The first year is tough for every newlywed couple. But the challenge is turned up to the max if
you're famous and everyone is watching. In 2018, Justin Bieber tied the knot with Hailey Baldwin.
And from the outside, the pair looked blissfully in love — but their first year of marriage wasn't
what anyone expected. Here's what went down. When Bieber settled down with Baldwin,
he was at a crossroads, struggling to grow up after a childhood spent in the spotlight.
While it might seem like the couple got married in a whirlwind, dating speculation stems as far
back as 2014. According to Insider's timeline, in November of that year, just off the heels of his
breakup with Selena Gomez, Bieber was spotted with Baldwin and Kendall Jenner at Hillsong Church,
sparking the initial rumors. By 2016, the pair reportedly had a full-fledged,
no-strings-attached romance, with Baldwin telling E! they weren't, quote, "exclusive."
Unsurprisingly, the pair soon split. As Baldwin described it to Vogue,
"Fizzled would not be the right word—it was more like a very dramatic excommunication.
There was a period where if I walked into a room, he would walk out."
It all seemed to come to a head when Bieber canceled the final 14 dates
on his "Purpose" world tour, citing wellness and relationship concerns.
At the time, he worried that both his career and mental health were on the chopping block.
Bieber then reconnected with Gomez, only to split a few months later. Two months after that, he and
Baldwin were spotted at church together. According to a source for People, the pair secretly tied
the knot at a courthouse in New York City in September 2018 after a two-month engagement.
Bieber and Baldwin admittedly rushed into their marriage. In a February 2019 interview with Vogue,
the singer revealed that their motivation was at least partially to do with his self-imposed
celibacy, which had been in place for more than a year, during which time, he focused on his faith.
"We wanted to live together, we wanted to move in together
and we didn't believe in doing that until we were married, so we got legally married."
Not long after walking down the courthouse hallway, the pair settled down in Bieber's
home just outside of Toronto. Once there, the couple's lives seemed at
least marginally similar to the leagues of non-famous newlyweds before them,
aside from the fact that they were residing in a $6.8 million, 101-acre estate. According to Vogue,
"They are squabbling over decorating decisions. Healthy communication is a constant challenge. […]
They are working on developing an ebb and flow so that their personalities don’t lock horns."
Bieber explained to the outlet,
"Fighting is good. Doesn't the Bible talk about righteous anger?
We don't want to lose each other. We don't want to say the wrong thing,
and so we've been struggling with not expressing our emotions. […] I just need to express myself,
and it's been really difficult to get her to say what she feels."
Denying the marriage rumors only lasted so long. The month following their secret wedding, the pair
were seemingly outed by a local museum. In October 2018, Bieber and Baldwin stopped by the Stratford
Perth Museum — a small gallery located in Bieber's hometown — where there was an ongoing exhibit
about the pop star. Baldwin ended up signing a wall at the exhibit, writing "I love you forever,"
but most importantly, Bieber apparently called Baldwin his "wife" — and he did so in public,
where everyone could hear it. In an Instagram post, the museum shared Baldwin's note, writing,
"We were so pleased to have such a warm and special guest visit the museum yesterday
(along with her very special husband )."
Wait — what?! The couple subsequently clarified in a comment,
"Justin very graciously introduced Hailey as his wife. Perhaps just a term of endearment?"
Thanks to that, marriage rumors went into overdrive. The following month the
pop star finally came clean. Bieber casually shared a snap of the pair with the caption,
"My wife is awesome." Bieber and Baldwin's first
year of marriage wasn't an easy one, by any means. Baldwin said as much to Vogue, admitting
outright that it was, quote, "really effing hard." Bieber then shared a similar sentiment with GQ.
While a lot of this reportedly had to do with the pair's initial breakup, Bieber also had a lot of
personal trauma to work through, particularly regarding his upbringing. As GQ noted,
"Bieber was raised […] by two unreliable and overwhelmed parents who split up when
he was young [and] left him without the model,
or the tools, to seek out a quieter or more peaceful life for himself."
In his Seasons YouTube documentary series, he admitted that he has also suffered from
Lyme disease, as well as crippling anxiety. Combined, this took a toll on the couple,
so they enlisted a marriage counselor to help them cope. Bieber told GQ,
"There was a lot, going back to the trauma stuff. There was just [a] lack of trust.
There [were] all these things that you don't want to admit to the person that you're with,
because it's scary. You don't want to scare them off by saying, 'I'm scared.'"
In February 2019, Bieber and Baldwin graced the cover of Vogue, but behind the scenes,
the pop star was struggling more than ever. About six months after the couple got hitched,
the singer revealed his current state to fans on Instagram, adding,
"Just wanted to reach out and ask for [you] guys to pray for me.
God is faithful and [your] prayers really work,
thanks. […] [I'm in] the most human season I've ever been in, facing my stuff head on."
"The more time you spend with somebody, the more you learn about each other."
At the time, he was already taking antidepressants and getting IV
infusions to combat his mental health issues. A couple weeks after the post,
Bieber — who hadn't released an album in four years – announced that he was stepping back
from music to fix his struggling marriage. He posted on Instagram,
"I am now very focused on repairing some of the deep rooted issues that I have as most of us have,
so that I don't fall apart, so that I can sustain my marriage and be the father I want to be."
That year, he limited his music career to a collaboration with his close friend Ed Sheeran.
