Strange things about Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin's relationship

Blake Edwards

Well, that escalated quickly. After just a month of over-the-top, coast-to-coast PDA, Justin Bieber proposed to Hailey Baldwin while on vacation in the Bahamas in July 2018 — and she said yes. A source told TMZ that Bieber got down on one knee in Baker's Bay in front of a crowd, but only after his entourage made everyone nearby put their phones away.

An insider told E! News, "Justin made arrangements for the ring when they were in New York City and knew that he wanted to propose to her. It was a sudden decision but Justin always knew Hailey and him had a special bond that was incomparable." The source added, "The proposal was a very happy moment and Hailey was taken off guard. Her face was in shock but you could tell they are both so in love."

The source added that while Bieber and Baldwin had previously discussed marriage, the model had no clue it would come up so seriously so soon. That said, TMZ cameras caught the pair with matching gold rings on their all-important fingers in June 2018, so it's not like they really worked to quell speculation.

Their quickie engagement isn't the only bizarre thing about the couple known as "Jailey." Here are the strangest things about Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin's relationship.

He's hooked up with her friends

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Remember how the Spice Girls said "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends?" And remember how weird that seemed to most of us because of the whole "rules of feminism" thing? Well, apparently it's not too weird for Baldwin, because Bieber has been rumored to have gotten hot and heavy with quite a few of her pals … and they're all related. Creepy.

People reported that Bieber was hooking up with Kourtney Kardashian in December 2015, with a source dishing that it was a "deep flirtation" that lasted months but was never serious. "Kourtney is great. Justin thinks it's cool that she is older and hot," a source told People. "She isn't clingy and has her own life. There are no bad consequences for Justin to hook up with her. She is very easy going and just makes it fun for him to be around her."

Bieber was also previously linked to both Kendall and Kylie Jenner, but neither gal apparently took issue with him hooking up with their much older sister … so maybe that's why Baldwin was seemingly fine with him fooling around with her BFFs. Heck, maybe it's just a sign that he's been vetted and previously approved.

She hooked up with one of his pals

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Hailey Baldwin was linked to Drake, a fellow Canadian and casual pal of Bieber, in May 2016. People reported that Drizzy and Baldwin got cozy at a Memorial Day party together, with a spy saying the pair "were having a lot of fun together and were very affectionate." An insider later told the magazine, "Drake and Hailey are dating super casually, but he is really into her. They met through mutual friends and are taking things slow."

Insiders told Us Weekly that while the rapper was smitten with Baldwin, she was still too hung up on Justin Bieber at the time to return any of his affections. What's more, an insider insinuated to E! News that while Baldwin was gallivanting around with the Toronto-born MC, she was still pining for Bieber and upset that her ex was hooking up with actress Nicola Peltz. "[Hailey] always has been such a good friend to [Bieber] and she feels disrespected by many things he has done lately," the source said at the time. "…Hailey wants to be with Justin but he is just always back and forth with her and that drives her mad."

He once ditched her for an ex at his birthday party

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It's his party, he can cry… or hook up with… whoever he wants to, and if the rumors are true, that's just what he did. When Bieber celebrated his 21st birthday in March 2015, Baldwin was on hand to mark the special occasion with him. So was his former fling, Yovanna Ventura. Bieber was reportedly all over Ventura right in Baldwin's face, so she ended up bailing on the festivities earlier than expected.

A source told Hollywood Life, "She says she's cool with him being with other girls, but putting it in her face like that was too much … She didn't throw a big fit, she didn't pick a fight with Yovanna, she just left. She was supposed to stay until the end of the week but she bounced early."

Baldwin posted some cryptic tweets following her departure: "I just gotta do my own thing sometimes." When a follower asked if she left because Bieber was "being a jerk," Baldwin replied, "I didn't have to leave for that, I left because I wanted to." Did you notice that she didn't deny the "jerk" part? Yes, we caught that too.

He might be using her to make Selena Gomez jealous

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Hailey Baldwin was rumored to be Bieber's rebound for years during his off-again phases with his first love, Selena Gomez. He seemed to treat both ladies so poorly — often concurrently — that it really took a toll on all three points in this high-profile love triangle.

In December 2017, sources close to Bieber told TMZ that, while briefly reconciling with Gomez, he reached out to Baldwin to apologize to her for mistreating her and breaking her heart in the past. Their contact was supposedly purely in the spirit of Bieber making amends in an effort to live more openly and honestly within the Hillsong Church, but it allegedly triggered Gomez to flip out. After Bieber and Gomez split for the umpteenth time (despite People reporting as recently as April 2018 that he was still in love with Gomez and wanted her back), the Biebs reportedly began stepping out with Baldwin again.

They beefed during his fling with Sofia Richie

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Oh, you thought the Yovanna Ventura incident was the only time Bieber played Baldwin to her face? The rumor mill claims he did her dirty at least one other time — with brief fling Sofia Richie.

