Selena Gomez defends Taylor Swift after unearthed footage showed her mocked by Hailey Bieber

Selena Gomez defended her ‘best friend’ Taylor Swift after old footage of Hailey Bieber making fun of her was discovered.

The flashback clip showed Hailey and Method Man, who used to co-host Drop The Mic, taking aim at Taylor’s reckoning songs.

Method Man mocked a “rap battle filled with the meanest lyrics about a celebrity since Taylor Swift’s last album”, prompting Hailey to pretend to make herself vomit.

A TikTok account posted the video and wrote: “This is REAL Hailey “Bieber”,” denouncing Hailey as a “bully” and a “mean girl.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Selena, 30, jumped into the comments on TikTok to write: “Sorry my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.”

‘Mean girl’: The flashback clip showed Hailey and Method Man, who used to co-host Drop The Mic, taking aim at Taylor’s songs.

Adding fuel to the fire: Selena, 30, jumped on TikTok comments to write: “Sorry my best friend is and remains one of the best in the game.”

Taylor and Selena have been friends since 2008, when they were both teen stars dating two different Jonas Brothers.

In the intervening years, Selena had a long on-off romance with Justin Bieber, who married Hailey in 2018.

Although Selena’s fans have relentlessly trolled Hailey on social media, the two women have denied there was any bad blood between them.

They even went viral last October when they hugged for the cameras at the Academy Museum gala in Los Angeles.

In a later interview with VultureSelena called the snaps with Hailey “not a big deal,” adding, “It’s not even a thing.”

Hailey had previously indicated in the call his daddy podcast that his equation with Selena was “all respect,” and during the same interview he flatly denied that Justin had cheated on her with her.

Selena and Justin were teenage sweethearts but broke up for the last time in 2018, months before he court-married Hailey.

The month after Justin married Hailey, Selena reportedly suffered a lupus-related collapse and entered mental health treatment.

Having fun: Taylor and Selena have been friends since 2008 and were photographed last July celebrating the latter’s 30th birthday together

Glamming: Taylor and Selena are pictured amping up the megawatt glam of the Grammys red carpet at Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2016

‘No big deal’: Selena previously indicated there was no bad blood between her and Hailey, whom she hugged for the cameras at the Academy Museum gala in October

One day after news of Selena’s alleged nervous breakdown broke, Justin was seen looking distraught as he sat in his car next to Hailey.

Hailey has received criticism from die-hard Selena fans throughout her relationship with Justin, whom she has been married to for over four years.

When Justin and Hailey attended the American-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, viewers chanted “Selena!” them.

Hailey’s cousin Ireland claimed the couple was unfazed by the teasing of Selena fans, writing on social media: “They are one of the happiest and most in love couples I’ve ever had the chance to be with.” They don’t care about them.

In 2020, Justin shared a social media post from a Selena fan that encouraged others to flood Hailey’s live stream with comments that “Jelena was better.”

“It’s extremely difficult to choose the right path when I see people like this trying to rally people to bully the person I love the most in this world,” Justin wrote.

Hailey became so exasperated that this April she posted a TikTok begging trolls who are “in my comments every time I post” to “please leave me alone.”

Possibly referring to how long it’s been since Justin and Selena broke up, she added: “It’s been long enough to leave me alone.” I beg you, really.

As seen in 2009: Selena and Justin Bieber were teenage sweethearts, but their last breakup was in 2018, months before he court-married Hailey.

Ups and downs: The duo, who apparently became a couple in 2010 after being introduced by their managers, appear at the ESPY Awards in 2011

Remember when: When Justin and Hailey attended the American-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, viewers chanted “Selena!” them