After taking a brief social media break in late February in the midst of reports of her alleged feud with Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez posted an urgent message on her Instagram Story on Friday (March 24) imploring fans to cool down the heated rhetoric.
The note began with the news that Bieber — who is married to Justin Bieber, an ex of Gomez’s — had recently reached out to the Only Murders in the Building star to let her know that she’d been receiving death threats and “such hateful negativity.”
“This isn’t what I stand for,” Gomez said unequivocally. “No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
In February, Gomez used TikTok to announce that she was getting off social media for the foreseeable future. “I’m good. I love who I am, I don’t care. I’m big, I’m not, I don’t care. I love who I am,” she wrote at the time. The announcement came the same day Gomez unseated Kylie Jenner as the most followed woman on Instagram with more than 380 million followers. She has since surpassed 400 million followers on the platform.
Gomez was back on social media a week later with an important message in the midst of the swirling rumors about the rumored feud with the model. “Please, please be kinder and consider others mental health,” the singer-actress commented on TikTok. “My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone. All my love.” The note came shorty after Gomez took Jenner’s Insta crown, with the lip-kit mogul seemingly getting pulled into the purported drama after Gomez shared in a Feb. 22 TikTok that she’d over-laminated her eyebrows.
That was followed by Jenner sharing a photo with longtime pal Hailey holding the camera close to her own professional-looking eyebrows. Selenators didn’t think it was a coincidence, but Jenner said it was. “This is reaching,” the Kardashians star commented about the situation on a TikTok. “No shade towards selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly.”
The Grammy- and Emmy-nominated singer-actress then replied in agreement to Jenner’s comment and said she was “a fan of Kylie.” Gomez then left comments on fan-made TikToks shading Bieber. “I love you,” she commented to one who slammed the model for being a “nepo baby” and a “mean girl.”
Then, after a resurfaced video of Hailey pretending to gag at the mention of Taylor Swift’s music made the rounds, Gomez replied, “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” When the comments became overheated, Gomez said on Feb. 23 that she was taking an internet break. She said on TikTok: “I’m 30, I’m too old for this.”