It was 2009. Justin Bieber had the hair—you know the one, that side-swept mop that launched a thousand imitations. Hailey Baldwin was just a 12-year-old kid with a famous last name and, honestly, she didn't seem all that impressed.
That first handshake changed everything.
If you've seen the grainy footage floating around TikTok or YouTube, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It’s awkward. It’s cringey. It’s also the moment the world's biggest pop star met his future wife. But how did Justin and Hailey meet in a way that actually stuck? It wasn't just that one morning at the Today show. It took nearly a decade, a few high-profile breakups, and a lot of time at church to turn a polite "nice to meet you" into a "til death do us part."
The Backstage Handshake That Started It All
The year was 2009. Justin was 15 and promoting his first album, My World. Hailey’s dad, actor Stephen Baldwin, was friends with Justin’s mom, Pattie Mallette. That’s the real "in."
Stephen dragged Hailey backstage at a taping of the Today show to meet the new kid on the block. In the video, Hailey has her arms crossed. She looks like she’d rather be literally anywhere else. Justin does his signature hair flip, shakes her hand, and that’s basically it.
"I was never a superfan," Hailey later told Vogue. She wasn't one of the girls screaming in the front row. She thought he was cute, sure, but the age gap—12 and 15—felt massive back then.
Why the "Arranged Marriage" Joke Exists
Justin himself has joked about this meeting. In an interview with Demi Lovato, he called it an "arranged marriage" because their parents basically set the whole thing up.
- 2009: The Today show handshake.
- 2011: They met again at the Never Say Never premiere.
- The Vibe: Totally platonic. Hailey was still just the "homie."
They were photographed together on the purple carpet in 2011, again with Stephen Baldwin playing the middleman. You can see Hailey starting to grow up, but they were still just kids in the same social circles.
How Did Justin and Hailey Meet Again? The Hillsong Connection
The friendship didn't really "click" until 2014. By this time, Justin was going through a lot of public turmoil. He was the "bad boy" of pop, and he was looking for something grounded.
He walked into Hillsong Church in New York City one day and saw Hailey.
"Hey, you got older," he told her.
That’s how Hailey remembers it. It wasn't some grand romantic gesture. It was two people who had known each other for years finally being in the same room as adults (or at least, older teenagers). Hailey became his "best guy friend." They’d hang out, go to church, and grab dinner, all while Justin was famously on-and-off with Selena Gomez.
The "Just Friends" Era
For about a year, they denied everything.
"People are crazy. I'm super single and this is my good friend," Justin wrote on Instagram in late 2014. Hailey told E! News the same thing. They were just close. They stayed in the same lane. But then came the 2015 New Year's Eve kiss in St. Barts. That’s when the "just friends" narrative started to fall apart.
The Breakup Nobody Talks About
Before they were the inseparable "Jailey" we see now, they had a massive falling out.
In 2016, they dated briefly. It wasn't exclusive. Justin told GQ he didn't want to "damage" her because he knew he might marry her one day. He wasn't ready to be a husband yet.
They broke up. Hard.
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For two years, they didn't speak. They didn't even follow each other on Instagram. Hailey said there was a lot of "weirdness" between them. Most people thought the story was over. Justin went back to Selena. Hailey was linked to Shawn Mendes.
The 2018 Reunion: From Club to Courthouse
The real answer to how did Justin and Hailey meet for the final time is Miami.
In June 2018, they both attended a church conference. Hailey was standing there, and Justin came up and gave her a hug. By the end of the conference, he told her, "We’re not going to be friends."
He was done with the "homie" phase.
One month later, he was down on one knee in the Bahamas. Two months after that, they were legally married at a New York City courthouse. It was a whirlwind that left fans dizzy, but for them, it was ten years in the making.
Key Turning Points in Their Relationship
- November 2009: The first meeting (The Today Show).
- November 2014: Reconnecting at Hillsong NYC.
- January 2016: First public kiss in St. Barts.
- 2016-2018: The "Dark Ages" (No communication).
- June 2018: The Miami Reconciliation.
- September 2018: Legal Marriage.
- August 2024: Welcoming their son, Jack Blues Bieber.
What You Can Learn From Their Story
Justin and Hailey’s path wasn't a straight line. It was messy, public, and full of long gaps where they weren't even friends.
If you're looking at their relationship as "goals," remember that it took a lot of growth—and a few years of silence—to get there. They had to grow up separately before they could be together.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Own Journey
- Timing is everything: You might meet "the one" when you're 12, but you won't be ready for them until you're 24.
- Shared values matter: Both Justin and Hailey credit their faith and their church community for keeping them together when things got tough.
- Friendship first: They had a solid foundation as friends for years before things got romantic.
- Don't ignore the "Dark Ages": Sometimes a breakup is necessary to realize what you actually want.
If you want to keep up with the Biebers today, your best bet is following Hailey’s YouTube channel or Justin’s occasional Instagram dumps. They’ve shifted from being a "paparazzi couple" to being relatively private parents, proving that how you meet is just the intro—it's how you stay together that counts.
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Check the old 2009 footage one more time. Look at Hailey’s face. It’s a great reminder that you never truly know who you’re shaking hands with.