Selena Gomez has issued a plea to fans following the Hailey Bieber 'feud' allegations with a very firm statement.
Taking to her Instagram story on Friday (17 October), the Only Murders in the Building star appeared to address the rumour mill regarding an alleged rivalry between herself and Hailey - speculations which have been going on for years after the latter became romantically linked with her now-husband, Justin Bieber, who Selena used to date.
Selena, 33, urged her millions of followers: "Just leave the girl alone. She can say whatever she wants. Doesn't affect my life whatsoever."
She added: "It's just about relevance not intelligence. Be kind. All brands inspire me. There is room for everyone. And hopefully we can all stop."
Advert
Fans have since rushed to in praise Selena's 'classy' response to the ordeal, with one X user writing: "That’s the most polite way to say 'I’m done entertaining the circus'. Classy exit from a messy storyline."
"Selena just dropped the classiest mic - calm, direct, and done," penned a second, while a third chimed in: "Well yes cause this narrative is getting tired and derivative."
The statement comes after 28-year-old Hailey shared her admirable five-word remark about the rumoured rivalry with Selena in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, which came out just last week (14 October).
Advert
Now, for context, the latest update in the chronically online saga, which basically sees social media users constantly pit the two women against one another, is speculation surrounding the supposed competition between Hailey's Rhode brand and Selena's Rare Beauty range, both of which are highly successful in their own right.
In the interview, the mum-of-one was described as a new member of 'a growing class of beauty supermoguls' following Rhode's $1 billion sale to Elf Cosmetics and its launch at Sephora, which clearly cements the brand's status high up in the beauty industry alongside Selena's, which is also stocked at Sephora.
Hailey was asked if she was worried that Sephora shoppers might compare Rhode to Rare Beauty, given the decade-spanning theory that there's an unspoken 'rivalry' between her and the 33-year-old actress.
Advert
While her publicist instructed Hailey to skip over the question, it's clear that she was more than happy to offer up an answer and, once again, try to put a stop to the endless avalanche of fan theories once and for all.
"It’s always annoying being pitted against other people," she began before offering up the candid five-word response: "I didn’t ask for that."
Hailey shared: "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."
Advert
Elsewhere in the interview, she was asked if she ever felt 'competitive' now that her Rhode products will 'have to stand up against other Sephora brands'. And, just like before, she found the perfect way to answer the question with grace.
"I think there is space for everybody," she replied.
Topics: Celebrity, Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle