Hailey Bieber Facts And The Story Behind All That Rumored Drama

Hailey Bieber's modeling career may continue to be red hot, but the highly-coveted and fiercely-competitive fashion industry wasn't even on her radar — she just sort of fell into it. "It's not something I always wanted to do," she told Yahoo Style (via the Daily Mail) in November 2014. "It was something that just started happening naturally, which I think is better because then you're in no way forced into it at all." But what would she be doing if she wasn't modeling? 

Well, for starters, Bieber may have pursued a career in ballet. She reportedly spent 12 years training as a ballerina until an injury halted her professional dance dreams. But don't feel bad for her just yet. In 2017, Bieber told Footwear News that she never would have excelled as a model if it weren't for her ballet training — she even flaunts her dancing skills on social media sometimes.

During an episode of "The Early Late Night Show," the model also shared that she'd once considered dabbling in acting as a teenager and that she'd actually optioned attending a performing arts high school in New York — an idea immediately nixed by her parents. During an appearance on "That Was Fun?" Bieber added that while she attended a Summer acting program, the art form just never quite clicked for her. "I never felt super comfortable in it ... it's not my comfort zone [but] maybe one day, it will be," she explained.

The modeling industry has its perks and its pitfalls, and apparently, the latter for Hailey Bieber is posing nude. The star bared her convictions in a 2016 interview with Yahoo's Be (via People) while discussing her dream job — starring in the annual lingerie-clad Victoria Secret runway show. "I can't say that for sure I'll ever get it in my life, but I think it's definitely a dream of every model," she said. Bieber noted that she would only walk in the show under one condition, stating, "I would never pose topless ... I don't like nipple."

Don't expect her to negotiate that point anytime soon. She reinforced her position in a May 2018 interview with The Times, where she reiterated, "I have serious morals that are instilled in me because of how I was raised. There are some things that will never leave my structure ... It's just who I am," she said.

Since then, of course, Victoria's Secret has undergone its own transformation. In 2018, the lingerie brand televised its final runway show, and effectively rebranded itself three years later minus its signature posse of half-dressed Angels. In doing so, the company launched The VS Collective, which promoted a more inclusive approach to underwear — and the people who model it. Bieber joined The VS Collective in 2021, with the company sharing a sultry snap of the model on Instagram posing in a nude push-up bodysuit with nary a nipple in sight, no less. 

Hailey Bieber grew up surrounded by notoriety. Her father is actor Stephen Baldwin, the younger brother of Alec Baldwin. Papa Stephen is probably best known for his movie role in 1995's "The Usual Suspects," but he attempted to shield his daughter from the spotlight during her childhood. Alas, the dark side of fame found Hailey anyway. "There are people much older than me saying horrible things who have no business paying attention to what [I do]," she told the Evening Standard (via CNN) in 2016. "It's not the best feeling in the world. It comes with the job so you just have to accept it and move on."

Her battles with the backlash are likely why Hailey intends to follow her father's lead when she starts her own family. "When I have kids, they will not grow up around all this," she said. "It's so easy to become spoiled and pretentious and to have the wrong attitude. You have money and access to things the average person doesn't, and you're constantly surrounded by people trying to kiss your a**."

Before there was Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber, there was reportedly Hailey and Drake. Dishing to People, an eyewitness claimed that the two had looked extremely loved up together at the rapper's Memorial Day party in 2016. Things apparently got so serious between the two that the "Hotline Bling" star was even snapped rocking the model's signature "H" necklace while he was out and about. 

Some sources did attempt to dispel the relationship rumors, insisting to People (via Perez Hilton) that the couple was keeping things strictly casual between them. But to onlookers, such comments felt like more of a cover-up than the actual truth.

We'll probably never really know how serious Hailey and Drake really were. In 2016, she told E! News that she prefers to keep her relationships private. "It really is my personal business," she said. "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."

By all accounts, Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber's relationship may not be perfect. But hey, whose is? Since marrying in 2018, the two have had to weather multiple obstacles such as chronic health issues, accusations of drama between Hailey and Selena Gomez, and even rumors that the Canadian pop star married his model wife simply to obtain U.S. citizenship, per Evie. As Justin explained on an episode of "The Ebro Show," getting hitched didn't exactly meet all his expectations. "I thought marriage was going to fix all my problems and it didn't," he said. Certainly, he and Hailey have endured multiple rifts with each other over the years. 

