Selena Gomez has come under fire for allegedly “throwing shade” at Olivia Rodrigo. During Olivia’s performance at the 2023 MTV Music Video Awards, Selena could be seen holding her hand to her ear the entire time. Additionally, she made faces when it seemed like Olivia’s set was falling apart.
As Olivia Rodrigo was crossing the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, a red drape suddenly fell from above and sparks started to fly. This was actually part of a planned stunt, and a man quickly came out to redirect Olivia. However, during this chaotic moment, Selena Gomez’s horrified expressions were caught on camera.
Many fans have interpreted Selena’s behavior as a form of “shadiness” towards Olivia, possibly due to the ongoing rumors of a feud between Olivia and Selena’s friend Taylor Swift. Some fans took to social media to express their disapproval, with one user tweeting, “Not Selena Gomez covering her ears during Olivia Rodrigo’s performance,” while another referred to Selena as an “evil mean girl.”
However, other fans have defended Selena, suggesting that her reactions were simply a response to Olivia’s set-collapse stunt. They argue that Selena was likely genuinely concerned that something had gone wrong during the performance. One supporter noted, “Olivia pretended to have her set break down and semi-explode as she was fake rushed off stage, and Selena was reacting to that, probably thinking something was really going wrong.”
At the VMAs, Olivia won the award for best editing, while Selena took home the best afrobeats award for her song ‘Calm Down’.
The rumors of a feud between Olivia and Taylor first surfaced in 2021 when Olivia credited Taylor and Jack Antonoff, a longtime collaborator of Taylor’s, with writing credits and royalties for her track ‘Déjà vu’ because it had interpolations from Taylor’s song ‘Cruel Summer’.