Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner in a love triangle that split Jelena?
That’s the claim. And it came with no small measure of tabloid hysteria .
However, it appears the sticking point in Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s on-off romance isn’t Jenner or Bieber.
Us Weekly reports publicist Jonathan Cheban — who is a pal of the Kardashian-Jenners — has set the record straight on claims that Kendall and Bieber are anything but buddies, in the wake of her being accused of causing Jelena’s alleged breakup.
“The key word is friend,” Cheban said, summing up the Biebs’ relationship with Jenner, while describing himself as “everybody’s friend” to all three young stars.
In fact, the New York Daily News reported the same thing on September 30, the day Justin took the 18-year-old supermodel to a very public lunch that was filmed by Paris’ paparazzi during his and Selena’s trip to Paris Fashion Week.
“He has been good friends with the Jenner girls for many years now,” a source close to the Canadian singer told The Daily News .
Still. Selena returned to Los Angeles the next day on Wednesday, October 1, while Justin stayed on behind. Hours later, she unfollowed him on Instagram after firing off two cryptic tweets suggesting the honeymoon was over.
( Photo: Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and mother Kris Jenner at the starry CR Fashion Book party in Paris, September 30, which Selena Gomez also attended. )
Fast forward to this week. In Touch dumped a ton of the usual “source says” claims into the news cycle, reporting,
“Selena was absolutely livid when she found out Justin had dinner with Kendall. He lied to her about it,” an alleged insider told the rag, adding that Bieber supposedly told Gomez he was dining with his security and would meet her at a fashion party afterwards.
“She was so angry that she changed her flight to come back to LA two days early and told him their relationship was over — again,” the alleged source apparently said of Selena’s so-called moment of discovery of the Biebs and Kendall’s so-called “secret” lunch.
Meanwhile, Us Weekly claims Bieber and Gomez’s vacation in St. Martin in the Caribbean ended on a bad note when she looked at his cellphone and allegedly saw a text message from Kendall suggesting she and the Biebs hang out in Paris.
“Selena doesn’t trust her motives,” Us Weekly claims an insider said, alluding to the girls’ fall-out back in April at the Coachella Festival. “They fought and split,” said the purported source, adding that Bieber “wants [Gomez] back.”
( Photo: Selena famously unfollowed Kendall and Kylie Jenner after hanging out with them at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. Reportedly, there’s no love lost. )
Cheban’s view on Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s relationship?
“[Gomez and Bieber] are a great couple,” he tells Us magazine. “I like them both. They’re very cool, and this is the best way to do a Hollywood relationship — they’re on for a few months, they break up. Ultimately, if they loved each other, and they’re settled down in a year or two, then they’ll reconnect and keep it going.”
Jonathan added, “It seems like with the two of them, it’s a forever thing. It does not end. It keeps going and going and I think it’s awesome. They’re a good match.”
Multiple sources, and now Cheban, have said Jenner and Bieber are just friends. Which is exactly what their hardly secret lunch in Paris looked like, on a video subsequently posted by another diner at the restaurant.
That wouldn’t — and apparently didn’t — stop jealousy from rearing its head. But it seems insinuations that Bieber and Jenner are anything more than pals is the stuff of fantasy.
Last night, Selena posted an Instagram picture that fans are interpreting as a message to Justin, despite the Rudderless actress’ recent advice not to read too much into her social media posts.
It’s a screenshot of the cover to country star Shania Twain’s “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)” song. It’s about a girlfriend reassuring her jealous boyfriend that the physical long distance between them and her talking to other guys doesn’t mean she doesn’t love him.
Make of that what you will.
[ Images via Getty Images ].