Selena Gomez defends dancing closely with man other than boyfriend Benny Blanco at concert

Selena Gomez has addressed the viral reaction to her dancing with co-star Édgar Ramírez amid her relationship with Benny Blanco.

The 32-year-old actor attended Sabrina Carpenter’s show in New York City on September 29 alongside some of her close friends – including Ramírez, who also stars in her new film, Emilia Pérez. In a since-deleted TikTok video posted by Gomez’s friend, Conar Franklin, the group were seen dancing and singing along to Carpenter’s hit song, “Espresso.”

In one part of the clip, which has now been reposted on X (formerly Twitter), Ramírez danced behind Gomez and had his arms wrapped around her waist. As the pair smiled and looked at the camera, the Only Murders in the Building star lip-synced the lyrics of the tune. They went on to dance with the rest of their friends in their suite at Madison Square Garden.

As the video quickly went viral on X, fans criticized Gomez for her close dancing with Ramírez and questioned whether she’s still in a relationship with Blanco. However, Gomez took to her TikTok to hit back at the speculation, clarifying that she and Ramírez are just friends.

“Omg how dare I dance with my bestie,” she sarcastically wrote in her TikTok Story, along with a shocked face emoji. She also shared another video edited by a fan, which showed her and Ramírez dancing at Beyoncé’s concert last year.

Following Carpenter’s concert in New York City, the Disney Channel alum took to Instagram to share another video of herself singing along to Carpenter’s song “Juno.” In the track, the 25-year-old sings about being in love with someone and wanting to start a family with them. Gomez kept the caption simple by unsurprisingly tagging her boyfriend Blanco’s Instagram account.

The music producer cheekily responded with a reference to one of his girlfriend’s songs, commenting: “Can’t keep my hands to myself.”

Gomez confirmed her relationship with Blanco in December 2023 after months of speculation. At the time, she had liked a post from celebrity news fan account PopFaction, which included the headline “Selena Gomez Seemingly Confirms That She Is in a Relationship.”

In the comments, Gomez wrote: “Facts.”

The couple quickly faced criticism online, with fans claiming that he was “unworthy” of Gomez. However, the “Wolves” singer didn’t hesitate to hit back at the critcism.

“I don’t understand,” she wrote in response. “If you actually care about me. 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 [my] life at all.”

Gomez has continued to make it clear that she’s happy in her relationship with Blanco. When her company Rare Beauty was named among the TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2024, she applauded her boyfriend for his support amid their public romance.

“I know what people can do to people I love. My own fans, who I adore and feel like have shaped who I am, will say the most hurtful things to me about how I live my life. But he has the strength in him that none of that noise fazes him,” she said. “It’s really impressive, and I just cherish every moment with him. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that he’s not going anywhere any time soon.”

Meanwhile, Gomez also gushed over her strong connection with Blanco in an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this month.

“I’ve never been loved this way,” she explained. “He’s just been a light. A complete light in my life. He’s my best friend. I love telling him everything.”