It Was Always Hailey: The Complete Timeline Of Justin And Hailey Bieber’s Relationship

Millions of fans around the world rejoiced in early May when Justin and Hailey Bieber announced they were having their first baby. Since then, they have been in the spotlight even more than usual, prompting us to take a trip down memory lane at the invisible string that seemingly tied them to one another over the past 15 years.

2009: Justin and Hailey Meet for the First Time

While most couples have a cute story to tell their future kids about how they first met, Justin and Hailey actually have video evidence. When Hailey was 13, her father, Stephen Baldwin, took her to the set of the Today Show to meet the 15-year-old budding pop star. The video of their first meeting shows Hailey awkwardly shaking Justin’s hand while her dad makes the introductions, but it didn’t take long for the two teens to get acquainted.

Shortly after their wedding ceremony, Hailey discussed their first meeting during an appearance on The Tonight Show, where she said, “We met because my dad brought me to the Today Show when Justin performed there. He was no more than 15, I think.”

When asked if she was a fan of his at the time, Hailey responded, “To be honest, and this is the truth, he was so new that I didn’t really know a lot about him yet.” 

She continued, “I met him and his mom with my dad. We kind of just connected as friends, and we invited them over to our house the next day. He and his mom came over for family dinner, and we went bowling.”

2014: Dating Rumors Start

In November 2014, Justin started attending Hillsong Church in Los Angeles, the same church that Hailey and her friend Kendall Jenner attended. Hailey and Justin struck up a friendship, and dating rumors began shortly thereafter, which both Hailey and Justin denied. In a photo of the two of them posted to Instagram in December 2014, Justin wrote, “People are crazy. I'm super single and this is my good friend u would know otherwise.”

2016: Justin Posts a Kissing Photo, but Hailey Claims They're Just Friends

Justin posted a picture on Instagram of him and Hailey kissing at a New Year’s Eve party in January 2016, but Hailey told E! Online that she and Justin are “just friends.” 

Justin echoed a similar sentiment in an interview but didn’t write off a possible relationship with Hailey in the future. Justin told GQ the following month that Hailey is “someone I really love.” 

He said, “I don’t want to put anyone in a position where they feel like I’m only theirs, only to be hurt in the end. Right now in my life, I don’t want to be held down by anything. I already have a lot that I have to commit to. A lot of responsibilities. I don’t want to feel like the girl I love is an added responsibility. I know that in the past I’ve hurt people and said things that I didn’t mean to make them happy in the moment. So now I’m just more so looking at the future, making sure I’m not damaging them. What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged. It’s really hard to fix wounds like that. It’s so hard… I just don’t want to hurt her.”

"What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged."

Though his statement is telling of his feelings for her, it would still take a few more years before the pair made things official.

This was also the year when Justin and Hailey stopped speaking to each other, and some fans believe it's because Justin started dating Sofia Richie. In May 2018, Hailey told The Times that she and Justin “went through a long period of time when we weren’t friends” but “moved past it.”

Summer 2018: Justin and Hailey Officially Start Dating and Get Engaged

Justin dated Selena Gomez in early 2018 and Hailey was linked to Shawn Mendes, but Justin and Hailey finally – and officially – got together at a religious conference in June.

A month later, Justin proposed to Hailey. He confirmed the engagement on Instagram, where he wrote, "Hailey I am soooo in love with everything about you! So committed to spending my life getting to know every single part of you loving you patiently and kindLY."

He continued, "My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first! You are the love of my life Hailey Baldwin and I wouldn't want to spend it with anybody else."

Fall 2018: Courthouse Wedding

Justin and Hailey were quick to get engaged, so it only makes sense that they wanted to make it “until death do us part” official ASAP. They were spotted at a courthouse in Manhattan two months after getting engaged in September, and Hailey confirmed the rumors by changing her last name from Baldwin to Bieber on Instagram.

March 2019: Selena Fans Bully Hailey on Social Media

Some Selena Gomez fans started bullying Hailey online for “stealing” Justin from her when they first started officially dating in 2018. While it had been happening for a while, Justin seemed to have had enough in early 2019. 

He stood up for Hailey on Instagram, where he wrote, “I absolutely loved and love Selena she will always hold a place in my heart, but I am head over heels in love with my wife and she is absolutely the BEST THING that has ever happened to me period....This is a reply to all immature sick people who send Hailey hurtful messages like ‘he always goes back to Selena’ or ‘Selena is better for him’ YOU HAVE NO IDEA MY LIFE AND WHATs good for me. Hailey is my Bride period if you don’t like that or support that that means you don’t support me and if you don’t support me your not a fan nor a good person.”

September 2019: South Carolina Wedding

One year after their courthouse wedding, Justin and Hailey wed again in a lavish ceremony at Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. Hailey wore a stunning custom gown designed by Virgil Abloh for Off White. The star-studded wedding guest list included Kendall Jenner, Scooter Braun, Usher, and country music duo Dan + Shay, among others.

March 2021: Hailey Gives Pandemic Marriage Update

The coronavirus pandemic was a trying time for many marriages across the country, and it was no different for celebrities. 2020 was a year of many celebrity breakups and divorces, including beloved couples Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler, and Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly. Luckily for the Biebers however, the pandemic seemingly only brought them closer together.

