Justin Bieber‘s new Instagram Story has fueled rumors about the singer throwing shade at his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez. On April 2, Bieber took to the social media platform to share several viral memes. One of them included a satirical reel featuring the fictional character Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings,” holding and staring intensely at the One Ring. The caption on the meme read, “Girls on social media when they get engaged.”
Since Bieber posted the Instagram Story, fans have speculated that the meme was targeted at his ex-girlfriend and her fiancé, Benny Blanco, as the couple got engaged in December 2024. The meme also came right after Blanco and Gomez released their first-ever studio album, “I Said I Love You First.”
Fans believe Justin Bieber shaded Selena Gomez with new meme

A new viral “The Lord of the Rings” meme shared by Justin Bieber on Instagram sparked rumors about the singer shading Selena Gomez. Many users on social media believed that Bieber’s meme targeted Gomez and record producer Benny Blanco after their engagement and the launch of their new album. Some fans alleged that the “Ghost” hitmaker was “going crazy.”
Justin Bieber going crazy because of Selena’s engagement?? Karma is real pic.twitter.com/a1YxzRHDhM
— souv (@souvenirgomez1) April 2, 2025
justin bieber going crazy over selena gomez engagement wasn’t in my 2025 bing card pic.twitter.com/zujAn9rCfH
— ky (@bowenjens) April 2, 2025
when you’re in a can’t move on from your ex competition and your opponent is justin bieber pic.twitter.com/smjOj1KPzT
— ً (@americanreqiuem) April 2, 2025
However, some fans also defended Bieber and pointed out how he had been “active on social media and posting like this long before her album.” They further mentioned that the musician neither mentioned Selena Gomez nor Benny Blanco in the meme. Thus, fans believed it was just a general choice of a meme that did not aim at throwing shade at Gomez or target her engagement.
I feel like I'm going crazy watching everyone accuse Justin Bieber of crashing out over Selena Gomez on IG when that man hasn't uttered her name or interacted with anything regarding her since the day they broke up pic.twitter.com/h9e5N0w8sw
— A. (@ScandalousMedia) April 2, 2025
where are y’all getting this information that justin bieber is crashing out over selena gomez, this man has been active on social media and posting like this long before her album, y’all really want him to be obsessed with her so badly pic.twitter.com/BGmEeoGFQ6
— ???? (@eternalemails) April 1, 2025
Apart from the “The Lord of the Rings” meme, Justin Bieber posted several other viral jokes on his Instagram Stories. The list included the viral “me in my room at 3 am instead of sleeping” meme as well.