CULTURE

Selena Gomez Talks About Those Viral Photos With Hailey Bieber

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Selena Gomezarrives at the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at A...
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Last month, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber took some pics together and the Internet went wild. Gomez, however, thinks the moment was “not a big deal.”

While promoting her new Apple TV+ documentary Selena: My Mind and Me, Gomez was asked by Vulture about the photos taken by photographer Tyrell Hampton at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala in October. He then shared a photo of the pair seated next to one another and posing for the camera on Instagram with the caption, “Plot twist.”

“It’s not even a thing,” Gomez replied.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, she elaborate further, seeing her ability to navigate the situation as part of her growth.

"Somebody made a comment and it involved me, and then for two days I felt bad about myself,” Gomez said. “I was like, I'm just going to say, 'Everybody be kind to each other. Everybody just focus on what's going on in the real world.’" Indeed, when the two ran into each other in actual real life, it was nothing but kindness.

Gomez and Hailey may never escape conjecture about their relationship. The Only Murders In the Building star dated Hailey’s husband Justin Bieber on and off for years before he settled down with the model in 2018, just two months after they got engaged. Fans of Gomez have often lashed out at Hailey and even suggested she had begun seeing Justin before he and Gomez officially broke things off, which they both deny.

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In September, Hailey spoke about the drama on the Call Her Daddy podcast by stating that there was actually “no drama.”

“It’s all respect,” she said. “It’s all love. Neither of us owe anybody anything except respect. I respect her a lot, and I think there are no expectations [between us]. I respect her.”

The words imply that she and Gomez have communicated over the years and based on the pictures, they are at least friendly enough for a hug.

Hailey added, “[Fans] wish he ended up with someone else, and that’s fine... You can wish that all you want, but that’s just not the case.”

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For her part, Gomez has asked fans to back off from criticizing Hailey, insisting that “words matter” and asking them to be “kind” during a TikTok Live soon after the podcast aired.

“It’s incredibly ironic that I would release something that’s all about kind words ’cause that’s exactly what I want,” Gomez said. “It’s not fair because no one should ever be spoken to in the manner that I’ve seen.”