Having grown up in the spotlight as the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, Hailey Bieber has undergone quite the transformation. From founding her own skincare brand to marrying pop superstar Justin Bieber, Hailey’s popularity has only continued to increase. But being a recognizable celebrity isn’t always smooth sailing, and Hailey has faced her own share of hardships and difficulties, leading fans to worry about the star.
Despite regularly being forced to shut down rumors regarding her life and marriage, Hailey has always embraced being a grown up. “I couldn’t wait to just adult,” she told GQ in 2023. “I was young, eyes wide open, super independent, couldn’t wait to move out, couldn’t wait to make my own money.” She told the publication that she left home at 17 and hasn’t looked back since.
While Hailey has experienced immense success in her life, she has also faced scandals, rumors, health scares, and family drama. Here, we explore why we’re worried about Hailey Bieber.
She had a mini-stroke because of a congenital heart defect
In March 2022, Hailey Bieber faced a terrifying ordeal when she was admitted to hospital following a suspected stroke. The following month, Hailey shared a YouTube video explaining the medical incident that led to her hospital stay, revealing intimate details about her health to fans. “All of a sudden, I felt this really weird sensation that kind of like, traveled down my arm from my shoulder all the way down to my fingertips, and it made my fingertips feel really numb and weird,” she explained. She was having breakfast with husband Justin Bieber at the time, who was understandably concerned about the symptoms his wife was experiencing. “I couldn’t speak,” she said. “The right side of my face started drooping.”
Medical professionals conducted a series of tests on the model to determine what had occurred. It was discovered that Hailey had experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, which happens when there is a temporary blockage of blood to the brain. It was determined that Hailey’s TIA may have been caused by factors such as taking birth control pills despite experiencing migraines, recovering from a recent COVID-19 infection, and taking a long haul flight without standing up to stretch her legs or wearing compression socks. Hailey also discovered that a hole in her heart, on account of a congenital heart defect, had allowed the blood clot to travel to her brain.
She got married without being ‘in any serious relationships’ first
Having previously dated one another in 2014 and 2015, Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber reconnected in June 2018. At the time, Justin had recently broken off a rekindled romance with his ex, Selena Gomez. After getting back together, Hailey and Justin’s relationship moved incredibly fast, and the pair were engaged by July 2018. As a result, Hailey found herself approaching marriage as a relatively inexperienced person, having barely dated anyone else.
During an appearance on Zaza World Radio’s Valentine’s Day Special on Apple Music (via E! News), Hailey discussed marrying her pop superstar husband when she was just 21 years old. “I think if you’re talking about me specifically, [I’m] somebody who was never really in any serious relationships,” she explained. “… So for me, trying to cohabitate with someone and learn how to like, do life with another person, that directly has just been interesting.” As well as having to adjust to living with Justin, marriage was also a shock to the system for Hailey, who had never really considered just how big of a commitment getting married would be. “I think the forever aspect for me is just, like, you don’t think about that until you get married,” she said. “And then you’re like … this is forever. Meaning, like, there is no end.” Hopefully, Hailey and Justin have gotten used to being a partnership since then.
She’s scared to have kids because of constant criticism
Being married to Justin Bieber has posed some serious challenges for Hailey Bieber, particularly as she’s had to become accustomed to receiving a slew of hate mail and criticism from strangers online. In an interview with The Sunday Times, it was revealed why Hailey’s worried about having kids with Justin. “I literally cry about this all the time,” she told the publication. “I want kids so bad but I get scared.” She continued, “It’s enough that people say things about my husband or my friends. I can’t imagine having to confront people saying things about a child.”
While Hailey has some reservations about becoming a mom while facing so much criticism from the general public, she hasn’t ruled out the prospect. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the model was candid about how much work goes into maintaining her relationship with husband Justin. “I might fly somewhere and go do a job, but I can’t wait to come back and hang out,” she told the outlet. “And I feel like that’s because of the effort that’s been put in on both sides.” Noting that being married required a lot of work, Hailey also suggested she wasn’t oblivious to the fact that raising children wouldn’t be easy either. “And then I know eventually, when kids come in the picture, that’s going to be a whole other season of navigating how to make that work,” she explained.
She was accused of cultural appropriation when trying to start a makeup trend
In August 2022, a beauty trend landed Hailey Bieber in hot water when she shared a TikTok video showing off a very polished makeup look, which included shimmery eyeshadow and a lot of lip gloss. Bieber captioned the video, “ready for all the fall things including brownie glazed lips.” While the model’s post may have seemed innocuous to some, the suggestion she’d created a new makeup trend by layering lip gloss over brown lip liner was actually hugely problematic.
As noted by Time, wearing lip liner with lip gloss has been a popular trend for decades, created and popularized by Black and brown women and a subculture of Mexican Americans known as cholas. Historically, the makeup industry hasn’t catered to everyone. In lieu of finding nude lip liners, women would use eyeliners and brow pencils as lip liners, finishing the look with clear lip gloss, per the outlet. Hence, Bieber’s decision to dub the style as “brownie glazed lips” appears to undermine where the trend actually originated.
In response to Bieber’s video, one X (formerly known as Twitter) user discussed the real origins of the style, writing, “i’m crying because she took a lip combo that black and latina women have been wearing since the 90s and named it ‘brownie glazed lips’ to make it sound cute lol like if you gonna try to make something trend then least you could do is give credit from where you got the inspo.”
She’s regularly bullied by Selena Gomez fans
Fans have always been fascinated about what happened with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Unfortunately, love for the former couple, once dubbed “Jelena,” caused Hailey Bieber to be on the receiving end of some pretty intense backlash when she started dating the “Sorry” singer. In December 2020, Justin was forced to respond to a particularly hateful video in which a so-called fan directed abuse at Hailey, saying (via People), “We need to f***ing bombard that s*** with Jelena and how Selena is better.” In an Instagram Story, Justin replied to the video, writing, “It is extremely hard to choose the high road when I see people like this try and rally to gather people to bully the person I love most in this world.” Sadly, this was not an isolated incident.
After being pitted against one another on social media for years, Hailey and Gomez decided to call a truce, hoping that fans would follow suit. In an Instagram Story posted in March 2023, Gomez told her followers (via Elle), “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity. This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying.” Hailey posted her own Instagram Story about the situation, in which she thanked Justin’s ex for standing up against bullying. Whether or not the drama is truly over for good remains to be seen, however.
Hailey’s dad asked fans to pray for his daughter’s marriage
In February 2024, Hailey Bieber’s dad, Stephen Baldwin, who lost all of his money, stoked concern regarding his daughter’s marriage. Baldwin caught everyone’s attention when he shared an Instagram post written by his pastor Victor Marx, who runs the All Things Possible ministry. In the since-deleted post, Marx wrote (via Yahoo!), “Christians, please when you think of Justin & Hailey, take a moment to offer a little prayer for them to have wisdom, protection and to draw close to the Lord.” Revealing that the Biebers were a regular focus of prayer in his household, Marx also explained, “There are special challenges that folks in high visibility positions face … they often face spiritual warfare that intense and seeks to ship-wreck their faith, marriage, and life in general.”
While Marx didn’t explicitly say that Hailey and Justin Bieber’s marriage may not last, Stephen Baldwin’s decision to share the post mentioning them led some onlookers to wonder if there was trouble in paradise. According to the National Enquirer (via RadarOnline.com), Hailey was understandably upset about the Instagram post, with a source claiming the model told her dad to stop publicly commenting on her relationship. Basically, Hailey quickly shut down those Justin Bieber divorce rumors, and her father may have found himself in hot water as a result.
Reports claim Hailey is struggling with Justin’s ‘spiraling’ behavior
Justin and Hailey Bieber were once again hit with negative rumors regarding the state of their marriage in April 2024 after the “Baby” singer took to the stage with Tems at Coachella. InTouch reported that Justin was welcomed back to the stage, having taken an elongated break from performing following diagnoses with Lyme disease and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, the latter of which caused him to experience partial paralysis in his face. However, the outlet also quoted a source who suggested the musician was far from okay, saying, “He finally got his health back, but now friends are worried that he’s spiraling again.”
According to the publication, those close to Justin were aware he’d experienced multiple difficulties with his health, including allegedly developing a reliance on alcohol and drugs. Discussing Hailey’s role in Justin’s recovery, a source told the outlet, “…there’s only so much Hailey can do to keep Justin from going off the rails again.” Whether or not there is genuine concern regarding Justin’s well-being is unclear, but if the report’s source is to be believed, Hailey may have had a hard time supporting her husband.
