Justin Bieber has come under fire for a controversial Mother’s Day message shared just as his wife Hailey, celebrated her first year as a mom.
The 31-year-old singer, who welcomed his first child, Jack, with Hailey last August, stunned fans when he posted: “Love u moms but mothers day sucks a**,” using the notes feature on Instagram.
The post, which appears at the top of followers’ inboxes, was quickly deleted after a flurry of backlash.
“Justin bieber posting ‘mother’s day sucks ass’ as his wife celebrates her first one is so …. vile to me,” one user wrote on X. Another chimed in: “wtf is wrong with justin bieber???”
Others speculated on the emotional distance between Bieber and family life. “Man is going through something to be externalizing all of this. Not excusing his behavior, but man, the cruelty he is showing his wife is so sad,” another commenter noted, per News.com.au.
In what appeared to be a swift attempt at reconciliation, Bieber later shared a video of his wife enjoying a Mexican meal on their LA terrace, serenaded by a mariachi band. He also shared multiple images of the 28-year-old with the caption, “best mommy day girlie.”
The couple married in 2018, just months after Bieber’s highly publicized breakup with Selena Gomez, followed by a second wedding in South Carolina the following year.
Fans theorized that his jarring Mother’s Day message may have been a dig at his own mother, Pattie Mallette.
The two have reportedly been estranged for years. “We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust,” Bieber said in 2015. “She’s living in Hawaii now, so it’s hard, but getting better. She’s an amazing woman, and I love her.”
The outburst arrives amid growing concern for the ‘Baby’ hitmaker’s mental health and his marriage, particularly following a string of raw Instagram posts.
In a recent video shared with his 293 million followers, Bieber captured paparazzi aggressively trailing him and Hailey outside a building in LA.
“This has to stop,” he captioned the footage, which shows a security guard attempting to hold off photographers.
He followed up with a series of personal messages on Instagram. “Everyone telling me to move from LA,” he wrote. “U think I’m gonna get bullied to leave where my influence is most needed? How can we make a change if we run away from the darkness?
“I want nothing to do with [Hollywood] as a grown adult with a wife and son,” he continued. “I just want to be submerged in the culture learning from any and everyone. And be a proponent and advocate for love and equality.”
Per Billboard, one particularly emotional post read: “I’m currently asking [God] to help me with patience because it can be really hard to not rip these f***in guys heads off.” He added: “Today I’m forgiving myself for my own selfishness, AND forgiving THOSE WHO SEEK TO USE AND ABUSE ME SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CAPITaLIze off of me.”
Despite the turbulent public image, sources close to the couple say Hailey is standing by her husband.
“Hailey is not on the verge of wanting a divorce or leaving him. It’s just completely untrue,” one insider told PEOPLE. “If anything she’s sad about how hard everyone is being on him now that he finally is coming back out of his shell.”
However, another source painted a more sobering picture: “She’s genuinely scared something bad is going to happen to Justin,” they said, adding that her focus is on raising their son in a “stable environment.”
“She’s not walking away, but she knows something has to change,” the source added. “She’s drawn a line around what she’s willing to tolerate. She means the world to Justin. They have quietly weathered more than most couples ever do.”
Bieber himself seemed to acknowledge the rocky period. “They treat me like ass out here, but I remember that I am flawed and God forgave me,” he wrote. “Honestly if I was u, it would be hard not to be jealous of me and Hailey going brazzzzyy. It’s really up for us and that’s understandable why people can’t stand it.”
Hailey, for her part, publicly praised the ‘Love Yourself’ musician while accepting the Innovator Award at the Daily Front Row’s Fashion Awards.
“I want to thank my husband for supporting the dream of mine from the beginning and for always cheering me on,” she said.
