Hailey (Baldwin) Bieber: Understanding How Her Career Milestones As An Entrepreneur Were Achieved Without The Help Of Justin Bieber And In Spite Of Him – And Why Justin Publicly Apologizing For His Mistreatment Should Be Celebrated

The Kardashian-Jenner family is truly a fascinating family. You continually tell yourself that you hate them, but you also can’t stop following their lives. And with that, there’s a lot of people involved within their circle. Being associated with any of them automatically leads to great things happening in one’s own career endeavours. Just look at people like Jordyn Woods, who was best friends with Kylie Jenner up until she kissed Khloe Kardashian’s then-partner, Tristian Thompson, in 2019.

And then there are people who have been in the Kardashians-Jenner circle without needing to be associated with them to get credibility within the world of fame and fortune. These include people like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. They’ve both made a name for themselves in their own right. Gomez is a singer, actress, and entrepreneur. Bieber is a singer and…an avid social media user. Gomez was occasionally seen with the Jenner sisters, Kendall and Kylie, in the 2010’s, like the 2014 Coachella extravaganza. Bieber was also seen with the Kardashian family as seen by paparazzi shots, and he was even rumoured to be the father of Kourtney Kardashian’s son, Reign.

Another star that’s also associated with the Kardashian-Jenner family is Hailey (Baldwin) Bieber. She’s a nepo-baby, being the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece of Alec Baldwin. And yes, she’s the wife of Justin Bieber, and has been since 2018. They now have a child together, son Jack, who was born in 2024. No one in the general public, especially those hardcore Jelena fans, thought these two would last long. And now they have a whole little family of their own. It’s astonishing. And yet, it was a long and winding road for the couple. I’d even come as far as to say it was one for the books.

Justin and Hailey have a long history together; one that started way before they got married in 2018. They initially met as teens when Hailey’s father introduced them. They then went on to date on-and-off when Justin was in between Selena and Hailey in the dating game, though Hailey consistently denied through the years that they were romantically involved and insisted they were just friends; even after Justin posted a photo on Instagram of the two of them passionately kissing. No matter how much the two of them tried to deny that anything ever happened between them, journalism, fans and haters alike knew better. Hailey once told E! News, ‘I’ve known him since I was so young—since I was like 13—and we’ve just been good friends over the years. We have just stayed close and there’s nothing more to it than that.’

Jelena, a combined name abbreviation for Justin and Selena, were in an on-and-off relationship between 2011 and 2018. When I say they were on-and-off, I mean REALLY on-and-off. They were allegedly broken up 11 times before officially ending it for good. Just two months after their final breakup, Justin was publicly dating Hailey again. Selena then released her ballad, Lose You To Love Me, about their breakup in 2019, which became a smashing hit that year – much to Selena’s own disbelief.

Years passed since the saga of the Selena Gomez – Justin Bieber – Hailey Baldwin love triangle saga happened, and somehow, the story continues to unfold. Somehow, the world is still very much interested and invested in the story between the three of them. When Justin and Hailey first got together soon after Jelena broke up for the final time, Hailey was seen as the other woman, the one who got in the way of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber’s ‘dreamy’ relationship. Hailey, on her part, has attempted to do the best she could to deny those rumours. She told Ashley Graham in 2020, ‘Contrary to popular belief. He had been single for a while and I had been single and we were kind of just trying to figure life out.’ Then in 2022, she told Alex Cooper on her Call Her Daddy podcast, ‘This is so crazy I’ve literally never talked about this ever. lot of the hate and perpetuation comes from like, ‘Oh you stole him.’ It’s about people knowing the truth, because there’s a truth. When him and I ever started, like, hooking up or, like, anything of that sort. He was not ever in a relationship ever, at any point. It’s not my character to mess with someone’s relationship. I understand how it looks from the outside and there’s a lot of perception there,” she said. “But that was a situation where I know for a fact that it was the right thing for them to close that door, they were not in a relationship at that time.’

