Selena Gomez Orders Fans to 'Stop' Hailey Bieber Bullying—Full Statement

Actress and singer Selena Gomez has spoken out to ask online trolls to stop bullying model Hailey Bieber.

Gomez's ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber, who she was in a highly publicized on-off relationship with when they were teenagers, has been married to supermodel Bieber since 2018.

Since the Biebers wed, fans have speculated that there is tension between Gomez, 30, and Hailey Bieber, 26, despite both women denying this.

Earlier in 2022, things came to a head when fans began dissecting both Gomez and Hailey Bieber's online posts to find "clues" regarding their supposed feud, leading Gomez to step back from social media.

Now, after weeks of rumor regarding both women, Gomez has finally spoken out by posting a statement on her Instagram Story.

"Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity," the star wrote. "This isn't what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I've always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop."

The singer added a red love heart emoji to the end of her statement.

Shortly after posting the statement, Gomez followed Bieber on Instagram.

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Gomez and Bieber, via email, for comment.

Fans were quick to respond to Gomez's statement, and many took to Twitter to comment on her words.

One fan, in response to account @PopBase's screenshot of Gomez's Instagram Story, wrote: "Regardless of whose side you're on, this has gone unbelievably too far. This randomly perpetuated drama seems like a scene ripped out of Mean Girls. It's really not as deep as everyone is making it. No one is obsessed with the other. It's the fans that are."

Another posted: "We love to see it after all this unnecessary drama."

"Selena proving once again she is unproblematic and a queen. Hope this hatred stops from both sides," added a third Twitter user.

Fans have speculated about Gomez and Bieber's relationship for years, but things seemed to climax at the end of February when fans were sent into a frenzy by a series of events on social media.

One incident saw Kylie Jenner accused of mocking Gomez's eyebrows, which she denied, and another saw Gomez defend her close friend, singer Taylor Swift, in a TikTok comment.

In screenshots obtained by Instagram account PopFaction, Gomez left a comment underneath a TikTok showing old footage of Bieber, seemingly during a television appearance, sticking out her tongue when Swift's album was mentioned.

"So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game," Gomez purportedly commented.

Fans immediately turned on Bieber and the model reportedly lost over one million Instagram followers in the furore, as well as facing allegations of being a "mean girl."

"Wolves" singer Gomez then posted a TikTok Live clip, which was later shared to Twitter, saying that she is "too old" for the "silly" events that had unfolded online.

In the TikTok live, she explained: "I'm going to be taking a second from social media, because this is a little silly. I'm 30 and am too old for this. But I love you so much and I'll see you guys sooner than later.

"I'm just gonna take a break from everything," she added.

Bieber, meanwhile, has spoken out in the past about how she has faced bullying from fans of both her husband, Justin, and Gomez over allegations that she was the "other woman" in Justin and Gomez's romance.

During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast in 2022, the star, who is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, said she ended up in a "really dark" place as a result of targeted attacks from online trolls.

She went on to say she was "having thoughts of, like, it not being worth it anymore or not wanting to be here anymore."

Update 3/24/23 11:21 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with new pictures and further details.