The Reported Reason Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin Didn't Attend the MTV VMAs 2019

The MTV VMAs were missing a few key celebrities this year, namely Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin, who have been in attendance in previous years. The reason for their absences, according to Elle, was twofold. Kendall Jenner and Hailey are in Jamaica for a girls' trip, and Justin had reportedly decided not to attend any award ceremonies until his new album is released.

Bieber did have a nomination for Best Collaboration for his song "I Don't Care" with Ed Sheeran. However, the nomination was for a minor category and so people weren't too surprised to note Bieber's absence.

While no exact dates have been given, Bieber continues to work on his upcoming album and has apparently decided that until he has material to promote, he will stay out of the spotlight. In March, to explain his album's delay, Bieber posted a note on Instagram describing his recent struggles:

"So I read a lot of messages saying you want an album .. I’ve toured my whole teenage life, and early 20s, I realized and as you guys probably saw I was unhappy last tour and I don’t deserve that and you don’t deserve that, you pay money to come and have a lively energetic fun light concert and I was unable emotionally to give you that near the end of the tour. I have been looking, seeking, trial and error as most of us do, I am now very focused on repairing some of the deep rooted issues that I have as most of us have, so that I don’t fall apart, so that I can sustain my marriage and be the father I want to be. Music is very
important to me but [n]othing comes before my family and my health."

The last time Bieber was present at the VMAs was in 2015. For Baldwin's part, she made an appearance in 2017.