Hailey constantly, even to this very day, had to defend herself and explain her relationship with Justin. Selena herself had to step in at some point and defend Hailey against online harassment. At one point, the two were even photographed at an event together and then followed each other on Instagram, though they’ve since unfollowed each other for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, they’ve both shown subtle public support for one another in the past, with Selena liking a social media post about Hailey’s skincare line launch, and Hailey liking Selena’s post announcing her engagement to Benny Blanco.

Speaking of Benny Blanco, he’d been a longtime collaborator on Justin’s music, and produced several of his songs throughout the years. Following the news of Selena and Benny’s engagement, as well as the release of their collaborative album in March, Justin unfollowed him. He went on to subtly criticize the couple on social media for being so public with their relationship. But Benny wasn’t the only person Justin unfollowed. In fact, Justin had gone through a string of unfollowing people he once used to be close with, including his wife, which he later insisted wasn’t purposefully. Him unfollowing Scooter Braun, however, was done on purpose. This action, which occurred in January of this year, has sparked speculation about a potential rift between them. Braun then deactivated his Instagram page entirely. Some fans even believe that Justin may have also blocked him, along with Usher, Diddy, and others, as their tagged posts with him have been untagged. 

Braun has since retired from his management career and has ended his contract with such artists as Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. Justin, on the other hand, still reportedly has contractual obligations with Braun for a few more years, according to Billboard. In most recent developments, it’s been reported that Justin and Braun struck a financial settlement where Justin is to pay his former manager $31 million for the amount paid by Braun for bailing out Justin’s unpaid debts when he cancelled his Justice tour in 2022, which Justin cancelled due to him being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, which is an inflammation of the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve as a late consequence of varicella zoster virus. This includes Justin owing Braun $11 million in commissions on top of his owing $26 million, according to TMZ. There was another $8 million debt Justin owed Braun for other commissions, but Braun waived that amount.

Justin, however, made it clear that he wouldn’t pay the total amount owed to Braun until his share of the Rhode sale comes in, which comes at $1 billion. Rhode is a skincare company founded by Hailey in 2022. She’s since sold the company to e.l.f.Beauty in a deal worth up to $1 billion. The acquisition includes $800 million in cash and stock, with a potential $200 million earnout based on future performance. Bieber will remain with the company as chief creative officer and head of innovation, and also act as a strategic advisor to both companies. The deal is expected to close later this year. Justin is entitled to a share of the sale as he’d invested $50 million. It’s been said that Justin otherwise doesn’t have the money to pay back his debt following his selling of his entire music catalog for $200 million.

You’re probably wondering why I’m even talking about this to begin with. It all seems so irrelevant to what we’re here to talk about. Trust me when I say, however, it actually has EVERYTHING to do with what we’re here to talk about, and that’s Hailey. In a previous blog post about Selena, I’ve spoken heavily about the smear campaign against Hailey that’s been happening since 2016, when Hailey and Justin were first rumoured to be a couple. In the years since, but especially since 2018 following Selena and Justin’s final breakup and then Justin and Hailey getting engaged and married soon after, Hailey has been villainized, and unfairly so, by journalists, fans, and haters alike. She’s been made out to seem like she was the other woman, a stalker, a jealous woman who continuously tries to copy Selena’s every move, as well as subtly shade her time and time again, amongst other things.

Seeing Hailey, Justin, and Selena’s names throughout the years in celebrity gossip columns was getting tiring. More particularly, seeing their names when the stories were about their ill-faded love trial, which is probably non-existent at this point in time. Hailey is a model, socialite, creative director and businesswoman in her own right. She made a name for herself despite being a nepo-baby. And yet, the media knows her as a just the girl that got in the way of Jelena being endgame. She’s never been taken seriously. Not like her peers in the entertainment industry.

It’s safe to say that an entire smear campaign was made against Hailey and her relationship with Justin. It’s a smear campaign that’s still going on to this very day – 7 whole years after her rekindled relationship with Justin was first announced. And speaking of smear campaigns, Hailey was mentioned in Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni where she alleged that Baldoni wanted to create a similar hate train against her to that of Hailey. Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation legal complaint against Justin Baldoni mentions several fellow celebs, including Hailey, Leighton Meester and Taylor Swift. Lively alleged in her filing that Baldoni and his publicist worked with a crisis PR expert to launch a “retaliation campaign” against her. The complaint includes copies of alleged text conversations from them in which they discuss tactics to suppress any negative reports about the director while reinforcing negative ones about the actress. In one, Baldoni shared a person’s unverified Aug. 4 social media post that alleges Hailey has a history of bullying many women, telling his publicist, ‘This is what we would need.’

