Justin Bieber & Hailey Baldwin Skipped The VMAs, But We Should've Seen That Coming

He may have been a nominee for the Song of the Summer Award, but even that wasn't enough to draw him into his VMAs seat — yep, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin are not at the 2018 VMAs. On one hand, this isn't necessarily surprising information, considering Bieber hasn't been particularly fond of attending award shows in the first place the past few years. But on the other hand, these two haven't been shy about flaunting their love and brand new engagement, and the VMAs certainly feels like the right place to do just that.

So why did the duo decide to skip? Perhaps it has something to do with Shawn Mendes' slated performance. The musician had been linked to Baldwin between breaks in her relationship with Bieber; the two were even spotted attending the 2018 Met Gala together. And while Baldwin and Mendes have always maintained that they're just "really good friends," they sure looked cozy on each other's arms back in May. Plus there's the fact that, shortly after getting back together with Bieber, Baldwin deleted pictures on her Instagram account of her and Mendes. Coincidence? I think not — sounds a little more like a jealous boyfriend, or rather, fiancé, if you ask me.

Not that Bieber has anything to worry about — Mendes has reportedly fully endorsed Baldwin and Bieber's engagement. According to the Daily Mail, Mendes told the Australian show The Project that he even congratulated Baldwin. "I texted Hailey the day of and I said congrats," Mendes said. "That’s what it is. Everybody wants there to be more — there’s not.”

Mendes also voiced his enthusiasm for the couple back in June: "I love them both," Mendes said in an interview with Canadian entertainment show ETALK. "They’re both really awesome people. When I first started out, everybody was like, 'Oh, how do you feel about being compared to Justin?' I was like, 'What do you mean, how do I feel?' That’s the best thing anyone could say to me. He’s the man." It sounds like there's no bad blood there. Perhaps he and Baldwin truly were "just friends."

Another possibility is that Baldwin and Bieber skipped the infamous awards show to focus on something that's sure to draw as much, if not more celebrity attention: their upcoming nuptials. However, People recently reported that the model, 21, and the pop star, 24, were planning on pushing back their wedding a bit, since the two are so young and not in a rush to wed. This news comes shortly after pap pictures of Baldwin and Bieber surfaced, in which Baldwin can be seen consoling Bieber as he cried on a New York City bike path.

Perhaps the two need to work on strengthening their foundation before getting married, and there's no better way to do so than out of the spotlight. And while we'll certainly miss Biebs on the VMAs stage, if this is what's best for him and his bride-to-be, it's safe to say he has our full support.

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