Fans think Hailey and Justin live in different houses
One of the stranger theories regarding Hailey and Justin Bieber’s marriage alleged that the couple don’t actually live in the same property. In April 2024, fans started speculating that the pair might live apart after they arrived to dinner in separate vehicles, but left the meal at different times. While this is far from enough evidence to confirm that Justin and Hailey don’t live together, some onlookers had already suggested that the couple’s romance was on the rocks. For instance, one X (formerly known as Twitter) user wrote, “[Justin and Hailey] seem like the type of couple that sleep in separate rooms.”
In March 2024, the separation rumors appeared to escalate when InTouch quoted a source who alleged Hailey was considering a split from Justin. “Hailey’s struggling,” the source told the outlet. “She just needs time to sort things out on her own.” According to the source, Hailey had even suggested trying a trial separation from Justin, saying, “Hailey just wants to live by herself for a while.” While it seems unlikely rumors regarding the couple living in separate houses had any truth to them, that didn’t stop the general public from wondering.
Hailey revealed she’d had ‘the saddest, hardest moments’ in her life in 2023
In April 2023, Hailey Bieber got candid about her mental and emotional health in an Instagram Story. Opening up to fans, Bieber explained (via Billboard), “But truthfully since 2023 started I have had some of the saddest, hardest moments I’ve ever had in my adult life and my mind and emotions have been fragile to say the least. And I know so many other people feel the way I feel so just know you’re not alone.”
Although she didn’t elaborate on the struggles she was experiencing, Hailey and husband, Justin Bieber, have both faced some challenging health diagnoses, while navigating the difficulties caused by being a celebrity in the public eye.
Having shared such a personal message on Instagram, Hailey was able to remain positive, and encouraged her followers to support one another. “Let’s be there for loved ones and friends and family and strangers,” she explained. “Let’s just be there for people.” Hopefully Hailey was able to find support in her lowest moments, too.
She was forced to address rumors of cheating in her marriage
Hailey Bieber was pushed to defend her marriage to Justin Bieber in March 2024, after a number of blind items seemed to allege that she’d been having an affair behind her husband’s back. One such rumor alleged that Hailey was engaged in an affair with the billionaire David Rotchschild, although there appeared to be zero evidence regarding the supposed extramarital relationship. In an Instagram Story, Hailey debunked the widespread rumors, writing (via 7News), “Just FYI the stories and constant ‘blind items’ I see (on social media) are 100% of the time wrong.” She continued, “So I know it may be fun feeding into these stories but just know they’re always false.” She then apologized for spoiling the entertaining rumors by sharing the truth.
According to InTouch (via Yahoo!), a source also alleged that Hailey had become overly close with a male friend, leading the pair to have an emotional affair. As the source told the publication, “She swears it’s not romantic, but straddles the line of what’s appropriate in a marriage.” While there doesn’t seem to be any proof that Hailey cheated on Justin, either emotionally or physically, the couple have continually had to contend with rumors of discord in their marriage.
Hailey Bieber faced accusations of rudeness and racism
As the wife of international superstar Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber is an incredibly recognizable figure. And that comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. As a result, Hailey’s behavior is regularly scrutinized by strangers on the Internet, and people she has interacted with in the real world. The Rhode Skin founder was called out by restaurant hostess, Julia Carolan, who shared a series of TikToks regarding celebrities she’d served while working in New York City. Discussing Hailey, Carolan said, “This is gonna be controversial.” She continued, “I’ve met her a handful of times and every time she was not nice. I really wanna like her, but I have to give her a 3.5 out of 10. Sorry.” According to JustJared, Hailey ended up apologizing to Carolan, but the damage to her reputation was likely already done.
Following her rise to fame, Hailey’s old Internet posts were also reshared online, and the model was accused of being racist, sexist, and homophobic. For instance, in a since-deleted X (formerly known as Twitter) post, Hailey wrote (via RadarOnline.com), “Shut up before I smack you back to your own country!” Some of Hailey’s alleged social media posts contained explicit language, and appeared to target a number of minorities. While the model was much younger when she shared these ignorant posts and offensive messages, onlookers started to wonder if they’d witnessed the shady side of Hailey Bieber.
