A Complete History of Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez's On-Again, Off-Again Relationship
In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Selena Gomez admitted that her on-and-off romance with Justin Bieber inspired the emotional track: “Everybody wants to form their own opinions anyway. I think the biggest problem I had this year — even with [Justin] and on his side — is identity.”
Although they initially wrote off their 2010 date at a Philadelphia IHOP as a friendly hangout, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez finally went public as a couple at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in February 2011. That same year, Gomez opened up to Seventeen about coming forward with their relationship after months of being coy. "I don't like hiding. I do like to keep certain things to myself, but at the end of the day, I'm 18 and I'm going to fall in love," she revealed. "I'm going to hang out with people and I'm going to explore myself, and I'm okay with that."
After bringing their relationship into the spotlight, the performers became more comfortable with packing on the PDA at high-profile events, like they did at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, with Bieber and Gomez sharing a kiss as he accepted one of his many awards. Bieber even planted a smooch on his girlfriend's cheek while she cohosted the MTV VMAs pre-show in August. "I don't ever want her to feel like I'm ashamed of her," Bieber told Oprah Winfrey in 2012 of his decision to go public with his relationship despite fan backlash.
Despite their picture-perfect romance, which included a PDA-heavy appearance at the 2011 American Music Awards, Bieber was embroiled in weeks-long accusations that he fathered a baby with a fan, Mariah Yeater. In November, paternity tests were completed, subsequently debunking Yeater's claims.
A few months after Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, shot down rumors that the singers were engaged, breakup rumors began to plague the couple in September 2012. "It's really fun. I'm lucky. I'm 20. I don't take anything in my personal life too seriously," she told Teen Vogue. "I have great friends and a solid group of people I love. I feel like everything else will come organically."
After a whirlwind romance that spanned two years, the duo called it quits in November 2012. "She broke up with him about a week ago," a source told PEOPLE. "With them being apart so much it got complicated. She had some trust issues. It's not easy, but the relationship needed to end." A few days later, the couple was spotted grabbing dinner together — though the reunion still led to an uncoupling.
The new year introduced the world to a newly single Gomez, who opened up about the breakup during a March 2013 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, revealing her current relationship status (single!) and that she made her famous ex cry.
Bieber seemed to be toying with his fans and fellow Jelena shippers' hearts for a good chunk of 2013 whenever he'd post cuddly throwback pics of himself and his ex. An April 2013 photo in particular featured Gomez wrapping her arms around a shirtless Bieber. His caption read: " 'You've been makin music for too long babe come cuddle' -her." The rampant reconciliation rumors turned out to hold some truth. In April 2013, an insider told PEOPLE Gomez traveled to Oslo, Norway, to be with Bieber during his performance. "They were holding hands, hugging and they kissed on the lips," said the source. "They looked really in love, like no fights ever happened before. It definitely looked like they were back together."
Although Bieber told radio host Big Boy that he and Gomez were in an off phase of their relationship, the singer did reveal that he would always care about the starlet. "[The breakup] affected us, especially when we are in front of so many people," Bieber said in December 2013, adding that his song "All That Matters" is about his ex. "It's such a public thing. It's just hard for the both of us. But you know, she's a great woman. I love her [to] this day."
After Bieber's alleged August 2014 scuffle with Orlando Bloom, which went down after the actor was spotted with Gomez outside of a Chelsea Handler show, the singer confirmed the duo were back on again during his September 2014 legal deposition for assaulting a paparazzi.
Though Bieber's pal Justin Tranter wrote the hit track, Gomez was given a heads-up about the personal song. Many of the songs off his Purpose album are also rumored to be written about the "Wolves" singer. "When we knew ‘Sorry’ was happening and when it was official and Justin cut it, we called her and said, ‘Just so you know, this song’s coming out,’ because these are real people’s lives. This is real life, and you have to be real with your friends," Tranter previously revealed.
In December 2014, Bieber posted a series of Instagram snapshots while on vacation with model Hailey Baldwin. The getaway prompted speculation of a new romance, which Bieber quickly shut down, writing on his Instagram: "People are crazy. I'm super single and this is my good friend u would know otherwise [sic]."
