Justin Bieber fans believe the singer has debuted a new tattoo tribute to his wife, Hailey Bieber—but online sleuths think there may be an awkward link to his past.
Fans first spotted the new back ink when Bieber, 31, took to the Crypto.com Arena stage shirtless for a stripped-down performance of his song “Yukon.” The Grammys appearance, which leaned minimalist both in styling and vocals, was widely praised online.
The large portrait tattoo is thought to be inspired by a photo of Hailey, 29, from her 2020 Elle shoot. However, internet sleuths quickly began drawing comparisons between the new piece and a wrist tattoo Bieber has previously acknowledged depicts his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez—which some fans claim was also inspired by an Elle shoot.
Bieber has not addressed the speculation surrounding the tattoo’s inspiration, nor has he publicly commented on the new ink. Newsweek reached out to Justin Bieber’s publicist for comment via email outside of their usual working hours.
In a 2016 video interview with GQ, Bieber openly discussed the wrist tattoo and his attempt to alter it after their breakup.
“This is my ex-girlfriend,” he said in the video. “So I tried to cover her face up with some shading, but people still know,” he added.
Bieber and Gomez dated on and off for several years, beginning in 2010, becoming one of the most high-profile pop culture couples of the decade before ultimately splitting for good in 2018.
The new tattoo sparked swift reactions across social media.
Ana, a Selena Gomez fan, wrote on X: “There is no way Justin Bieber got a tattoo of Hailey Bieber’s Elle magazine…similarly to the one he got of Selena Gomez’s Elle cover.”
“Justin Bieber tattooed Hailey’s face on his back,” said fan account @diorsvogue.
“JUSTIN BIEBER HAS GOT HAILEY’S FACE TATTOOED OMG [oh my God],” shared @jaileyswrld.
Fashion and culture Instagram page Drip also shared a photo of Bieber’s back, identifying the tattoo as a portrait of his wife.
Many fans also referenced comments Bieber made in his 2020 documentary Justin Bieber: Next Chapter, where he discussed future plans for his heavily tattooed body.
At the time, Bieber revealed he was done adding tattoos to his neck at Hailey’s request and said he intended to save his back for portraits of his children.
“My back is still pretty open. I don’t have kids yet, so I’m thinking of getting their portraits on my back,” he said.
Since then, the couple—who married in 2018—welcomed their first child, Jack Blues, in August 2024.
Bieber entered the night with four nominations for his seventh studio album Swag, a surprise 2025 release that marked a stylistic shift for the artist.
The project earned nominations for album of the year, best pop vocal album, best pop solo performance, and best R&B performance.
Despite the well-received performance, the artist, who rose to fame through his 2013 YouTube videos, went home empty-handed. The couple also showed support for ongoing anti-ICE protests across the country, by wearing “ICE out” badges on the red carpet.