I’ve previously done several deep dives on this blog about the entire Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni situation, and I’ll go even further in the next blog entry. There have been reports and legal actions surrounding alleged smear campaigns involving both Hailey and Blake Lively, though the specific details and connections between the two situations are distinct. Let it be known that these two cases aren’t the same. To take a closer look at both women on an individual level:

Hailey: There have been allegations of Hailey engaging in or being associated with smear campaigns against other public figures, particularly Selena, but these have largely been circulating on social media by journalists, fans and haters, and haven’t resulted in legal action. The claims center around perceived social media interactions and perceived bullying tactics directed at Gomez, which have fueled fan theories and online negativity for years.

Blake Lively: Lively and Justin Baldoni were involved in a legal dispute related to the film It Ends With Us. Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, while Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively. The defamation suit was dismissed by a judge. The situation has been framed as a smear campaign in some media reports, with claims that Baldoni and others sought to discredit Lively’s allegations. 

Key Differences: 

• Legal vs. Social Media: Hailey’s situation largely involves online accusations and fan speculation, while Lively’s situation involved formal legal proceedings. 

• Focus of Claims: The Bieber claims focus on social media bullying and perceived attempts to undermine Selena Gomez, while the Lively situation involves allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation in a professional setting. 

• Legal Outcomes: Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against Lively was dismissed. The legal aspects of the Bieber claims are less clear. 

Lively, unlike Hailey, had her smear campaign against her coming. Justin didn’t even have to do anything. She brought it on herself. Hailey, though, didn’t, and still doesn’t, deserve the hate at all. In fact, everyone, and I mean everyone, owes Hailey an apology. One social media user agreed with me. They wrote, ‘I’ve been saying for years that the level of hate she get was too crazy to be organic, particularly when you check how most of it is based on false assumptions, misconceptions, lies, false narrative… which all got out since she got married by pure coincidence. And now her name appears as an example of how a pr team can pay to effectively tear down someone’s reputation?’

It’s pretty self-explanatory. Hailey never asked for the smear campaign that’s been put against her. She was just a young woman in love trying to build her life with that someone. It just so happens that that someone was Justin Bieber, a teen and tween sensation who’s had hardcore fans rooting for a Jelena relationship; so much so that they’re will to tear another woman down. She’s even been labeled as a ‘psycho stalker’ on TikTok. In 2019, Hailey shared a post in which she wrote, ‘It’s hard finding who you are, but what’s even harder is being picked apart and compared to other women while trying to do that. There are days that I’m simply broken because of it. I’m gonna do my very best to just be ME and be confident with who I am.’ Justin recently reshared the post and wrote that it was still relevant, even years later. And you know what…he’s not wrong.

The entire smear campaign against Hailey is based on pitting women against each other. Fans and dedicated supporters of the Jelena relationship consider Hailey as a winner in the battle. As a bystander, I have some questions in that regard, however. Like…Did she actually win? Was there even a battle to begin with? Did she not have more to lose than gain by being with Justin? Has Justin been always supportive of her in the relationship and in defending her? Has she not worked her a** off to make a name for herself and become successful despite the hate? And finally, why the f*ck do we even care about Hailey Bieber? These questions, I believe, need answers to.

In hindsight, Selena and Hailey’s viral feud, that’s most likely been made up by online trolls rather than the two women themselves, offers a masterclass in how online narratives can shape reputations, fuel fan wars, and threaten billion-dollar brand empires.Hailey is a woman that’s been through a lot in the past decade as her relationship with Justin progressed. It’s also worth noting that she’s stronger than most people realize. The public just failed to see that. It’s not that much of a surprise, though. Justin’s fans, Selena’s fans, and Jelena’s fans are young. Selena is a Disney sensation. Justin is a teen sensation. Back in the 2010’s, he was what every teenage girl wanted in a man.

