Justin Bieber just reopened a very old chapter of pop culture history. And all it took was one teeny tiny Instagram like.
The Throwback That Started It All
Fans clocked that Justin recently interacted with a comment under a 2016 Instagram photo of him kissing Selena Gomez. Yes, that era. The pic has been sitting on his grid since March 19, 2016, quietly minding its business… until now.
The comment he liked? “Long live the couple” (in Spanish).
Naturally, Beliebers and Selenators lost their darn minds. Was it real? Did Justin really like a 2016 post of him kissing Selena?!
This is no fake, Pop Tellers. It’s not a glitch and definitely not fan fiction. Screenshots spread fast confirming the like came straight from Justin’s verified account.
Justin Unliked It… But Didn’t Delete the Post
Here’s where things got interesting. Shortly after fans noticed the like, Justin went back and unliked the comment. Clean-up mode? Maybe. But the photo itself? Still very much up.
And fans had thoughts.
A lot of people are saying the fact that he removed the like but didn’t delete the post “says a lot.” Others argue that the post has been up for nearly a decade anyway, so deleting it now would be way louder than leaving it alone.
Either way, the damage (aka discourse) was already done. “I’m convinced when justin and hailey get in fights, they go back and forth liking selena related content online to piss the other one off. there’s no other logical explanation for this idiotic behavior,” one fan wrote on X.
Another added, “Justin Bieber really has no shame he respects neither his wife or his son if it was Selena who did such a thing she would have been bullied.”
The Timing Was… Convenient
What really fueled the chaos was the timing. Just days before Justin’s like drama, his wife Hailey Bieber posted a nostalgic 2016 carousel, including a photo of her kissing Justin at sunset with the caption, “You just had to be there.”
Fans instantly connected dots (whether they existed or not) and the Jelena vs. Hailey debates came roaring back like it’s 2017.
No One’s Saying Anything (Yet)
So far, Justin, Hailey, and Selena have all stayed completely silent. Unlike last week when Hailey publicly addressed rumors of alleged marital abuse, this time round, it’s been crickets. No statements or shady captions. Instead, fans are filling in the blanks themselves.
Worth noting: Justin and Hailey have been married since 2018 and have repeatedly suggested their marriage is doing just fine. But, well… the internet does not listen.
So… What Did Bieber’s Like Actually Mean?
Here’s where the theories split:
- Theory 1: Fans say Justin is still emotionally stuck on Selena. It wouldn’t be the first time.
- Theory 2: Others think it was an accident (but that’s a lot of scrolling for him to be doing)
- Theory 3: Neutral fans say it’s all a PR move — for Justin, Selena, or Hailey who might be releasing something soon. I mean, why would Selena (allegedly) reopen her IG comments section right after this fiasco? The controversial trio might want all this drama.
There’s zero proof of any of the above, but that’s never stopped the internet before.
So, what Justin Bieber’s like intentional? Was it a mis-tap? Was it just Justin being online at the wrong time? No one knows. But one liked comment on a nearly 10-year-old photo was enough to prove one thing:
Jelena discourse is immortal.
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