TikTok appears to show Justin Bieber comforting tearful Hailey Baldwin after ‘Selena’ taunts at Met Gala

Fans speculated Baldwin’s choice to wear sunglasses on red carpet may have been due to bullying

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Friday 17 September 2021 09:34 EDT
Comments
Justin Bieber comforts Hailey Baldwin following chants of ‘Selena’ at Met Gala

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Fans are continuing to rally around Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin after a video appeared to show the singer comforting his tearful wife following “Selena” taunts at the Met Gala.

On Monday, the couple made a red carpet appearance on the stairs of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2021 Met Gala, with the Peaches singer opting for a classic tuxedo while Baldwin opted for a black Saint Laurent gown.

However, shortly after their arrival, videos circulating on social media showed people in the audience chanting the name of Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, who he dated on and off again for several years.

The harassment prompted numerous fans to express their support for Bieber and Baldwin, who have been married since September 2018, with many condemning “Selenators” for being “obsessed” with the past.

While neither Bieber nor Baldwin have commented on the incident, a video shared to TikTok appeared to show the couple’s reaction to the taunts, in which the singer can be seen urging Baldwin not to cry.

The clip, which was shared by a fan who goes by the username @returnofbizzle, began with the couple walking the steps as chants of “Selena” could be heard from the assembled crowd.

The TikTok then transitioned to footage taken at the Met that appeared to show Bieber telling Baldwin: “I love you,” before shifting to a shot of the model seemingly wiping tears from her eyes.

In the video, a concerned Bieber can be seen placing a hand on his wife’s face and attempting to comfort her, with captions suggesting that he told her: “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Baldwin was then filmed reaching for a pair of dark sunglasses held by a nearby assistant, which she then wore for a portion of the night as the couple continued to pose for photographers.

The video, which was captioned: “So disrespectful. He loves her so much,” has since been viewed more than 2.1m times, prompting many fans to continue defending the couple.

“That’s so sweet of him. Poor Hailey,” one person commented, while another said: “This was so disrespectful, I feel so bad for her.”

Fans think Hailey Baldwin may have been upset by chants of ‘Selena’ at Met Gala
Fans think Hailey Baldwin may have been upset by chants of ‘Selena’ at Met Gala (Getty Images for The Met Museum/)

Others acknowledged that the situation was made worse because the bullying took place on the couple’s third wedding anniversary, which coincided with the prestigious fashion event, while many fans also noted that Gomez would not support the behaviour.

“This is totally not okay. Selena would not want this AT ALL,” one viewer wrote.

The supportive comments come after Ireland Baldwin also defended the couple on TikTok, writing in the comments of one video of the “Selena” chants that her cousin and Bieber are “one of the happiest and most in love couples I’ve ever gotten the chance to be around”.

On Tuesday, Bieber celebrated his wife with a close-up Instagram photo of Baldwin on the night of the Met Gala, which he captioned: “This is the woman of my dreams.”

Gomez, who was not in attendance at the 2021 Met Gala, last attended the event in 2018.

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