Honestly, the era of Bella Hadid and The Weeknd feels like a fever dream we all shared between 2015 and 2019. It wasn't just a celebrity fling. It was the blueprint for that moody, high-fashion aesthetic that basically defined the mid-2010s. If you were on Tumblr or Instagram back then, you couldn't escape them. He was the "King of the Fall" with the enigmatic hair, and she was the rising "it-girl" with the piercing gaze.
But why are we still talking about them in 2026?
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Because their history is a chaotic, beautiful mess of "on-again, off-again" energy that actually left a mark on pop culture. Most people think they just couldn't make it work because they were busy. That’s the PR answer. The reality is a bit more nuanced, involving high-stakes career moves, very public rebounds, and a discography of songs that still have fans playing detective.
The Meet-Cute That Almost Wasn't
It all started in April 2015. Abel Tesfaye—better known as The Weeknd—wanted Bella to be on the artwork for his breakthrough album, Beauty Behind the Madness.
She said no.
Imagine being one of the biggest rising stars in music and getting curved by an 18-year-old model. But Abel didn't give up. He asked for a face-to-face meeting, and something clicked. By Coachella that same year, they were spotted getting cozy.
It was fast. It was intense. By October, he was gifting her a puppy (a Yorkie named Hendrix, for the trivia nerds) and celebrating her 19th birthday with her mom, Yolanda Hadid. It looked like the real deal. They made their official red carpet debut at the 2016 Grammys, looking like a goth power couple in head-to-toe black.
Then, the first crack appeared.
The Victoria's Secret Runway Moment (You Know The One)
By November 2016, they called it quits for the first time. The "official" reason? Scheduling. He was dropping Starboy, she was becoming the most booked model on the planet.
And then came the moment that launched a thousand memes.
Just weeks after the breakup, Bella had to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway while Abel performed. If you haven't seen the clip, go find it. She’s in metallic silver lingerie, he’s singing "Starboy," and she gives him this look—part smirk, part "look what you're missing."
It was iconic.
But behind the scenes, it wasn't so icy. Bella later told Teen Vogue that it was her first public breakup and it "hit her heavily." She didn't want to burn a bridge. She was 20 years old, dealing with a broken heart while the whole world watched her walk past her ex in wings.
The Selena Gomez Detour
If you want to understand the friction in the Bella Hadid and The Weeknd saga, you have to talk about January 2017.
Abel was spotted kissing Selena Gomez.
The internet exploded. Bella promptly unfollowed Selena on Instagram. It was messy. While Abel and Selena were jet-setting to Italy and hitting the Met Gala together, Bella was keeping her head down, working, and occasionally posting "revenge" selfies.
Abel and Selena lasted about ten months. When they broke up in October 2017, the "Abelena" era ended as quickly as it started. And where did Abel go almost immediately?
Back to Bella’s apartment in New York.
Round Two: The 2018 Reconciliation
By the time Coachella 2018 rolled around, the rumors were flying. People swore they saw them kissing at a party. Bella actually commented on an Instagram post saying, "It wasn't me," which is hilarious in hindsight because a month later they were seen kissing at the Cannes Film Festival.
This second stint felt more mature. They were living together in his $60,000-a-month New York City penthouse. There were even rumors of an engagement. They were traveling to Tokyo, celebrating birthdays, and looking like they had finally figured it out.
But the "on-again, off-again" curse is hard to break.
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By August 2019, they were done. Again. This time, it felt more permanent. They were at different places in their lives. Bella was focusing on her health—specifically her long-term battle with Lyme disease—and Abel was diving into the dark, cinematic world of his After Hours era.
Decoding the Music: Was "Save Your Tears" About Her?
One of the biggest reasons this relationship stays in the news is Abel’s lyrics. He is the king of the "confessional" track.
Fans have dissected almost every song since 2015 for Bella references. Some are obvious, some are reaches:
- "Wasted Times": He literally mentions an "equestrian" (Bella is a lifelong competitive rider). He sings about how his time with someone else (presumably Selena) was wasted compared to what he had with her.
- "In Your Eyes": Many believe this captures the feeling of a relationship where you both know it’s over but can’t stop looking back.
- "Heartless": Dropped right after the 2019 split, it felt like a declaration of him going back to his old, detached ways.
- "Cry For Me" (2025): Even as recently as his newest work, lyrics about "penthouse prisons" have fans pointing fingers back to their time living together in NYC.
Bella, for her part, has been much more private. She doesn't write songs. She just moves on.
Where They Stand Now
As of 2026, the ship has mostly sailed. Bella has moved into a completely different phase of her life. She’s been dating equestrian Adan Banuelos and has famously traded the chaotic New York fashion scene for a more grounded life in Texas. She seems... happy. Peaceful.
The Weeknd has been linked to Simi Khadra for a while now, and his focus seems to be on his final "The Weeknd" project before potentially rebranding under his birth name, Abel Tesfaye.
There's no bad blood—at least not publicly. They’ve both grown up.
What we can learn from the Bella Hadid and The Weeknd era is that sometimes, two people can be incredibly right for each other creatively and aesthetically, but the timing of their lives just never aligns. You can love someone and still realize that the "on-again" part is exhausting.
What to take away from their story:
- Closure isn't always a conversation. Sometimes, closure is just moving to Texas and buying a horse.
- Public perception is rarely the full story. While we saw the glamorous Met Gala photos, the real work (and the real breakups) happened in the quiet moments between world tours.
- Creative muses are a double-edged sword. Being the inspiration for a global hit song is cool until you realize you’re the "sad" part of the lyrics.
If you’re looking to track their current status, your best bet isn't the tabloids—it's the lyrics. Abel has a way of saying things in a verse that he’d never say in an interview. Keep an eye on the credits of his upcoming "Hurry Up Tomorrow" visuals; the ghosts of past relationships always seem to linger in the background of his cinema.
For now, the book on Bella and Abel is closed, but in Hollywood, you never say never to a sequel. Still, don't hold your breath for a reunion. Some things are better left as a perfect 2016 mood board.
To keep up with Bella's new life, look into her recent work with Orebella or her competitive cutting horse appearances—it’s a world away from the "Starboy" life, and that’s probably exactly what she needed.