Selena Gomez jokes she looks ‘constipated’ while posing next to Taylor Swift at VMAs

Two singers have been close friends for more than a decade

Selena Gomez has joked that she looked “constipated” while posing next to best friend Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).

The actor, 31, took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday 12 September, following the awards ceremony, to share a sweet snap of her and her pal. In the image, the pair could be seen exchanging a hug, as Gomez was in the middle of speaking to Swift, who was laughing in response.

The Only Murders in the Building star went on to praise her friend, while also making a quip about her own appearance. “She looks stunning, I look constipated,” Gomez wrote in the caption. She continued the bit by adding: “Typical.”

For the star-studded ceremony, the two pals both opted for bold outfits, with Gomez wearing a red floral dress with a high leg slit by Oscar de la Renta and matching red, strappy heels. Her appearance on the red carpet also came as a surprise, since she hadn’t publicly announced that she would be attending the awards show beforehand.

Meanwhile, Swift walked the red carpet in for a black, button-down Versace dress, which she accessorised with layered gold chain necklaces and a pair of strappy black sandals. Once she stepped inside the awards ceremony, which was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, she quickly went viral for some of her off-stage moments.

Fans praised Swift for dancing in her seat during almost every performance. In one clip, she stood up and danced along to Shakira’s performance of “Hips Don’t Lie”. Another video showed Swift swinging and dancing along to Doja Cat’s performance of “Paint The Town Red”, as the “All Too Well” singer held her glass in her hand.

Swift and Gomez have been close friends for more than a decade, after first meeting in 2008 while the “Cruel Summer” singer was dating Joe Jonas and the Disney Channel alum was dating Nick Jonas.

Neither of the two pals walked away empty handed last night, as the “Single Soon” singer won the award for Best Afrobeats song for her “Calm Down” collaboration with Nigerian singer Rema. And of course, Swift was seen cheering for her longtime friend from her seat, before pointing at Gomez and blowing her a kiss as the winner walked off the stage.

(selenagomez / Instagram)

The “Bad Blood” singer went on to have her own big night at the awards ceremony, as she won nine out of the 11 awards she was nominated for, including Video of the Year for her hit song, “Anti-Hero”. The 33-year-old musician also became the first artist to win the award four times.

“This is unbelievable. It’s really felt like the adventure of a lifetime this past year,” she said, during her acceptance speech. “I cannot believe that it was a year ago at the VMAs that I announced the Midnights album.”

Swift’s big win at the awards ceremony also makes her the record-holder for the most VMA wins in one night. You can find the full list of VMA winners here.