Justin Bieber's recent attempt to reconcile with his longtime rival, Taylor Swift, has led to an unexpected backlash. Fans have accused the pop star of seeking attention rather than genuinely wanting to reconcile.

Bieber, 31, appeared to extend an olive branch to Swift by featuring her music in a series of Instagram Stories throughout 2025. However, his gestures—meant to highlight sentimental moments involving his son, Jack Blues—were swiftly dismissed by Swift's loyal fanbase as clout-chasing.

In one instance, Bieber shared a fan-made edit of his son using Swift's 2010 ballad "Never Grow Up," a song from Taylor's Version re-recordings. The video, which showed Jack's tiny hand as he turned away from the camera, was intended to be heartwarming. But fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, saw it differently.

"Justin Bieber is still desperate for Taylor Swift's approval and her fanbase after posting an Instagram Story using one of Taylor's Version song re-recordings," one user posted on X. Others accused the "Baby" singer of trying to exploit Swift's popularity to boost his own image.

This wasn't the first time Bieber had used Swift's music publicly. Earlier this year, he shared another Story featuring her hit "Bad Blood," a move that divided social media users between those praising his maturity and those calling him "insincere."

According to Cosmopolitan, the icy relationship between Bieber and Swift stems from the latter's long-running feud with Scooter Braun, Bieber's former manager, who purchased the masters of Swift's early albums in 2019—a move Swift publicly condemned as "bullying." Although Bieber defended Braun at the time, he later expressed regret for his tone, hinting at a willingness to move forward.

Communications executive Amy Prenner of The Prenner Group told Nicki Swift that Bieber's efforts likely fell flat due to how fans perceived his motives. "It's all about perception versus reality," Prenner said. "Given that Justin and Taylor have had their share of drama, people are wondering if this was Justin's way of trying to make peace, or just a coincidence."

Prenner added that public attempts to resolve celebrity feuds can easily backfire.

As for Bieber's next move, experts suggest a more private approach. "Genuine, low-key gestures or private outreach to make peace often work better than grand public displays that can seem forced," Prenner said. "Being authentic and consistent is the best route because people can tell when someone's being fake."

Despite the backlash, Bieber has yet to comment publicly on the situation. Swift, meanwhile, remains silent—leaving fans to wonder whether the long-standing tension between two of pop's biggest names will ever truly fade.

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Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift