Wake up bestie, Selena Gomez just (seemingly) threw major shade at Hailey Bieber — and fans think she’s officially done playing nice.
After Hailey’s WSJ Magazine interview stirred up old drama, Selena hopped on Instagram with what many are calling a subtle (but savage) response.
Selena’s Shady Story Directed at Hailey
On Friday Oct. 17, Selena posted (then deleted) an Instagram Story that fans instantly linked to Hailey’s recent WSJ Magazine interview. She wrote:
“Just leave the girl alone. She can say whatever she wants. Doesn’t affect my life whatsoever. It’s just about relevance not intelligence. Be kind. All brands inspire me. There is room for everyone. And hopefully we can all stop.”
If that line — “It’s just about relevance not intelligence” — doesn’t scream shade, I don’t know what does.
Selena followed the message with a chill behind-the-scenes photo from what looks like a music video shoot, proving she’s truly unbothered.
What Hailey Bieber Said in Her WSJ Interview
So, what exactly is Selena reacting to? It all started when Hailey appeared in WSJ Magazine earlier this week to talk about the billion-dollar sale of her skincare brand, Rhode.
During the interview, Hailey was asked if she feels competitive now that her Rhode products are being sold at Sephora — the same retailer that carries Selena’s Rare Beauty.
Hailey replied, “I think there is space for everybody.” Then, she added what many saw as a subtle dig: “I don’t feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by.”
When asked if she was nervous that shoppers might compare Rhode to Rare Beauty, her publicist reportedly jumped in before she could answer. Still, Hailey addressed the drama later in the chat, saying, “It’s always annoying being pitted against other people. I didn’t ask for that.”
She continued, “When people want to see you a certain way and they’ve made up a story about you in their minds, it’s not up to you to change that.”
TMZ Clears It Up — Says It Wasn’t About Selena
After fans accused Hailey of shading Selena, TMZ stepped in to clear things up. According to sources close to Hailey, the comment wasn’t about Selena or Rare Beauty at all.
Per TMZ, “What she said was in reference to other skincare brands — not a particular person.”
They even admitted that the WSJ interview layout made it look like Hailey was responding to a Selena-related question when she wasn’t.
Fans React: Team Selena vs. Team Hailey
As usual, the internet is divided.
On X (formerly Twitter), Hailey supporters are backing her up, saying her quotes were taken out of context — and that Selena overreacted.
Meanwhile, Selenators are praising their queen for “clocking” Hailey and calling out what they see as passive-aggressive behavior.
The Selena and Hailey Feud — A Never-Ending Saga
This isn’t the first time these two have made headlines together. Selena famously dated Justin Bieber for years before he married Hailey in 2018 — and ever since, the internet’s been obsessed with comparing them.
They appeared to squash the beef in 2022 when they followed each other on Instagram and even posed for photos together. But fans noticed they unfollowed each other just recently, reigniting rumors of tension. Not long ago, Bieber’s fans accused Selena of copying Hailey’s Rhode campaign, while Selenators said Hailey was ‘liking’ shady TikToks about Sel.
Despite their public efforts to promote “all love,” it seems like the rivalry between the Rare Beauty founder and the Rhode CEO is back on everyone’s feed again.
READ NEXT:
Selena Sides With Hailey After Justin’s Brutal Comments