Sources told People in August 2016 that though Bieber and Baldwin were never "officially a couple," those in their circle "knew they were together." Perhaps it was common knowledge, but Bieber was also supposedly hooking up with a different blonde celebrity spawn: Sofia Richie. Richie reportedly urged Bieber to unfollow Baldwin on social media, because, well, one could argue that no one involved in this situation is a fully-functioning adult. "Justin unfollowed Hailey on social media, and now all their friends are talking s**t on Sofia and him and how messed up it is," a source said.

Baldwin didn't directly address the drama, but she post some interesting thoughts on Instagram: "We've all had our fair share of things we've done, both good and bad. What makes the present so powerful is when we take complete responsibility for our actions, we allow ourselves self-growth. Misplacing the blame onto someone else isn't going to get you to the next stage in life, so try not to manipulate a situation to make yourself look better. The truth always come to light, so it's better just to own it."

Or, you know, just stop it with the Instagram hate and grow up. Tomato, tomahto.

He didn't want to settle down with her for a very long time

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Justin Bieber told GQ in February 2016 that he and Baldwin weren't in a relationship — a fact that he seemed to emphasize as much as possible, conceding only that they were friends who kiss. Fair enough. He also admitted that part of why he refused to commit is because he still had a lot of wild oats left to sow and didn't want to be tied down.

"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," he said. "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."

Yes, he didn't want to hurt her. We also suspect he did want the freedom to hook up with other people. Has he truly turned a corner?

They don't have a lot of practice with exclusivity

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Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber were off and on for a long time, but reportedly just as friends with benefits, something he made clear — and something she seemed to be okay with, because she said as much herself when they were packing on the PDA in early 2016.

"We are not an exclusive couple. He's about to go on tour," she told E! News at the time. "Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don't really like to talk about it because it's between me and him." She added, "I live a very public life and I have to keep things personal or else I have no personal life. It's very difficult. I am very open on social media, but that's why I don't like to talk about certain things … and I like to think my relationships are not between me the person and the whole entire world. It's hard. I don't think people are really able to understand if they're not in that position."

We're trying, Hailey. We're trying.

They stopped speaking for a very long time

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Baldwin admitted that because of the drama associated with her messy on-again-off-again-not-really-official relationship with Bieber, they stopped talking for nearly a year in the past.

"Justin and I were friends for a long time. I met him when I was really young and he was one of my best friends," she told The Sunday Times in May 2018. "Everybody knows that at a certain point in time that turned into something else, but that just happens when you're 18, 19. It was what it was." She added, "We went through a long period when we weren't friends," but have "moved past that" and learned from their "high-profile relationship."

"It brought both of us to the realization that we just work much better as friends," she said at the time. "He's somebody I really cherish. Now it's a very mature situation. It's good."

"Good" may be an understatement at this point. Apparently, it's become downright fantastic in just a matter of months.

She was close with Shawn Mendes until right before their engagement

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Less than two months before she and Bieber got engaged, Baldwin had tongues wagging when she walked the red carpet at the 2018 Met Gala with Shawn Mendes. Though the pair insisted they weren't dating, their slew of social media posts together, as well as what seemed like a red carpet couple debut, led to a lot of speculation that they were a couple.

"No, we were not making our debut," Mendes told People after fashion's biggest night. "Obviously Hailey and I are friends, and it was just really cool for me to be able to walk with her because she's a vet and it was my first year, so it kind of took the pressure off a little bit. I was thrilled to be able to go with her."

People also thought these two were an item because they were spotted holding hands at a Halloween party in 2017 and getting cozy over the holidays, but when Baldwin wiped her Instagram clean of Mendes after getting together with Bieber in June 2018, it really blew the internet's mind — and maybe Mendes'. When asked if Baldwin and Bieber were an item, Mendes quipped to Canada's ETalk, "I don't know if they're dating or not. I love them both."

He almost went to jail for hanging out with her

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Though Bieber is reportedly in a good place now, he almost faced a warrant for skipping out on his responsibilities to pucker up with Baldwin in the Big Apple.

TMZ reported that Bieber's former neighbor, Jeffrey Schwartz, requested a warrant be put out for Bieber's arrest for skipping a deposition in Schwartz's lawsuit against the singer. The lawsuit involves Bieber allegedly egging Schwartz's Calabasas, Calif. home and verbally harassing him. Though Bieber was already criminally charged for incident — and paid a cool $80,000 in restitution in the case — Schwartz is suing Bieber in civil court for emotional distress and pain and suffering as the result of living next door to the Biebs. Bieber reportedly had a deposition in the suit slated for June 22, 2018, but missed it, leading Schwartz's legal team to demand that the singer pay $1,000 for every day he doesn't sit for questioning, as well as face jail time for his alleged negligence of his responsibilities in the case.

