So much happened at the 2023 VMAs, *NSYNC reunited, Taylor Swift won a ton of awards, and many viewers took to social media to make memes out of major moments from the show. While there were lots of celebrity reactions that turned into memes on Twitter, Selena Gomez’s reactions to various instances during the show specifically went super viral. Now, the singer has shared a message for the haters about what went down online during and after the Video Music Awards.
During the award show, there were cameras constantly scanning the audience to show standout reactions from celebrities. For example, Taylor Swift dancing the night away was featured many, many times throughout the broadcast.
Selena Gomez’s reactions were also shown over and over. Moments of her negatively reacting to Chris Brown being nominated and her holding her hand to her ear during Olivia Rodrigo’s performance went viral along with her interactions with Swift. The Only Murders in the Building star made her thoughts on going viral very clear as she called out those who were making fun of her during the VMAs. She posted on Instagram:
One of the moments that viewers really focused on was Gomez’s reaction to Olivia Rodrigo’s performance. During it, there was a fake stage malfunction as part of the bit, and Gomez put her hand up to her ear, and she appeared to be plugging it. Some viewers thought the “Single Soon” singer was showing her dislike of the song, like @ReigningMinaj who posted:
Not Selena Gomez covering her ears during Olivia Rodrigo performance 😭 pic.twitter.com/aeXjQ8tl2eSeptember 13, 2023
After this clip went viral, the memes started, and some believed Gomez really didn’t like Rodrigo. However, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer shut down that rumor, and clarified why she reacted that way in a comment on BuzzFeed Celeb’s Instagram post about the situation. She wrote:
I heard a loud noise and it scared me
Selena Gomez is not afraid to share her honest thoughts about a situation, and this isn’t the first time she’s done it. A couple of weeks ago, after her single “Single Soon” was released, there were rumors that it was about her ex The Weekend. Using direct honesty, she shut down the claims, and she made it clear that what people thought the track was about “couldn’t be more false.”
Before the direct message addressing the memes appeared on her stories, Selena Gomez uploaded an adorable photo of her and Taylor Swift, who was also the subject of many memes at the VMAs. While the actress took issue with how people were meme-ing her viral reactions, she still seemed to have fun with her friend and followers as she lightheartedly posted this photo and caption:
She looks stunning I look constipated, typical.
On a more wholesome note, another moment that went super viral from the VMAs was when Selena Gomez won her award, and Swift jumped out of her seat to cheer her bestie on, as @its_komal03 posted. While there was negative energy on social media, it seemed like in the room, they were having a great time, and the two pop stars had a blast cheering each other on.
Selena Gomez also posted lots of cute photos and videos from the night showing off her gorgeous red dress and some fun moments with her friends. While the memes were less than ideal, she still seemed to have a fun night. She also took home an award for Best Afrobeats for the song “Calm Down,” which she worked with Rema on.
Outside of the VMAs, Selena Gomez has been having a stellar couple of months. She dropped her first solo song in quite a while, “Single Soon.” Along with her new track, her show, Only Murders in the Building is in the midst of airing its third season on the 2023 TV schedule, and you can catch new episodes every Tuesday with a Hulu subscription.