After collaborating with Zedd on her hit single, "I Want You to Know," Gomez and the deejay began dating in March 2015. "He's this cute little German, and he's got really beautiful eyes, and he's very sweet and funny," she told Radio Disney. Although their romance was short-lived, Gomez harbors no bad blood for her Zedd. "I adore Anton [Zedd] a lot and I definitely had a thing with him, which was nice," she said during a July 2015 interview. Meanwhile, Bieber is rumored to be romantically linked to a variety of female celebs, from Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner to model Jayde Pierce.
The Biebs opted for a more lived-in version of the pompadour style he rocked back in 2012 with this imperfect combed-back do.
At one of her May 2016 performances during her Revival tour, Gomez took a fan's sign that read "Marry Justin Please" and crumpled it without verbally acknowledging the message. The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral.
In August 2016, Bieber threatened to leave Instagram after his rumored relationship with Sofia Richie was met with criticism from fans. "I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate," Bieber captioned a black-and-white photo with the model. "This is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that I like." Gomez quickly weighed in with her own bit of advice. "If you can't handle the hate, then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol – It should be special between you two only," Gomez commented on his post. "Don't be mad at your fans. They love you and supported you before any one ever did." Bieber responded: "It's funny to see people that used me for attention and still try to point the finger this way." The back-and-forth didn't last long, however. Gomez eventually took to her Snapchat to apologize for her initial comment.
Talk about a happy new year! In January 2017, Gomez and The Weeknd were spotted together for the first time, kicking off a whirlwind romance that would span 10 months. They made their red carpet debut at the Met Gala that May. "It's really hard when I would want to spend so much time hiding things," Gomez told host Ryan Seacrest of going public with their relationship. The "Bad Liar" singer explained a little further, saying, "It's too much pressure, and I think everyone gets over everything eventually ... I just want to be happy. If that's me just being myself, then I don't really care."
Following their 10-month romance, Gomez — who, in September 2017, revealed she underwent a kidney transplant — and The Weeknd called it quits that October. "She and Abel have been going back and forth for a few months about their relationship," an insider told PEOPLE. "It's been hard with him being on tour and her shooting in New York. That wasn't easy on them."
The former flames continue to fuel reconciliation rumors in the wake of Gomez's split from The Weeknd. They've gone bike riding together and Gomez was seen cheering Bieber on at his hockey game — even sporting the singer's New Jersey Devils hockey jersey. An insider close to the pair told PEOPLE, "Justin is happy Selena is single. He hopes to regain her trust so they can get back together." Though nothing is official yet, Bieber is apparently determined to win back her heart. "They have so much to catch up on," said the source. “They dealt with things separately this year that made them different people. It wouldn’t be surprising if they got back together."
They may not officially be back on, but Gomez and Bieber are still seeing each other — but keeping their dates low-key. After being photographed multiple times together riding bikes, heading to dinner and attending church, "they just backed off a little from being out there," a source told PEOPLE. Another source told PEOPLE, "Justin is still very happy. They have had quiet date nights at home and outings to local, low-key spots. They are still catching up and just enjoy hanging out. They have learned from past mistakes and are not putting any pressure on each other. Things are much different and more mature."
Teefey honored Scarlett, a baby she lost to a miscarriage in 2011, in December and reflected on her relationship with her daughters. "A mom's love for their children is pretty fierce. In order of my girls, Selena, Scarlett and Gracie," wrote Teefey in an emotional caption on Instagram. "Family is what matters."
"I moved in with my girlfriend [Selena Gomez] when I was 18. Started my own life with her. It was a marriage kind of thing. Living with a girl, it was just too much at that age. But we were so in love. Nothing else mattered. We were all about each other. But when it's like that and you get your value from that, people will always disappoint you. Your girl or your dude, they're always going to disappoint you. Your full identity can't be in that person. My identity was in her. Her identity was in me. When stuff would happen, I would lose my freakin' mind, and she would lose her mind, and we would fight so hard because we were so invested in each other. Love is a choice. Love is not a feeling. People have made it seem in movies that it's this fairy tale. That's not what love is. You're not gonna want to love your girl sometimes but you're gonna choose to love her. That's something in life that I had to figure out." — to Complex
"THE HEART WANTS WHAT IT WANTS"
In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Selena Gomez admitted that her on-and-off romance with Justin Bieber inspired the emotional track: “Everybody wants to form their own opinions anyway. I think the biggest problem I had this year — even with [Justin] and on his side — is identity.”
Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez: Relationship Timeline
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