One of their most notable dust-ups occurred in 2016 when Justin was reportedly hooking up with fellow model Sofia Richie. He was even said to have unfollowed his future wife on social media — gasp! — a move that many speculated was actually Richie's doing. In a May 2018 interview with The Times, Hailey reflected that their many of their problems were likely a result of their youth. "I met him when I was really young and he was one of my best friends," she said. "... We went through a long period of time when we weren't friends. We didn't speak for quite some time and there was a lot of weirdness that went on. We've moved past that." Millions of online followers can now emit a collective sigh of relief.

When Hailey and Justin Bieber tied the knot in 2018, it seemed the pair was eager to start a family right away. In December of that year, Hailey told Vogue Arabia (via US Weekly), "I love kids and I can't wait to have my own. I would say now that's a closer reality." And it seems Justin was on board with the idea too. In November 2019, he shared an Instagram post for Hailey's birthday featuring a caption that read in part, "Next season — babies."

Alas, several years came and went without any mini Biebers joining the world, and it seemed as though Hailey had shifted her perspective a bit on welcoming children to her family. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the star shared that newly married young women can feel pressured to be in a hurry to get pregnant. Instead, Hailey explained that she had other goals and ambitions to achieve first — and there was still plenty of time to add babies to that equation. "What about all the things I want to accomplish in my business?" she reasoned. "I think I had it ingrained in my head that I was going to want to have kids right away and I was going to want to have kids super, super young. Then I turned 25 and [I was] like, 'I'm still super, super young!'"

In 2022 Hailey Bieber debuted her skincare line, Rhode. The brand name was originally going to be called Bieber Beauty but there were issues filing a trademark. Instead, the model went with Rhode — her middle name. Speaking to People about the creation of her skincare products, she expressed her gratitude that people feel inspired by the tidbits of beauty wisdom she shares on social media. "I feel like I'm in it with them," she gushed. Bieber also suggested she felt passionate about being able to share her beauty line with the masses, adding, "It was very important to me that if I open up the world of Rhode, everyone is invited. Everyone is included. I wanted it to be accessible and attainable for everyone."

However, there were clearly some people who didn't want a seat at her table — namely, the already-existing New York-based lifestyle and clothing brand RHODE who filed a lawsuit against Bieber citing trademark infringement. In July 2022, a judge ruled in Bieber's favor, allowing her to continue promoting her skincare line for the time being. But a spokesperson for RHODE, co-founded by Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers told E! News, "We remain confident that we will win at trial. 'Rhode' is our name and brand, we built it, and federal and state laws protect it. We ask Hailey to achieve her goals without using the brand name we have spent the last nine years building."

Hailey Bieber gives off all-American girl vibes, but the truth is she has a multicultural background. Her mother is Brazilian and Bieber has said her mother and grandmother don't speak much English when they're together. She recalled to Vogue Brazil (via ET Canada), "I grew up listening to my mum and grandmother talking in Portuguese and eating rice and beans. I am just sorry I don't speak the language with fluency."

But it turns out she does speak enough of the language to get by. This includes some flirtatious phrases, as she demonstrated when she was a guest on "The Late Late Show with James Corden." Bieber taught fellow guests William H. Macy and Matt LeBlanc how to say "Shut up and kiss me" in Portuguese.

Bieber also has the words "Minas Gerais" tattooed on her ankle, in tribute to the state in Southeastern Brazil. As Bieber explained in her Vogue Brazil interview, "It was where my grandmother was born. I always wanted to do a tattoo to strengthen our connection and my ancestry. She helped raise me and was always at home to take care of me."

There are many aspects of Hailey Bieber's aesthetic that fans admire — her hair, her fashion sense, her dewy skin. But she's also a great celeb to look to for tattoo inspo. Bieber has over 20 tattoos, most of them very small and many of them on her hands. She has the letter J tattooed on her ring finger, the date of her parents' anniversary inked in roman numerals near her wrist, a tiny heart on her collarbone, and a little diamond behind one ear, among others. "They're little ones, but I like all the little ones. I'm running out of spots to put little ones," she told The Cut. "And eventually when I have kids one day, I want to get my kids' names and then I want to have the spots for that."

Bieber has a favorite tattoo artist, JonBoy, who counts Kylie and Kendall Jenner as clients as well. "All these celebrities have come to me because Hailey said, 'Yeah, he's chill — go for it,'" he told Refinery29. Some of Bieber's tattoos designed by JonBoy include two chevron lines on her pinky, a star on her index finger, and three black dots on her middle finger.

There is one tattoo that Bieber regrets — a tiny handgun inked on the inside of her middle finger. "I think at 18, I was like, 'Yeah! That looks cool.' But now ... I would never do that. I think guns are violent," she told Elle in a 2021 interview. We all make mistakes, at least this one can be lasered off.