- Over the years, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber have been pitted against each other in the beauty space and beyond, though they have supported each other as recently as 2024.
- Fans theorized that Hailey threw shade at Selena and her brand, Rare Beauty, when discussing Rhode’s Sephora launch with WSJ Magazine.
- Sources close to Hailey told TMZ that she wasn’t referring to Selena, but other skincare brands during the interview.
To reach, or not to reach? Just when we thought the internet was done pitting Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber against each other, another theory about their rumored rift has taken over our social feeds. The latest development comes after the Rhode founder’s cover story interview with WSJ Magazine dropped on Tuesday, October 14, where she discussed the recent $1 billion sale of her beauty brand and how it landed at Sephora.
When asked if she thinks fans would compare Rhode against Selena’s beauty brand, Rare Beauty, once it hit Sephora shelves, Hailey’s publicist reportedly told her to skip the question. The model-turned-mogul responded either way, admitting, “It’s always annoying being pitted against other people. I didn’t ask for that.”
She added, “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.”
Elsewhere in the interview, she was asked whether she “feels competitive” with other brands at the beauty retailer. “I think there is space for everybody. I don’t feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by,” she said, explaining that she’s the most competitive with herself.
Naturally, this caused fans to side-eye Hailey, but sources “connected” to the model have since told TMZ that she didn’t diss the “Sunset Blvd” singer during the interview. Per the outlet, “What she said was in reference to other skincare brands—not a particular person.”
TMZ’s sources insist that Hailey “did NOT discuss Selena in the article” and that her quotes were “not in response to anything involving Selena.” They doubled down, adding that WSJ made it appear she responded to a question about her husband’s ex.
This isn’t the first time Hailey has expressed this kind of frustration. Back in June 2023, she told Bloomberg’s The Circuit that she “hates” how she and Selena are constantly pitted against each other.
“I’ve hated it since the beginning and it goes back to being misunderstood,” she said. “Time and time again, I say there is no issue, and it’s so disappointing that people still behave this way over a man.”
TL;DR: Nothing to see here, people.
