In an unexpected turn of events, Selena Gomez appeared to come to the defense of Hailey Bieber, a figure often perceived as her rival. This occurred after Bieber made comments suggesting she wasn’t “inspired by” Gomez, her fellow beauty industry entrepreneur.

As reported by TMZ, Gomez, the 33-year-old mind behind Rare Beauty, took to Instagram to address the situation. In her post, she urged her followers to “just leave the girl alone” when Bieber’s remarks sparked backlash among Gomez’s fans.

Gomez articulated, “She can say whatever she wants. Doesn’t affect my life whatsoever. It’s just about relevance not intelligence.” She added, “All brands inspire me. There’s room for everyone. And hopefully we can all stop.” Despite the gesture, the Instagram Story was deleted shortly after it was posted on Friday night.

This social media incident followed an interview with the 28-year-old Hailey Bieber, founder of Rhode, published in WSJ. Magazine earlier in the week.

During the interview, Bieber expressed her frustration with being constantly compared to others in the beauty industry. “It’s always annoying being pitted against other people,” she said. “I think there is space for everybody. I don’t feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by.”

Fans quickly speculated that Bieber’s comment was a jab at Gomez, given the history between Gomez and Hailey’s husband, Justin Bieber. This added fuel to the longstanding narrative of tension between the two women.

Sources on Friday told TMZ that wasn’t the case, instead claiming the comments weren’t directed at Gomez but were in reference to other Sephora brands.