Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber‘s controversial relationship had many moments that made fans question their romance. They broke up and got back together so many times during their relationship that many fans lost count of it. In 2012, it was reported that Bieber and Gomez had broken up over their vacation in Mexico.
Before they got back together a few months later, Gomez appeared on Late Show With David Letterman in March 2013 to promote her movie, Spring Breakers. When Letterman mentioned their breakup, Gomez shared, “I’m so good.” When the host said that he made Bieber cry, Gomez quipped, “That makes two of us.”
“Selena Gomez lived through an abusive relationship for years” while she was on TV laughing about making Justin Bieber cry just to have a meltdown about him hanging out with other girls 2 days later 😭 pic.twitter.com/ELXZIiqsA1 https://t.co/QfPArhcqkU
Fans of Bieber haven’t forgotten Gomez’s comments. There were more controversial moments throughout their on-and-off relationship. The relationship rumors began in December 2009 when he brought Gomez to the stage during his performance of One Less Lonely Girl.
They initially didn’t confirm their dating rumors, often dodging questions about the matter. However, they kept appearing at red carpet events, holding hands. According to reports, they had an on-and-off thing going on until April 2014, when they reportedly broke off their relationship.
However, they were back together a couple of months after that. Bieber posted on Instagram at the time, “Our love is unconditional” (via Cosmopolitan). The ‘unconditional’ love lasted four months this time, before tabloids reported that they had broken up over Bieber’s relationship with Kendall Jenner.
They got back together for the last time in October 2017. They got back together right after Gomez ended her relationship with The Weeknd. We saw them getting romantic on a few public outings, but they broke up for good this time in March 2018. Here are five incidents in their relationship that didn’t sit well with fans.
5. Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber Reportedly Fight at Coachella in April 2014
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber gave Jelena fans a lot of reason to celebrate in 2014 when they appeared together at Coachella. While the coverage of the couple’s relationship was centered around how they shared a great time, some tabloids reported that things were just not that great at the event.
According to HollywoodLife, what happened at Coachella might’ve caused Bieber and Gomez to drift apart again. The outlet reported on a post-Coachella blowout between the hottest couple at that time. It was reported that Gomez was heartbroken and humiliated after she had a major disagreement with Bieber.
A source close to the couple shared with the outlet that they had a pretty big fight after Coachella, leaving the Only Murders in the Building star a mess. The source told HollywoodLife:
They had a big fight after Coachella but she hasn’t been broadcasting the details. She’s very private when it comes to her and Justin, it’s really embarrassing for her, so she tries to keep it very private. All I know is that after Coachella, she was a mess and she and Justin are fighting again.
The report also mentioned alleged ties between Bieber and Kylie Jenner behind Gomez’s back. Jenner was their Coachella party friend, and a source told The Sun that Bieber might’ve hooked up with Jenner. The source said:
Selena is convinced something has gone on between Justin and Kylie. At Coachella, [Justin and Selena] looked to be back on track. Selena was hanging out with Kylie too and they were behaving like best friends.
The source continued, “Then [Selena] heard stuff about Justin and Kylie and felt totally betrayed. She went berserk and called it all off again.” It was reported that Gomez was on the edge and needed time off from the Baby singer.
4. Selena Gomez-Orlando Bloom Photo Controversy
Orlando Bloom and Selena Gomez were an item, not once but twice. In April 2014, Bloom and Gomez were seen cozying up to each other on the set of The Chelsea Handler Show (via TMZ). According to the outlet, Gomez and Bloom were hanging out together when a photographer started clicking pictures. This allegedly forced the actor to leave.
This allegedly happened when Gomez was on a break from Justin Bieber, and Bloom had divorced supermodel Miranda Kerr. It was reported that they were allegedly trying to make Bieber and Kerr jealous after the latter two were seen flirting at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that year.
Bloom and the Who Says singer also appeared together in a group photo on Instagram at the time, where they were seen hanging out with Seth Rogen at an event. Gomez and Bloom denied that they hooked up at the time. However, they were later caught in more romantic photos in May 2016 (via TMZ).
These photos broke the internet at the time because Bloom was allegedly dating Katy Perry at the time. Bloom and Perry would end up getting separated in February 2017, only to reconcile in April 2018. They were engaged in 2019, but they recently ended their relationship.