However, Bieber's legal team told TMZ that the singer's attorneys provided alternate dates to sit for the deposition, but instead of attempting to reschedule, Schwartz's lawyers supposedly went right to a judge to ask for a warrant.

Hailey was obsessed with 'Jelena'

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Years before Baldwin and Bieber got together, the model was simply a fangirl, not just of Bieber, but of Selena Gomez, often tweeting about her obsession with them as a couple. That's got to be a little awkward for them to look back on now, no?

"I don't care what anyone says but Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez together is the definition of a teenage dream! #word," a 14-year-old Baldwin tweeted (via The Sun) in 2011. The same year, she tweeted that she needed wrapping paper of the singer "ASAP." In 2012, after the Academy Awards, Baldwin quipped: "I gotta say I was really looking forward to seeing what color coordination Jelena was gonna do for this years VF party.. #sigh #ohwell."

A deep dive into Baldwin's Twitter history reveals that she has also called Gomez "beyond flawless" and declared herself "100 percent team Jelena" in the past. Baldwin was even photographed clutching a copy of M magazine with Jelena on the cover and this headline: "Why Selena knows she won't marry Justin." Whoa.

Her dad played a pivotal role in their relationship

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Hailey Baldwin's father, actor Stephen Baldwin, may well be the reason Bieber and Hailey are engaged.

Fans on Twitter dredged up a video from 2009 of Stephen introducing Hailey to Bieber, telling the then-bowlcut tween, "We've been enjoying your music." Bieber actually commented on the clip, calling it "amazing" in January 2016 (when he and Hailey were in an on-again phase.)

In January 2016, Stephen told TMZ that he "absolutely" approved of Bieber dating Hailey, but added, "There's no label on it … just friends. Mr. Bieber is a wonderful young man, hugely talented, has a whole lot of success ahead of him." When asked if Bieber would have to ask his permission to marry Hailey, Stephen giggled, "We're far away from that."

But it turns out Biebs did, in fact, ask Stephen for his daughter's hand. Sources told Entertainment Tonight in July 2018 that the singer reached out to Stephen weeks before popping the question. "Justin and Stephen have always had a close relationship, and Justin wanted to show his future father-in-law how serious he is about his future with Hailey," a source claimed, adding that Stephen and Bieber discussed "relationships, sacrifice and religion" before papa Baldwin gave his blessing.

What does Gomez think of all this?

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The whole world is wondering what Selena Gomez thinks of the Bieber-Baldwin engagement news, and it seems like, well … not much at all.

A source that sounded suspiciously like someone who may be in Gomez's camp told E! News, "Selena knows that Justin makes rash decisions, but wishes them both the best. She is truly focused on herself and Justin is no longer a topic of conversation in her life."

An insider told Radar Online that Bieber has been texting Gomez for months, but she supposedly hasn't responded because she "really has nothing to say to him." The source added, "At first, Selena didn't believe the news. She is not devastated by any means. She was the one to end it once and for all with him … She thinks the whole thing is a joke and knows it will never last." Ouch!

Gomez has been spotted since the news broke rocking a T-shirt that reads, "Only the strong survive," which may or not be in reference to the ring news.

He still has a Selena Gomez tattoo

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Well, this must make hugs awkward: Despite Bieber putting a ring on Baldwin, he still boasts a tattoo of Gomez, stylized to look like an angel, on his forearm.

A source told The Sun, "Justin's already got plans to get rid of the tattoo. He's tried to get it partially covered up before, but this time he's determined to get rid of it for good. He's going to his regular tattoo artist, Bang Bang, to get something inked over the top. I think he wants it gone in time for the wedding to Hailey."

Bieber previously addressed his ill-thought out ink, telling GQ in 2016, "This is my ex-girlfriend, I kinda tried to cover her face up with some shading, but people still know."

Despite the drama, Bieber recently insisted he loves all of his body art, writing on Instagram, "If tattoos didn't hurt everyone would have them … Over a hundred hours of [art] work on my body and I wouldn't take back a single one … I've made my body a canvas."

Even John Mayer thinks it's ridiculous

John Mayer, Hailey Baldwin, Justin Bieber

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Shortly after the engagement news went public, Bieber posted a PDA-filled Instagram snap with Baldwin. In the photo, the couple is making out in a hot tub, but who took this picture? Bieber's hands are around Baldwin's neck, and her arms are wrapped around his waist. This mystery wasn't lost on notorious Lothario John Mayer, who took it upon himself to comment on the captionless post. Mayer's missive was captured on the popular Instagram account known as "Comments By Celebs."

"Interesting dynamic with the photographer in the hot tub," Mayer wrote. "That's gotta feel super third wheel. I see a lot of myself in this hot tub photographer. Imagine being in a hot tub on business."

You know it's bad when the guy who blabbered about "sexual napalm" is calling you out for oversharing your romantic exploits. Take it down a notch, kids.