Justin Bieber has ignited a firestorm on social media after eagle-eyed fans accused the singer of liking a nostalgic photo of him kissing his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez. The incident has reignited intense speculation among followers of the pop stars' long and complicated history.
The 'Like' That Started It All
The drama centres on a throwback image from 20 March 2016, showing Justin and Selena sharing a kiss. As part of a recent social media trend revisiting posts from that year, the photo resurfaced. Underneath it, a comment in Spanish reading 'Vivan los novios' – meaning 'Long live the bride and groom!' – was allegedly liked by Justin's official account. The user who posted the comment claimed the 31-year-old 'Peaches' hitmaker had pressed the like button, only to undo the action several hours later.
This fleeting interaction was enough to send the fan community into overdrive. The decade-old post, which now boasts over 4.1 million likes and 1 million comments, was suddenly flooded with reactions. Fans shared memes, popcorn GIFs, and quoted Hailey Bieber's own 2016 throwback caption: 'you just had to be there'. One fan wrote on Hailey's post, 'Meanwhile justin out here liking pics of him and his first love'.
A History of On-Again, Off-Again Romance
The intense reaction underscores the enduring public fascination with 'Jelena'. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's relationship was a defining pop culture narrative, spanning from December 2010 to March 2018. Their split coincided with Justin rekindling his romance with model Hailey Baldwin, whom he married in a whirlwind ceremony in 2018. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Jack, in 2024.
Despite both stars moving on – Selena, 33, married music producer Benny Blanco last year – the shadow of their past relationship lingers. Hailey Bieber has openly addressed the constant comparisons, telling WSJ. Magazine in 2023, 'It's always annoying being pitted against other people... I don't feel competitive with people that I'm not inspired by.'
Context and Denials
The alleged like incident occurred just days after Hailey Bieber herself participated in the 2016 trend, posting a romantic throwback snap of her and Justin kissing by the ocean. This came shortly after she denied posting a video alluding to marital 'abuse'.
Justin Bieber's representatives have been contacted by The Daily Mail for comment regarding the social media activity. Whether the like was a deliberate nostalgic gesture, a simple scroll-induced accident, or a technical glitch remains the subject of fervent online debate, proving that some celebrity chapters are never fully closed in the eyes of the public.