3. Justin Bieber’s Secret Liaisons With Kendall Jenner
It wasn’t just Kylie Jenner who came between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Her sister, Kendall Jenner, also allegedly caused issues in their relationship (at least according to some sources). In October 2014, just months after the Kylie Jenner allegations at Coachella, sources linked Bieber and Kendall after spotting them at an intimate dinner date in Paris in September.
The younger Jenner sister and Gomez allegedly didn’t get along, with sources calling them frenemies. According to Daily Mail, Bieber and Jenner enjoyed dinner at Ferdi in Paris, without the company of the Wizards of Waverly Place actress. A source shared about Gomez’s reaction to their outing with InTouch Weekly:
She went crazy. Selena was absolutely livid when she found out Justin had dinner with Kendall. He lied to her about it. She was so angry that she changed her flight to come back to LA two days early and told him their relationship was over – again.
A source told Us Weekly that Gomez didn’t “trust Kendall’s motives” (via Daily Mail). InTouch’s source shared that Gomez had allegedly found text messages between Bieber and Jenner. The report said, “It turns out Justin has been texting Kendall the whole time, and Paris wasn’t the first time they secretly had dinner together.”
2. Justin Bieber’s Accusations About Selena Gomez and Zayn Malik
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber allegedly had a major drama on Instagram back in 2016. The alleged drama started out when Bieber shared that some fans (Jelena fans) were bullying his girlfriend at the time, Sofia Richie, and threatened that he would make his Instagram account private. Interestingly, Gomez chimed in with a casual comment. She shared:
If you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol -it should be special between you two only. Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you. They were there for you before anyone.
Bieber clapped back, sharing that she was using her for attention. He shared, “I’m not one for anyone receiving hate.” Gomez then dropped a major bomb, insinuating that Bieber had cheated on her multiple times. She shared:
Funny how the ones that cheated multiple times, are pointing the finger at the ones that were forgiving and supportive, no wonder fans are mad. Sad. All love.
Bieber didn’t hold back after the accusation and reportedly called her out for cheating on him with One Direction’s Zayn Malik. Interestingly, the claim about Zayn Malik was never officially verified, as the comment apparently disappeared from his post (or it was never posted by Bieber).
DID JUSTIN JUST SAY SELENA CHEATED ON HIM WITH ZAYN pic.twitter.com/p8RTjytKKr
In March 2023, a TikTok user claimed that she had served Zayn and Selena Gomez at the restaurant where she worked. The user shared that they walked hand in hand and made out with each other. However, this claim remains largely unverified.
1. Selena Gomez Accused Justin Bieber of Emotional Abuse
Selena Gomez’s comments in a 2020 interview with NPR sparked major debates after she shared that she experienced emotional abuse during her relationship with Justin Bieber. She shared that she was not trying to be disrespectful towards Bieber, but added that she felt she was a victim of “certain abuse.” She shared:
I’ve found the strength in it. It’s dangerous to stay in a victim mentality. And I’m not being disrespectful. I do feel I was a victim to certain abuse.
She confirmed with the outlet that she would describe her experience as “emotional abuse.” She shared, “Yes, and I think that it’s something that … I had to find a way to understand it as an adult.” She further shared:
As much as I definitely don’t want to spend the rest of my life talking about this, I am really proud that I can say I feel the strongest I’ve ever felt and I’ve found a way to just walk through it with as much grace as possible.
During his appearance on Zane Lowe’s podcast, Bieber admitted to being reckless in his previous relationship. He shared that he had a lot of work to do when it came to relationships, adding that his wife Hailey Bieber helped him through the difficult times. He shared (via Glamour):
In my previous relationship, I went off and just went crazy and went wild, just was being reckless. This time, I took the time to really build myself and focus on me, and try to make the right decisions and all that sort of stuff. And yeah, I got better.
A year before, he revealed in an Instagram post that he had “started doing heavy drugs at 19 and abused all my relationships” (via NBC). He further wrote, “I became resentful, disrespectful to women and angry.” He shared that it took him years to come out of these harmful relationship habits.
What do you think about Bieber and Gomez’s tumultuous relationship? Let us know in the comments below!
