When Fans Believed Justin Bieber Made a Subtle Dig at Selena Gomez With a Birthday Party Favor

For years, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber have been the subject of intense fandom on the Internet. While it's true that the back and forth became complicated at times, anybody would expect that the turmoil would have ended by now because the couple is formally married and has been for some time.

However, last year, several fans conjectured that Justin Beiber used a party favor from his 29th birthday celebration to subtly express his feelings and take a little shot at his ex-girlfriend Selena.

In March 2023, Justin celebrated his 29th birthday with a star-studded carnival-themed party. In addition to performances by Leon Bridges, Jules the Wulf, and Justin himself, attendees received personalized white hoodies and an endless supply of balloons. Another party favor, however, caused controversy. According to pictures shared by guests, Justin also handed each visitor a $424 Twojeys lighter that was engraved with the phrase, "I’m so grateful that I didn’t end up with what I thought I wanted."

As reported by Elle, Gomez's followers took to social media to express their disapproval of the present, with many accusing Justin and Hailey of indirectly hinting to the singer's relationship via the inscription on the party favor.

One user shared on Twitter at the time, "Hope Hailey finds her peace and move on from her Selena Obsession. Hailey deserves to be happy too." A second user commented, "There is one thing that needs to be understood and that is that Selena deserves someone much, much better than Justin, honestly he never loved her, and she deserves to be given all the love in the world from a man who will give her everything." A third one wrote, "Seems like they will never NOT mention Selena, leave the girl alone, please you’re married, you’re happy. What do you even want?"

Others said Hailey ought to be offended by the party favor in addition to criticizing Justin for the purported jab at Gomez. Another user shared on X, "No woman deserves to be reminded by her own partner that she’s his second choice, girl should’ve left him ages ago and never looked back." While many saw the lighter as a jab at Gomez, others supported Justin by pointing out that anything could have been referenced in the engraving. One of the social media users pointed out, "Im not usually one to defend this man but there are soooo many things that quote could mean. its kinda dumb to assume its about selena when hes struggled with depression and the quote is probs referring to the fact that he made it to 29."

In the comments section of her TikTok, Gomez seemed to address the rumors of a conflict over that same period. She claimed that her 'heart has been heavy and asked her followers to be 'kinder.' She wrote, "Please, please be kinder and consider others mental health. My heart has been heavy, and I only want good for everyone. All my love."