Why Hailey and Justin Bieber are keeping a distance between son Jack and her parents Stephen and Kennya Baldwin
New mom Hailey Bieber is choosing to keep her parents away from her baby son Jack amid her ongoing tensions with the pair, according to sources who say she has long clashed with Stephen and Kennya Baldwin over religious and political beliefs.
The Rhode beauty founder, 27, gave birth to her first child with her husband Justin Bieber, 30, in August – and while many new mothers would welcome the help of their parents at this time, Hailey is determined to keep a distance.
Though her father, 58, celebrated the birth of his grandson with a post on Instagram, which Hailey did not like from her own account, the model’s mother raised eyebrows after choosing not to mark the moment on her own social media feed.
It highlights Hailey’s strained relationship with her parents, which reportedly started to ‘break down’ further when the beauty mogul fell pregnant.
‘Hailey’s relationship with her family has been eroding for some time now,’ a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘She was closer with her mom, but that started to break down when she fell pregnant because she didn’t want to tell her family for months.’
New mom Hailey Bieber is choosing to keep her parents away from her baby son Jack amid her ongoing tensions with the pair (pictured 2021)
Her father, 58, (pictured with Kennya in 2019) celebrated the birth of his grandson with a post on Instagram, which Hailey did not like from her own account
The insider explained that the situation that ultimately pushed Hailey over the edge was when her father shared a post asking fans to pray for Hailey and Justin, something which sparked concern for the couple.
The Usual Suspects alum reposted a video of Justin singing, which was shared by All Things Possible Ministries founder Victor Marx and captioned: ‘Christians please when you think of Justin & Hailey, take a moment to offer a little prayer for them to have wisdom, protection, and draw close to the Lord.’
‘Hailey had a blowout with her family when her dad asked for prayers for Hailey and Justin, and she told him that she did not want him meddling in her life,’ the source said.
‘Stephen told Hailey that she wouldn’t even know Justin if it were not for him making the introduction. Hailey was not happy about this at all.’
Hailey met the Canadian crooner while backstage on NBC’s TODAY in 2009.
‘Nice to meet you,’ were the first words Hailey ever uttered to Justin.
The pair eventually started dating in 2015, and rekindled their on-off romance in 2018 – three months after his split with Selena Gomez.
The source claimed Hailey’s tensions with her family fueled her desire to drop ‘Baldwin’ in favor of becoming Mrs. Bieber in 2018.
‘Hailey’s relationship with her family has been eroding for some time now,’ a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
The source continued: ‘When she fell pregnant because she didn’t want to tell her family for months’
Hailey is seen on far left alongside father Stephen Baldwin, sister Alaia Baldwin and mother Kennya Baldwin in November 2008
‘Hailey has wanted to not be linked to the Baldwin name for years and was more than happy to change her last name to Bieber the second she and Justin were married,’ the insider dished.
Hailey recently admitted that she is not as close to her family as she used to be.
‘I’m not super close with my family at this point in my life,’ she told W Magazine in her cover story for the special summer issue. ‘Because I feel like I’m very independent.
‘I’m my own individual now, and I’ve built my own family. But when I look back on my childhood and how I grew up, I have very fond, beautiful memories.’
She said the distance stemmed from her moving out of their family home as a teenager to pursue her modeling career, which forced her to grow up faster.
She signed with Ford Models, aged 17, and moved to New York City.
‘I started traveling the world, making my own money. I got my own apartment and had to learn how to live on my own,’ she said. ‘That pushed me into adulthood kind of quickly.’
Hailey had maintained a relationship with her mother over the years but tension reportedly brewed as she felt like the ‘black sheep’ of the family compared to her older sister Alaia, now 31.
The insider claimed Hailey has also felt like the ‘black sheep’ of the family compared to her older sister Alaia, 31 (pictured together in 2019)
Hailey’s family tensions have also impacted Justin’s relationship with the Baldwins, with the source claiming: ‘Justin does not get along with her family’ (pictured in 2011)
‘Hailey doesn’t go to her mom or to her sister really,’ the source said. ‘She feels that her mom has always favored Alaia over her and that she is looked at as the black sheep.
‘It is almost like her dad mom and sister are on one team and she thinks that they are against her, so she chooses not to associate right now.’
Another key reason for her deteriorating family dynamic has a lot to do with varying opinions on politics and religious issues.
‘Her parents are still married and share the same brain,’ the insider noted. ‘Her dad is a religious zealot, and her mom does whatever her dad says to do.’
Stephen became a born-again Christian following the September 11 attacks and has been a vocal supporter of twice-impeached, four-time indicted ex-POTUS Donald Trump, even endorsing him in 2016.
This, after the 78-year-old reality star-turned-politician fired Baldwin off NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice twice; first in 2008 and again in 2013.
In 2017, Hailey, who recently threw her support behind Kamala Harris, admitted her father’s political leanings had been a ‘big issue.’ She claimed ‘his opinions have [since] changed’ but did not elaborate further.
Stephen and Kennya are die-hard evangelicals who are very open about their beliefs online.
Hailey saw red this year when her dad reposted a video of Justin and wrote: ‘Christians please when you think of Justin & Hailey, take a moment to offer a little prayer for them’
Since 2001, Stephen has set up three ministries and went on a series of tours called Assault Tours.
He even produced a documentary DVD called Livin It which featured numerous skateboarders discussing their relationship with God.
The DVD was something Stephen went to share with Justin on the day Hailey met her future husband.
While Justin and Hailey are also open about their Christian beliefs, the pair have opted for worship as a part of the controversial Churchome organization, whose lead pastor is Judah Smith.
Employee Rachel Kellogg filed a lawsuit in May of this year with claims that Churchome and its leaders ‘engaged in a systemic scheme of wage and hour abuse against their employees’, according to The Seattle Times.
In the years prior, the couple were linked to the equally controversial Hillsong Church until Justin had a falling out with his former ‘spiritual advisor,’ the pastor Carl Lentz, who was then fired in late 2020 for what Brian Houston, the church’s Global Senior Pastor, described as ‘leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures,’ which Lentz clarified was an extramarital affair.
Hailey’s family tensions have also impacted Justin’s relationship with the Baldwins.
‘Justin does not get along with her family and now that they have the baby, things are even more tense,’ the insider noted. ‘He sees her family like he sees his family: dysfunctional and not out for their best interests.’
The two of them are trying to keep Jack away from their families as much as possible and are adamant about being their own separate family.’
The source explained: ‘She was closer with her mom, but that started to break down when she fell pregnant because she didn’t want to tell her family for months’ (pictured in 2011)
But their determination to deal with this new chapter alone has proved difficult for the couple, especially now Justin is having to juggle fatherhood with questions about his relationship with Diddy in the wake of the rapper’s arrest.
‘They claim that they don’t need anyone, and Hailey has done a fine job of convincing Justin she is the only one he needs,’ the source said.
‘Since the birth of the baby, their marriage has taken a hit because it is stressful and neither one of them really have anyone to turn to for advice.’
To date, Hailey’s parents have not shared any images of themselves with their newborn grandson.
However, Stephen gushed that baby Jack is ‘incredibly cute’ in an interview last month.
Speaking to People, he claimed that he had been enjoying grandpa duties and hanging out with ‘my four year-old granddaughter Iris’ – referring to Alaia’s daughter.
He then added: ‘I’m in town to celebrate her fourth birthday… And of course, here comes Jack Blues Bieber.
‘And yeah, he’s just… I don’t want to say too much. He’s unbelievably cute.’