Entertainment

All The Evidence You Need That Justin Bieber & Hailey Baldwin *Didn't* Secretly Get Married

by Emily Mae Czachor
Mike Windle/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; Craig Barritt/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

So, what's the deal with Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin's engagement? Thanks to a medley of reports over the last couple of days, the internet's been quite confused. About what, exactly? Well, there's been fan speculation that Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin got secretly married, according to People. The suspicion comes courtesy of some paparazzi snapshots and a pretty fierce round of gossip as to whether or not Baldwin switched her engagement ring for a wedding band. However, there's plenty of evidence to the contrary, and you probably shouldn't believe the hype. (Bustle reached out to reps for Baldwin and Bieber for comment.)

While it's understandable that some fans might've been quick to jump the gun after seeing those paparazzi photos — even if only because they, like so many others, are extraordinarily eager to see their new favorite couple tie the knot — it definitely seems like those reports, and the fan fascination that followed, were in fact jumping the gun, as far as Bieber and Baldwin's relationship timeline goes.

But before diving into the roster of contradictory evidence (and it is coming, rest assured), let's back up a bit. For those who have been sleeping on this latest bout of Bieber-Baldwin news, the photos that prompted this whole did-they-didn't-they debacle first began to circulate a few days back on Monday. As several reports noted (the first of which came from People), there were string of couple-y photos of Bieber and Baldwin getting into the backseat of an SUV in the middle of a New York City street.

At first glance, it might've been easy to miss the subtle stack of glittery rings on Baldwin's left ring finger, though the report's accompanying ultra-zoomed-in photo of the model's hand certainly grabs your attention — showing a partly grainy close-up shot of Baldwin's finger donning a thin silver band complemented by a thicker gold one. Most reports have pointed out that the glittery ring ensemble she was spotted wearing Monday might have replaced the enormous engagement ring she'd been wearing the day before. (Those who'd like to see photos of both will probably want to check out Cosmopolitan's recent report.)

Now, ordinarily, rumors of a "secret wedding" between two young twenty-somethings, so soon after their engagement, probably wouldn't hold a ton of weight in the first place. That being said, given the inherently speedy nature of Bieber and Baldwin's relationship timeline in general, it makes sense that fans might not think an equally speedy wedding is totally off the table for the couple either.

And while Bieber's recent comments to TMZ about his future marriage plans did suggest the couple is at least seriously thinking about the future, a quick scan through Baldwin's Instagram account reveals that the rings pictured in Monday's photo couldn't possibly be indicative of any sort of recent nuptials.

Why? Well, let's just say those rings crop up a lot of times during a scroll through Baldwin's IG feed, which features a sporadic collection of photos that picture the model sporting either one or both rings — sometimes even on her left ring finger. What looks like the earliest photo dates all the way back to August 2017, and judging by the subsequent slew of posts to her IG account featuring them, it seems pretty safe to say those rings might actually be a favorite of Baldwin's when it comes to her wardrobe.

Fans of the relatively newfangled couple might remember that the two started dating again less than two months ago in early June. (At least, that's when reports claiming they were an item first began to circulate, anyway.) Keeping that in mind, it seems highly unlikely that the set of rings featured in this week's paparazzi photos has anything to do with Bieber and Baldwin's supposed plans to eventually tie the knot. Because if they did, how come Baldwin's been flaunting the sparkly accessories on social media for the better part of a year, long before they even got together?

So while it's exciting to imagine Bieber and Baldwin saying their "I dos" during some covert Manhattan wedding ceremony, it looks like all signs — or the vast majority of them — suggest that's little more than a fantasy, at this point. That being said, whenever Bieber and Baldwin do tie the knot (if they do), here's hoping her actual wedding ring is every bit as lovely as the ones pictured in those photos. Then again, if Baldwin's massive engagement ring is any indication, it's safe to say Bieber's got that one covered too.