Even though he's only 30 and she's 27, Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) have already sparked more rumors than most celebrities in a lifetime. But even by the couple's usual standards, the last few months have been a lot. Fans are constantly poring over their social media activity, convinced that they are on the verge of a divorce, and now Hailey's own father has fueled speculation with a bizarre social media repost. At this point, after months of dutifully covering my ears and eyes as a responsible journalist who doesn't engage in such speculation, even I am forced to ask: What the hell is going on?
For those who didn't spend the 2010s following the many, many updates surrounding Justin Bieber's love life, here's a quick recap: Bieber and Baldwin first met in 2009, when they were both teenagers; She was a fan and her father, actor Stephen Baldwin (brother of Alec Baldwin), was pulling some strings. Years later, the two began hanging out thanks to their mutual friend Kendall Jenner. Bieber reportedly became the world's most prolific romantic ping-pong ball in the 2010s, bouncing between Selena Gomez, his now-wife, and an army of models. That suddenly changed in 2018, when the “Peaches” singer proposed to Hailey just a few months after her (again) split from Selena. Somehow, Hailey said yes, even though things had been icy between the two of them for years.
The Biebers married two months after their engagement, and as their first Vogue profile as a couple documented in 2019, their union was challenging from the start.
“The thing is, marriage is very hard,” Hailey told reporter Rob Haskell. “That’s the sentence you should start with. It’s really fucking hard.”
Aside from the meticulous tabloid coverage that has hung over these two like a loud, chattering cloud for years, their fans have also become part-time detectives, scouring their every social media post for clues to their relationship status. For months they have been convinced that the couple could face a divorce. According to The US Sun, fans' evidence includes a trove of romantic Instagram posts that Hailey appears to have archived. On the other hand, some fans believe that Bieber could be pregnant and preparing for a more conservative era of her branding.
Meanwhile, faceless “sources” tell the tabloids that Hailey is fed up with Justin’s immaturity.
“He acts like a needy child all the time and she constantly has to apologize for him and try to get him to act like an adult,” a supposed insider told Radar Online in September. Recently, in February, InTouch quoted another anonymous chatterbox who said, “Justin is clingy and he relies on her so much for his emotional and psychological well-being.” Sometimes Hailey just wants to end it so she can be alone again… Friends are surprised they lasted this long.”
Before we take any of this too seriously, let's remember an infamous quote from Hailey's Uncle Alec: “Consider the source.” Still, the rumors don't seem to be going away, and now even dad Baldwin has weighed in on the alleged marital problems between Justin and his husband “Favorite Girl” brought to attention. (“Sorry.” I mean…sorry.)
As media outlets like People and Page Six reported earlier this week, Stephen Baldwin shared an Instagram post from All Things Possible Ministries founder Victor Marx – a clip of Bieber strumming a guitar to the song “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever.” “Sing along. by Delirious? and Hillsong worship. Marx's contribution contained strange writing about the video: “Christians, as you think of Justin and Hailey, please take a moment to say a little prayer for them so that they may gain wisdom and protection and draw closer to the Lord.” (The post now appears removed to have been.)
As seen in a screenshot captured by Page Six, Marx also included a caption alongside the video. “I rarely like to post about specific people who are in the spotlight because of the negative comments we get,” he reportedly wrote. “Eileen and Hailey’s mother often pray together for J&H and also for our children.”
The caption continues: “There are special challenges that face people in high-visibility positions, and the enemy doesn’t want them to get closer to Jesus either. So often, no matter the material things or the accolades, they are subjected to such an intense spiritual war that aims to ruin their faith, their marriage and their life in general [sic]. So thank you very much.”
Faith has long been a cornerstone of the Biebers' relationship. As Hailey told Vogue in 2019, “The common denominator, I promise you, is always church.” The two apparently ended their long period of mutual “excommunication” after meeting at a conference in Miami hosted by Vous Church Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. “We were already over the drama by then,” Hailey told Vogue. “I just hugged him. At the end of the conference he said, “We're not going to be friends.” I thought, 'Aren't we?'” The two became engaged within a month.
Apparently church is still an important part of the couple's life. After Hailey's father shared this cryptic post from Marx, People reported that the two were spotted at a late-night service in Los Angeles at Churchome Church at the Saban Theater.
People described the couple as looking “solemn” – she in a bright yellow argyle sweater and he in a slouchy black hoodie with a scarf around his face – but mostly they just look tired. Maybe it's the hour that makes them look so grumpy, or the “enemy” trying to “destroy their faith,” or maybe it's the frustration of having cameras in their faces when they try to go to church Face should be held. Whatever the reason, only the Biebers can say. However, it now seems clear that only a miracle can put an end to this endless speculation.