It’s very difficult to be in a relationship with someone who’s struggling with health issues, no matter what these health issues might be. On top of being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022, Justin was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2020. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, he discussed his past substance abuse, revealing that he used Xanax and experienced periods of deep shame and darkness. He mentioned that his security would check his pulse at night to ensure he was still breathing. He’d spoken about the impact of substance abuse on his relationships and his ability to feel genuine emotions. 

In a new interview with Vogue Italia, Hailey shared her candid feelings towards the relationship rumors involving her and Justin. She said, ‘And having to do all this while constantly reading falsehoods on the internet like ‘They’re getting divorced’ or ‘They’re no longer happy together’ is something that really drives you crazy. I’m not even sure I can explain it. It’s a crazy life.’ Justin, on his part, shared with the outlet of his wife, ‘She’s in the spotlight, and has the attention because of her effortless knack for style, business, art and fashion. And the way she makes being a mom and wife look easy. I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but the smartest thing I’ve ever done was marry Hailey.’

Let it be known that Justin wasn’t always a supportive husband. He admitted so himself when he posted Hailey’s Vogue cover on Instagram. He wrote, ‘Yo this reminds me when Hailey and I got into a huge fight. I told Hails that she would never be on the cover of Vogue. Yikes I know, so mean. For some reason because I felt so disrespected. I thought I gotta get even. I think as we mature we realize that we’re not helping anything by getting even we’re honestly just prolonging what we really want which is intimacy and connection. So baby u already know but forgive me for saying u wouldn’t get a Vogue cover cuz clearly i was sadly mistaken.’

It’s not easy living with an illness that affects your everyday life. It changes you for the absolute worse. It turns you into an unrecognizable person entirely. It’s also anything but easy being in a relationship with someone who’s struggling with a life-changing illness. I’ve been on both sides of the coin, and I can (very) confidently say that being with someone who’s struggling with illness is much harder than you yourself struggling with an underlying illness. My husband and I have been together for almost 15 years. We both struggle with our own respective illness. Me – I struggle with a chronic illness. Him – he struggles with an autoimmune disease. We went through a period of 3 years of being ill and having our illnesses take over our entire lives, as well as our relationship.

Watching someone you love so much struggle with an illness is heartbreaking. You watch them turn into someone you don’t even recognize anymore. They turn into someone you didn’t initially fall in love with. But there’s a whole other side to the entire situation, which is the question of how much mistreatment one should be willing to accept from their life-partner, as well as how much of that mistreatment should be reasoned by their illness. Since the publishing of his post where admitted to telling Hailey she’d never be on the cover of Vogue, social media users have showered him with criticism. One social media user wrote, ‘No caption would have been better. She doesn’t need haters she already have you.’ Another wrote, ‘Diaries are a greattt thing.’ Another user wrote, ‘U need some help w captions king.’ And another wrote, ‘Some things are best kept to yourself. Like this caption.’ While another user praised the singer by writing, ‘Appreciate the vulnerability and realness.’

I see both sides of the coin here. Yes, Justin did cross a line in telling Hailey she’d never land the cover of Vogue, and I can’t fully put the blame on his illnesses and substance abuse on this one. How angry can one be at someone else to say something so cruel? And to someone who you claim to love and love you back so deeply and unconditionally. On the other hand, he’s publicly celebrating his wife’s success and admitting to his wrongdoings and mistreatment of her, as well as publicly apologizing to her, which is actually admirable. It demonstrates growth, accountability, and a willingness to address past mistakes, even when it’s uncomfortable. While the initial apology was met with mixed reactions on social media, including Justin’s quick edit of the post to emojis, the act of publicly acknowledging his hurtful words and expressing regret, even if imperfectly, is a step towards building a stronger, healthier relationship. To break things down more thoroughly:

• Acknowledging a Past Mistake: Justin admitted to telling Hailey she’d never be on the cover of Vogue, a comment he now acknowledges was mean and stemmed from feeling disrespected. 
• Growth and Maturity: He recognized that trying to get even in a relationship is not productive and that maturity involves learning from past mistakes. 
• Public Accountability: While the initial post was later edited, the fact that he made a public apology on social media, a platform where their relationship is often scrutinized, shows a willingness to be accountable for his actions. 
• Highlighting Relationship Dynamics: The situation, while messy, offers a glimpse into the complexities of their relationship, demonstrating that even public figures navigate real-life issues like conflict and forgiveness. 
• Focus on Intimacy and Connection: Bieber’s apology highlights the importance of intimacy and connection in a relationship, acknowledging that hurtful words can hinder these aspects. 
• Hailey’s Strength: The apology also acknowledges Hailey’s strength and resilience in the face of public scrutiny and criticism, particularly in the context of her Vogue cover. 

