ways earlier in 2018. Yet, Hailey has long maintained that no such overlap existed.
"Not once," she clarified on a 2022 episode of Call Her Daddy. "Let me put it this way: Whenever he and I started hooking up or anything along those lines, he was never in a relationship—ever, at any point."
Even after Hailey and Justin tied the knot—first in a New York courthouse in 2018 and again in a lavish South Carolina ceremony the following year—persistent rumors about their relationship continued to bloom like relentless weeds.
"It does bother me when people dislike me simply because of rumors they’ve heard, ideas they’ve concocted, or things they’ve seen," the 28-year-old admitted. "It saddens me. But I’ve come to realize that you can’t exist as a person—especially not as someone with a platform or in the public eye—where everyone adores you."
So, while Hailey and Justin could theoretically spend 10,000 hours debunking every internet theory, more often than not, they choose to remain silent.
"One of the issues with that approach is that you end up stuck explaining yourself for every little thing," she elaborated. "And I had to overcome that because, at one point, I felt compelled to clarify every narrative and defend myself—which is exhausting."
Although, there have been exceptions when Hailey has publicly called out rumors "conjured out of thin air." Because even when she and Justin attempt to tune out the noise, it inevitably seeps through.
"People have made me feel terrible about my relationship since day one," she confessed to W Magazine in July 2024. "'Oh, they’re falling apart. They hate each other. They’re getting divorced.' It’s as if people refuse to believe we’re happy. I used to pretend it hurt less and less over time. I tried to convince myself that you eventually get used to it—that this is what will always be said, and this is how people will always behave. But I’ve realized it never actually hurts any less."
Still, they’ve persevered through life’s highs and lows, proving they’re partners in both sickness—in 2022, Hailey suffered a blood clot in her brain while Justin was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome—and in health. Not that every day is picture-perfect.
"I’m not going to sit here and pretend it’s all a magical fantasy," Hailey told Vogue in 2019. "It’s always going to be challenging. It’s a choice. You don’t feel it every single day. You don’t wake up every morning thinking, 'I’m absolutely in love, and you’re perfect.' That’s not what marriage is. But there’s something undeniably beautiful about it—about wanting to fight for something, about committing to building a life with someone."
And at the end of the day, she added, “he’s my best friend. I never get tired of him.” Justin has made his intentions equally clear.
“Baby, I ain’t walking away,” the 31-year-old crooned on his single "Walking Away," released in July. “You are my diamond / Gave you a ring / Made you a promise / I told you I’d change / It’s just human nature / These growing pains / And baby, I ain’t walking away.”
