Hailey Bieber Admits She Didn't Finish School - and Makes Everyone Rethink What "Success" Really Means

Hailey Bieber — model, entrepreneur, and wife of one of the world’s most famous singers — recently found herself back in the spotlight. But this time, not because of another Rhode campaign or a red-carpet appearance.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she admitted: she didn’t finish school.

“I regret not finishing, because I was so close. I was in my senior year, but I started getting lazy and thought, ‘Why bother? I already have a job,’” Hailey said.

At the time, she was just starting her modeling career in New York, and school seemed secondary. But now, years later, Bieber admits she regrets that decision.

“I wouldn’t advise anyone to follow my path. I got lucky, but that doesn’t mean it will happen for everyone.”

After the interview, social media exploded. Some commenters didn’t hide their irritation:

“Of course it’s easy for her to say! She was born into a wealthy family, married Justin Bieber — that’s her entire success.”

Others defended the model:

“She speaks honestly, doesn’t pretend to be perfect. And if you think about it, Hailey is smarter and more thoughtful than many of the people judging her.”

Judging Hailey is easy. But the facts speak for themselves: her brand Rhode, founded in 2022, became a sensation in the beauty world. In May 2025, E.l.f. Beauty bought Rhode for $1 billion, but Hailey stayed on — as creative director and co-founder.

“I didn’t want to just sell the company and leave. I still test products, participate in development, and oversee every detail,” Bieber says.

Today, her name is synonymous with minimalism, clean aesthetics, and polished self-care without flashy glamour. She hasn’t just created a brand; she’s created a lifestyle where being well-groomed = confidence.

The most touching part of the interview isn’t the admission of laziness, but how Hailey has changed.
She now has a son, Jack, who is just one year old. And it’s him she thinks about when talking about the money from the Rhode deal:

“I want to save this money for my son’s future. It’s an amount I’ve never dealt with before, so I want to be wise and invest it correctly.”

These aren’t the words of a girl who dropped out of school. They’re the words of an adult woman who has realized the value of experience, mistakes, and second chances.

One can debate whether she was lucky or not. But one thing is clear: education is not a guarantee of success, and its absence is not a sentence.
What matters more is awareness. The ability to recognize mistakes, turn them into strength, and not hide behind pretty phrases.

Hailey doesn’t pretend to be “perfect” — she admits she was lazy and made mistakes. And perhaps that’s exactly what makes her relatable to millions of women: because all of us have, at some point, chosen life over school.