"I Don't Care" peaked at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Baldwin appears to be a grounding force in Bieber's life. And in some regards,
the pair are opposites. According to Vogue, the model doesn't do drugs because of her
dad Stephen Baldwin's former cocaine addiction — though he's been sober
since before she was born. The outlet even claims that friends describe her as, quote,
"secure, steady, and strong"; the polar opposite to Bieber's heart-led approach.
This quality became vital as she supported him through his recovery from drug use.
"I think she's the only one that can put up with me. For real."
In an interview with GQ, Bieber admitted that he used drugs as a way to help manage his mental
health — but fans didn't know just how bad his issues with substance abuse had gotten
until he opened up during his documentary. As he revealed, he developed a dependency on weed,
codeine cough syrup, pills, MDMA, and mushrooms, taking just about anything
he could get his hands on throughout his late teens and early 20s. In his darkest moments,
his security guards would come into his room to make sure he was still breathing.
Bieber ultimately ditched his drug habit, though he still drinks socially.
And Baldwin has supported him throughout it all. She told Vogue,
"I'm really proud of him. To do it without a program,
and to stick with it without a sober coach or AA or classes — I think it's extraordinary."
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction,
please call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's 24/7 National Helpline
at 1-800-662-HELP. That's 1-800-662-4357.
Newlyweds can only exist within their blissful love bubble for so long — even if your reported
$285 million net worth allows you to take more romantic vacations than the average person.
Eventually, Bieber and Baldwin had to get back to work.
Though Bieber had hit pause on his music career, he launched his clothing line,
Drew House, in December 2018. According to Vogue, he tapped his stylist and road manager, Ryan Good,
for the role of creative director. The pair designed each item — from $5 hotel
slippers to hoodies and tees — by themselves.
"I love fashion and I think I get fashion from all sorts of walks of life."
Not long after, Baldwin geared up to create her own makeup line. According to Allure,
the model applied for a trademark for "Bieber Beauty" in April 2019.
But according to The Blast, her own husband inadvertently stood in her way.
The "Justin Bieber" trademark he filed in 2003 included cosmetics like shampoo and body lotion.
As a result, her application was rejected. According to TMZ,
she also sought trademarks for several other potential brand names, eventually settling on
"Rhode" — which is her middle name. Though there's no official launch date, Baldwin premiered her
beauty-related YouTube channel in 2021, which could signal that her brand is on the way.
After a brutal first year, nothing shows true commitment like getting married a second time.
Since Bieber and Baldwin initially tied the knot at a courthouse,
they celebrated their one-year anniversary with a blow-out second wedding in South Carolina.
According to People, the pair exchanged rings in front of 154 family and friends — including Kris,
Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Jaden Smith, and Usher,
who initially took Bieber under his wing when he skyrocketed to fame after posting
on YouTube in 2007. After the ceremony, Grammy winning artist Daniel Caesar serenaded the crowd
as guests enjoyed Moët & Chandon in custom bottles blinged out with a load of Swarovski crystals.
As for the outfits, Bieber bought himself an Audemars Piguet watch as a wedding gift,
and Baldwin wore diamond Tiffany earrings worth an estimated $123,000.
According to Vogue, her ceremony dress was a custom, lace-embroidered Virgil Abloh, founder of
the streetwear brand Off-White. Baldwin explained the alternative bridal designer choice saying,
"From day one, I said I wanted Virgil. I didn't want somebody who was a wedding dress designer.
I just feel like my style and my street style is such a part of who I am."
According to USA Today, that was just one of three custom dresses she donned for her big day.
Since the beginning, faith has played a major role in Bieber and Baldwin's relationship.
According to Vogue, the pair first developed a genuine friendship when the model started
attending Hillsong — a Christian megachurch known for its devout A-list followers.
After their bitter 2016 breakup, church is also where they reconnected. Baldwin told the outlet,
"The common denominator, I promise you, is always church."
"Him and I both trust God so much."
Still, in 2019, the Biebers left Hillsong for good. According to Page Six, this came in the
wake of now-disgraced pastor Carl Lentz's cheating scandal. GQ reported that Lentz was fired in 2018,
but before that, he was widely known as Bieber's spiritual counselor. In 2014,
he took the singer into his New Jersey home for several weeks to help him detox from drugs.
During that time, Bieber even interned for Lentz.
With Lentz excommunicated, Bieber found solace in Judah Smith, a pastor from the Seattle-based
ministry Churchome, who he's known since he was 15 years old. Bieber revealed that
Smith opened him up to a new way of life — one that's stable and filled with love. He told GQ,
"My whole life, I had a broken family. And so I was just attracted to a family that eats dinners
together, laughs together, talks together." Despite Bieber's immense success as a musician,
the singer actually believes his greatest role is that of a husband and someday, a dad. The
star even told GQ that he feels called to have a family. Baldwin made the marriage part a reality,
but during the time that they should've been spending as blissful newlyweds,
Bieber admitted their marriage was, quote, "on eggshells."
Fortunately, the pair put the work in, and the therapy paid off. As of 2021,
Bieber is singing a different tune, and more importantly,
singing again. The star released his sixth studio album "Justice" in March 2021. He also
managed to cultivate the type of stable family he never had but always wanted. Bieber told GQ,
"We're just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we're building
these memories. And it's beautiful that we have that to look forward to. Before,
I didn't have that to look forward to in my life. […] But now I have that."
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