The social media feud between Canadian pop icon Justin Bieber and his ex, fellow pop star Selena Gomez, reached the boiling point when Bieber accused Gomez of ditching him for former One Direction band member Zayn Malik, who is in a relationship with supermodel Gigi Hadid.
The enmity between the two former lovers sprang when Bieber, 22, announced that he would make his Instagram account private after his fans bashed his newest love interest, 17-year-old Sofia Richie, on Sunday.
The “sorry” singer captioned his romantic snap with Richie, “I’m gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don’t stop the hate this is getting out of hand if you guys are real [ly] fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that I like.”
“If you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol – it should be special between you two only,” Gomez wrote. “Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you and supported you before anyone ever did.”
“It’s funny that people used me for attention and try to put the finger this way. Sad. All Love,” he commented. He followed up with, “I’m not the one for everyone receiving hate. Hope you be kind to my friends and each other. And yes, I love my beliebers.”
@selenagomez protecting beliebers is the best thing that ever happened#SelenaEndedJustinParty pic.twitter.com/UYsJ3whAzB
— ̀ (@TheRitaOraWorld) August 15, 2016
Gomez, 24, fired back at the gentleman, “Funny how the ones that cheated multiple times, are pointing the finger at the ones that were forgiving and supportive, no wonder fans are mad. Sad. All love.”
After the former couple’s pungent remarks, Bieber “trashed” the singer-actress by reportedly exclaiming, “I cheated… Oh, I forgot about you and Zayn?” according to People and Mirror. Some fans dismissed the comment as “fake” and argued that the comment was edited.
Based on comments from fans, Bieber has already created a private Instagram account to distance himself from vociferous bashers. Up to this moment, Bieber’s Instagram posts are peppered with boorish statements and snake emojis, similar to those found at Taylor Swift’s Instagram account.
After the social media spat, Gomez posted a collage of her memorable pictures with her die-hard fans. Gianna Francesca Catolico/rga