Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber’s teen-dream love story was one that defined a generation. After being introduced by their managers in 2009, the couple went on to date from 2010 until 2018 — with some breakups and makeups in between.
With their combined star power, everyone from the paparazzi to the public couldn’t get enough. In fact, fans had never been more invested in (or rooted for) a celebrity pairing more like Jelena. After all, who could forget their famous movie date when Bieber rented out an entire Los Angeles arena so that he and Gomez could privately watch Titanic?
As one of young Hollywood’s longest-running on-and-off couples, there was something relatable and incredibly endearing about how the two could seemingly never shake each other — of course, as we all know, they eventually did. By May 2018, the Rare Beauty founder and her Canadian musician beau had ultimately called it quits. Here’s a look back at Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s relationship.
July 2009: Justin Bieber says that Selena Gomez is his celebrity crush in radio interview
During an interview with radio host DJ Skee in 2009, the Disney Channel star revealed that Gomez was his celebrity crush, reported TMZ. Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, reached out to Gomez’s mom (who was her manager at the time) to set up a meeting between the two. At the time, the Grammy-nominated singer had been dating Nick Jonas since 2008 (they later broke up in March 2010).
December 2010: Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are first spotted together
For years, Gomez was adamant that Bieber was more like a brother than a boyfriend, and even when they were spotted on what was reported as a “cuddly” date at an IHOP in Philadelphia in December 2010, the songstress still played coy.
“Who doesn’t like pancakes? We were both performing in the same place, so we went and had pancakes together,” she told MTV News when asked about the rumored date. “That’s all it is. All innocent.”
Three weeks later, the pair were photographed sharing a not-so-innocent New Year’s Eve kiss on a yacht in St. Lucia, confirming what everyone already suspected — they were a couple.
February 27, 2011: Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez make their red carpet debut as a couple
In February 2011, Bieber and Gomez made their red carpet debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. From that point on, “Jelena” — as they were affectionately known — wasn’t shy about their romance. They engaged in cute PDA courtside at a Lakers game, attended red carpet events together, and jetted off for a couple’s vacation to Hawaii.