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Selena Gomez has a new love in her life. The singer/actor/Rare Beauty founder confirmed her relationship with producer Benny Blanco on Instagram and says he's the “best thing that ever happened to me.”
OK, wait, let's back it up. How did we get here? It all started via the Instagram account Popfactions, who shared a post about Gomez “seemingly” confirming her relationship with Blanco, citing a clip from Selena & Chef where she talks about a crush, a photo of the two together during Gomez's birthday party, and a few other compelling pieces of social media evidence as proof that there was something going on between them. (Gomez's mom even follows Blanco on Instagram, so there's that.) Then, Gomez herself hopped into the comments of the aforementioned post, writing “Facts." Shortly thereafter, she shared an Instagram Story post of herself cuddling with a faceless man who many fans believe is Blanco.
According to Gomez, she and Blanco have been together for about six months.
The two have known each other for awhile; they've worked together, including on her album Revival, and appeared together in the music video for 2019's “I Can’t Get Enough." Blanco also produced her latest single, “Single Soon.” Clearly that single was not a hint as to what was to come, as it appears Gomez is currently the opposite of single.
However, not everyone was so thrilled about Gomez's new relationship. When some fans questioned and doubted the pairing — referencing past comments from Blanco that seemingly referred to her as a “cookie-cutter pop artist,” even though he had worked with her previously — Gomez replied to their comments saying that Blanco was, “my absolute everything in my heart” and “the best thing that's ever happened to me. The end.” She also called the producer “better than anyone I've ever been with." (See the screenshots on PopCrave.)
Gomez also directly responded to one Instagram comment in particular, saying, “If you actually care about me. [sic] This is my happiest. If you don't feel free to say whatever you want. But I will never allow your words to guide my life. Ever. I'm done. If you can't accept me at my happiest then don't be in y [sic] life at all.” To another, she wrote, "Oh sweetheart, I’ve been in therapy since I was 18. I know what’s best for me and I will fight till I get what I deserve. I appreciate your misguided input, but I’m growing. Don’t feel free to grow with me, just know I’m not going to be with a f***boy ever again. Sorry to disappoint.”
Those weren't the only responses she felt compelled to give to fans calling attention to her flood of posts on Dec. 7. One fans noted, “She out here doing the absolute most under this post over some f*ckass relationship but when asked to stand with the people of [Palestine] all of a sudden she has to take a social media bre— *call drops*.” To which Gomez seemed to acknowledge there might be some truth to that, writing, “You're right.”
On Oct. 30, she had previously written, “I've been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that's going on in the world. People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good. I'm sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can't stand by innocent people getting hurt. That's what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won't.”
The statement was widely criticized for the fact it came from one of the most-followed people on Instagram, with a highly influential platform. She currently has 429 million followers.