Everything Hailey has accomplished in her career has come from her own doing. She didn’t need Justin’s help. In fact, we know that she didn’t have his help; only his critique. It’s also worth mentioning that she’d achieved such career milestones while being a new mom, which is such a huge achievement in itself. Being a mother is the hardest thing in the world. Becoming a mother is the hardest thing a woman can do. But accomplishing such a career milestone while also being a new mom, and doing so when you don’t have the support of your partner is, without a doubt in my mind, worth applauding. It takes so much strength, so much courage, so much resilience to do all this; for a woman to do all this in a male-dominated world.

Time and time again, Hailey has shown her support, her love, and her commitment to Justin. It could even be seen in paparazzi photos and footage taken of them throughout the years, especially in their early years. No matter the trials, the tribulations and hardships Justin put her through, she stood by him. The same couldn’t be the said of Justin. In his newest album, Swag, released on July 1, the pop star addressed his marriage troubles with Hailey on several songs. In Walking Away, he sang, ‘Tell me why you’re throwing stones at my back — You know I’m defenseless. Girl, we better stop before we say some s–t. We’ve been testing our patience. I think we better off if we just take a break and remember what grace is. Baby, I ain’t walking away. You were my diamond. Gave you a ring.  I 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.’ In another track, Daisies, he sang, ‘Do you love me or not? Head is spinnin’, and it don’t know when to stop. You said ‘Forever,’ babe, did you mean it or not? And if it ain’t right, babe, you know, I respect it. But if you need time, just take your time. Honey, I get it, I get it, I get it.’ But in another track, he called Hailey iconic shouted out her viral Rhode lip gloss, tucked neatly into her iPhone case — a nod to her growing beauty empire. He sang, ‘When sunlight turns to shadow and it gets hard to face. Like water to a flower, babe, I know you need the rain. Nothing needs to work out and nothing needs to break. Don’t need to pretend that you’re okay.’

So it’s clear that Justin and Hailey’s relationship has been dealt with ups and downs. What longstanding marriage doesn’t face such hardships? It just so happens that they’re both famous and in the public eye and every move they make is there for literally everyone in the entire world to see and hear, especially with Justin’s social media activity. Hailey is a strong woman. Shes skilled. She’s resilient. Shes confident. Shes unafraid. She’s not one to ever be messed with, no matter how much others try to. She’s navigated the challenges of public life and scrutiny with grace, showing that resilience and a strong sense of self. launched Rhode, a which has achieved significant popularity and success, demonstrating her business acumen and ability to create a thriving brand. She’s used her platform to advocate for various causes, including reproductive rights, demonstrating her engagement with important social issues. She’s been open about her postpartum experiences and other health challenges, including a mini-stroke and ovarian cysts, showing vulnerability and encouraging others to talk about similar experiences. And another thing about Hailey that’s rarely ever mentioned – her background in ballet has instilled in her a sense of discipline and commitment, which has translated into her professional endeavor.

Again, Justin and Hailey aren’t the perfect couple. They never claimed to be that. They’re learning and growing – consistently. The hardest thing about marriage is navigating the constant need for compromise and adaptation. Justin didn’t always do that for Hailey, but he did publicly admit he was wrong and apologized it, which is already a step in the right direction. As much as we want to criticize him as a person, a man, and a husband, we also have to realize that he’s still human. Successfully navigating these challenges requires ongoing commitment, open communication, and a willingness to work through difficulties as a team. That’s exactly what Justin and Hailey seem to have been doing, and it’s to be celebrated; not judged.