
2,518 days ago, justin bieber and selena gomez were spotted—arm in arm—at a philadelphia ihop. and so began the long, complicated, and endless saga of “jelena,” which, in its latest of many twists, has the on-again, off-again couple “hanging out” again amidst news of gomez’s breakup with the weeknd.









how did we get here, exactly? you’re forgiven for not knowing. after all, ihop was centuries ago, or at least 2010, when barack obama was a first-term president and america watched american idol and survivor . here’s a comprehensive guide to their on-and-off, up-and-down, are-they-or-aren’t-they relationship.









tmz breaks the news that the teen idols enjoyed a “cuddly” date at an ihop in philadelphia ahead of a q102’s jingle ball. gomez tells us weekly that it was platonic, and that bieber is “one of my best friends . . . it was just pancakes!”









bieber, too, stays mum on the subject, telling mtv that she’s “an amazing person,” but, “i think that people are always gonna be interested in my personal life . . . but i gotta keep some things to myself. i’m just having fun being a teenager.”









with dating rumors swirling, paparazzi pictures catch the then 16- and 18-year-olds kissing on a yacht in st. lucia, essentially proving what fans already suspected—they’re an item.









at the vanity fair oscar party, the teen-dream couple made their red carpet debut together , thereby confirming their relationship. they even take some lovey-dovey pictures in the photo booth.









may 2011—young and (visibly) in love









after a glamorous appearance at the billboard music awards , justin bieber and selena gomez jet off to maui, hawaii. photographers catch them canoodling in the ocean –gomez noticeably rocking some statement hoops—and the photos go viral.









here we reach peak jelena— reports surface that bieber rented the entire staples center arena so he and his lady love could watch titanic , alone. “romance isn’t dead,” bieber tweeted. “treat your lady right fellas.”









a storm brews in paradise as a woman accuses bieber of fathering her child . after a paternity test, the case is thrown out.









for the next 10 months, all seems content on the jelena front. they’re spotted at a lakers game, on a helicopter ride, at the teen choice awards, and celebrating her birthday. but some tabloid sites start alleging that the two may not be as solid as people think.









bieber and gomez break up for the first time. conflicting schedules, trust issues, and their young ages are all rumored to be causes of the demise.









although the two aren’t together, and despite the fact that gomez tells ryan seacrest “it’s not really about a specific person,” fans theorize that her new song “come & get it,” with lyrics like “can’t stop because i love it, hate the way i love you / all day all night, maybe i’m addicted for life, no lie,” is about bieber.









fuel is added to the fire when bieber allegedly posts—and then quickly deletes— an instagram with gomez.









but at the end of 2013, bieber admits the two aren’t speaking , although he still loves her.









2014—are they or aren’t they?









2014, to put it lightly, was a confusing year in the jelena timeline . first of all, it’s the year that bieber’s image goes full-on bad boy—after bizarre incidents in 2013, like peeing in a bucket and losing custody of his monkey—he gets in real, tangible trouble. in january alone, he’s arrested for drunk driving, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license, and he was also accused of vandalism for egging his neighbors. (january isn’t great for gomez, either, who checks into rehab .) the tabloids viciously suggest it’s because of bieber and/or a drug problem, but a frustrated gomez later tells gq that it was to seek help for lupus.









but before the rehab and before the dui, the couple is spotted riding segways in calabasas, california . throughout the year, and all the drama, the “maybe dates” continue: a starbucks run in texas and a day at the zoo. then, the instagram—bieber posts (and also deletes) a bunch of pictures of his former beau, including one that calls their love “unconditional.”









but concurrently woven in those sightings are other ones . . . with bieber and other women. he’s associated with a slew of models, up-and-coming actresses, and other beauties—including kendall and kylie jenner, who gomez at one point reportedly unfollows on instagram , and she also unfollowed bieber.









then there’s the international incident in july 2014, when orlando bloom and justin bieber get into fist fight , allegedly over gomez.









in november, gomez releases “the heart wants what it wants,” which she suggests is about bieber. she gives an emotional performance of the song at the american music awards, which some signal to mean the relationship has finally run its course. that same month, bieber unfollows her on instagram . in december, he posts a picture of himself with hailey baldwin, but in the caption says he’s “super single.”









2015—are they or aren’t they? (part two)









we’re entering the second of the lost jelena years, where no one knows quite what’s going on, perhaps not even the bieber and gomez themselves.









after being spotted holding hands at a golden globes party, gomez and zedd enjoy a brief romance. zedd admits two years later to billboard that he wasn’t ready to date an international superstar like gomez: “reporters were calling my parents. people were hacking my friends’ phones. i was pissed. [though] i kind of knew what i was getting myself into,” he said.









bieber continues to post throwback pictures of gomez on instagram, confusing just about everyone— including drake . reconciliation rumors ramp up after he tells ellen degeneres that a number of songs on his new album purpose are about gomez, and a video surfaces of bieber serenading her with “my girl” at a hotel in beverly hills.









but gomez makes it clear she’s sick of being defined by their relationship. in her cover story with elle , she says her november 2014 ama performance was her personal life swan song. “everybody was talking about the same thing: my relationship,” she remembers. “i was so exhausted. i said, ‘i want this [performance] to be the last time i have to talk about this. and acknowledge this feeling.’ ”









early 2016—here we go again









in january 2016, justin bieber posts steamy pictures with hailey baldwin in st. barth’s , which many take to mean they are dating. the speculation increases when baldwin makes a cameo in bieber’s gq cover story. he describes her as “someone i really love. we spend a lot of time together.”









however, baldwin later tells marie claire that they weren’t ever official. “we are not an exclusive couple. he’s about to go on tour,” she said. “relationships at this age are already complicated, but i don’t really like to talk about it because it’s between me and him.”









bieber posts a throwback picture of him and gomez kissing, and she comments “perfect.”









although claiming they’re just friends , bieber posts a series of instagrams with sofia richie. however, after backlash from fans, bieber posted “i’m gonna make my instagram private if you guys don’t stop the hate this is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that i like.”









gomez responded in the comments section: “if you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol—it should be special between you two only. don’t be mad at your fans. they love you.”









that, allegedly, kicked off a full-on instagram war between the couple, involving many comments, including cheating accusations on both sides, which are now said to be deleted. gomez later takes to her snapchat to say that what she did was “selfish and pointless.” bieber deletes his instagram.









a few months later, it's reported that gomez cut her revival tour short to seek treatment at a facility in tennessee. “my self-esteem was shot. i was depressed, anxious. i started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage, or right after leaving the stage. basically i felt i wasn’t good enough, wasn’t capable,” she later told vogue.









gomez and the weeknd hit the red carpet couple together at the 2017 met gala.









gomez reveals on instagram that she underwent a kidney transplant. (the donor was her friend francia raisa.)









bieber and gomez are seen hanging out together again , but multiple sources say it’s just as friends. allegedly, their church, hillsong, as well as gomez’s kidney transplant caused to two to reconnect. and the weeknd was reportedly fine with it.









however, just about a week after the reports, selena gomez and the weeknd announce their split (although, apparently, bieber was not the cause).









in the weeks following gomez’s breakup with the weeknd, she's spotted canoodling with bieber. . . again and again and again. on november 15, they kiss at his hockey game—fueling tabloid speculation that they are back together and better than ever.









maybe, or maybe not. because if this timeline has taught you anything, dear reader, it should be that at this point, the truth is anybody’s guess.