“I learn new things about him and about myself and about our relationship all the time. Do we have little fights and stuff that we have to work through sometimes? Yeah, of course, but it really doesn’t ever feel like work because I love him so much. I see forever with him,” Hailey told Elle Magazine in March 2021.

When asked about how she deals with being in a public marriage with fans still doubting their relationship, she said, “If you look at celebrity relationships, most fail? Yeah, for sure. I think any relationship can fail, Hollywood or not. Is it harder in the public eye? Absolutely. But I think the two of us are grounded by our faith. I’m not saying it’s this easy-peasy thing that doesn’t take work. We talk to a therapist. We do what we have to do.”

Though they made it through the pandemic and strengthened their relationship, things haven’t always been picture-perfect for the Biebers.

May 2021: Justin Opens Up About Marriage Struggles

Although Hailey has been open in the press about how their marriage isn’t perfect, Justin seems to prefer to keep things private. However, when he graced the cover of the May 2021 issue of GQ, he did discuss some of the ups and downs of his marriage. He said, "The first year of marriage was really tough because there was a lot, going back to the trauma stuff. There was just a lack of trust. There were all these things that you don't want to admit to the person that you're with because it's scary. You don't want to scare them off by saying, ‘I'm scared.'"

Lucky for them, things have gotten better. Justin continued, "We're just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we're building these memories. And it's beautiful that we have that to look forward to. Before, I didn't have that to look forward to in my life. My home life was unstable. Like, my home life was not existing. I didn't have a significant other. I didn't have someone to love. I didn't have someone to pour into. But now I have that."

March 2022: Hailey's Health Scare

In March 2022, Hailey took to her Instagram story to share that she was hospitalized after experiencing a “very small blood clot.” She wrote, "On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital. They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own, and I recovered completely within a few hours."

She continued, "I'm so grateful and thankful to all the amazing doctors and nurses who took care of me! Thank you to everyone who has reached out with well wishes and concern, and for all the support and love."

While Justin was incredibly supportive and Hailey recovered quickly, this was just the beginning of frightening health struggles for the Biebers.

April 2022: Hailey Begs Selena's Fans To Leave Her Alone

The harassment from Selena’s fans continued into 2022, which Hailey addressed in a viral TikTok. “Leave me alone at this point. I’m minding my business. I don’t do anything. I don’t say anything. Leave me alone, please,” she begins. “Enough time has gone by where it’s valid to leave me alone. I beg of you, truly. That’s my only request. Leave me alone. Be miserable somewhere else, please.”

June 2022: Justin Is Diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Three months after Hailey's health scare, Justin was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which forced him to halt his Justice World Tour to focus on his health. On his Instagram, he shared, “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. I’m just physically not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case. But obviously, my body is telling me I need to slow down.”

While fans were deeply concerned, Hailey clarified that things were going to be okay during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, calling it a “really out-of-nowhere, weird situation that takes time to get better.”

September 2022: Hailey Clears the Air over Selena Gomez Rumors

There have been rumors about Hailey feuding with Justin's most famous ex, Selena Gomez, for as long as she and Justin have been together, as many fans believe the two relationships overlapped. Hailey went on the Call Her Daddy podcast in 2022 to officially address the rumors once and for all, saying, “I can say, period, point blank, I was never with him when he was in a relationship with anybody – that's the end of it.”

She also mentioned that she and Selena have cleared the air and that she has plenty of respect for her. After the interview went viral, Selena pled with her fans to stop harassing Hailey on TikTok Live. “I think some of the things that I don’t even need to be aware of are just vile and disgusting,” she said. “And it's not fair because no one ever should be spoken to in the manner that I've seen and all I have to say is it’s incredibly ironic that I would release something that is all about kind words 'cause that’s exactly what I want. That’s it.”

October 2022: Hailey and Selena Post a Photo Together

After years of fan speculation, both Hailey and Selena joined forces to squash rumors. The two were photographed hugging at the Academy Museum Gala, and it's safe to say that the picture broke the internet.

An inside source told Entertainment Tonight, “Selena and Hailey were both super chill together at the Academy Museum Gala. They've both moved on and are happy in their own lives. They wanted to show the world that there's no beef or bad feelings between them anymore.”

Although this night certainly didn't stop many fans from creating a new controversy between the two stars only weeks later, it's safe to assume that most people have moved on and accepted that they'll won't be addressing the drama any further.

May 2024: The Biebers Announce Hailey's Pregnancy 

The Biebers made headlines yet again in early May when Hailey uploaded a video on Instagram to announce her pregnancy. Aside from a handful of cute bump photos, the pair have been fairly tight-lipped on the details.

Fans were excited for several reasons. Both Justin and Hailey have always been open about wanting to have children. At the end of 2020, Justin expressed a wish to have a baby in 2021, saying, “hopefully we squish out a nugget.” He also told Ellen DeGeneres that he wants “to have as many kids as Hailey is willing to push out” and that he wants “a little tribe.” Hailey told The Times in 2018 that she wanted to get married and have children in the next five to ten years.

The health and personal struggles that they've both faced over the past few years make the pregnancy news so much sweeter, and we can't wait to see them become parents.

Closing Thoughts

From meeting as teenagers to a whirlwind courtship to expecting their first child together, Justin and Hailey Bieber’s love story could make the even the biggest skeptic believe in love. Looking back, it's clear that it's always been Hailey, and we wouldn't want it any other way.

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