The relationship between Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco goes way back. In fact, the two famously met in 2009, a year before Bieber began dating Selena Gomez, and collaborated on many songs together throughout the time Bieber and Gomez were dating and even after the two broke up. That, of course,e means, that one of the things people were most interested in knowing when the news that Blanco and Gomez were dating broke was how Justin Bieber felt about it.
It didn’t matter that Justin Bieber had moved on from Gomez and was in a happy relationship with Hailey Beiber. It didn’t matter that Gomez and Bieber broke up for good in 2018, after being on and off for years. The Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez of it all had people interested for years and that has always included who they dated before and after. Someone who was in Justin Bieber’s orbit and then went on to date Selena Gomez, like Benny Blanco, is of course going to be interesting to fans of the once-couple.
Related: Here’s the Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco relationship timeline
But Blanco and Bieber were, arguably, closer than a normal pair of friends—and that relationship seems to now be nonexistent. What happened with Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco? Did their friendship end just because of Selena Gomez? Here’s everything we know.
Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco were very close friends for many years. It wasn’t just a professional relationship, the two spoke highly of each other, with Blanco even saying in an interview with Zach Sang that, at the time, fans interpreted as a dig against Selena Gomez, “Justin’s not one of those cookie-cutter pop artists. He’s always been upfront about his struggles, and that’s what makes him special.”
Bieber has similarly spoken highly of Blanco.
The list of songs Bieber and Blanco have collaborated on is long. Among the Justin Bieber songs in which Blanco is credited as producer and songwriter are “Eenie Meenie” and “Somebody to Love” in 2010, “Love Yourself” in 2015, “Cold Water” in 2016, and “Lonely” in 2020. “Lonely” is the first of their collaborations in which Blanco is credited as an artist and not just as a producer and songwriter.
Blanco, however, seems to have picked the girl, as his relationship with Bieber is said to have deteriorated the moment he started dating Gomez. An insider even shared with In Touch Weekly that Bieber was “offended” after Blanco distanced himself when he started his relationship with Gomez. “Justin is pretty offended by the fact that Benny totally cut him out of his life when he got together with Selena. They used to be great friends, so it came as a huge shock,” the source revealed to the outlet.
But according to In Touch Weekly, Bieber attempted to be the bigger person and make peace not just with Blanco, but with Gomez. It was, however, not to be. Particularly as Bieber “finds it so annoying that they always seem to be taking these passive-aggressive shots at him on social media.”
The worst part, for Bieber, is that he seems to believe they never get any flack for it, with the outlet’s source also saying, “He’s sure that if he was pulling stunts and going online attention seeking, he’d get slammed for it, but somehow Selena and Benny seem to get away with it and never get called out.”
A possible reconciliation seems far off because Bieber now seems to be moving on. “[Justin has] tried so many times to make peace with them and get past the BS, but they just won’t let it go, and he’s now saying good riddance,” says the source. “He thinks they’re lame and immature, and he’s not going to bother trying to be friendly anymore.”
Blanco is now engaged to Selena Gomez. Justin, meanwhile, is married to Hailey Bieber, and the two have a son, Jack Blues Bieber.
