Benny Blanco admits he has no idea why Selena Gomez dates him: ‘How did this happen?’

‘Look at me, the only way I got where I am is by cooking food,’ he joked on ‘Today’ show

Olivia Hebert
Los Angeles
Wednesday 01 May 2024 20:48 BST
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Related: Selena Gomez jokes that her exes think she’s ‘crazy’

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Benny Blanco has admitted that he has no idea why Selena Gomez is dating him.

In an appearance on the Today show, the producer opened up to hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Hager-Bush about the intense public attention on his relationship with the Only Murders in the Building star. He joined them to promote his new cookbook Open Wide, and explained how cooking was at first a hobby for him that later became the passion that it is today.

For the famed songwriter, cooking is a love language and one of the many things he noted he used to woo his pop star girlfriend. He recounted when he made the “perfect” steak dinner for her on an intimate date night at home.

“Look at me, the only way I got where I am is by cooking food,” he said. “Are you kidding me? That’s the best first date in the world, you cook up some food! How could anyone not love you if you’re making them a huge steak with potatoes and salad.”

He said that each morning he wakes up and wonders how he got so lucky, noting that Gomez showed her unwavering support for him by showing up by his side at his book launch. He joked: “I wake up every day and I look in the mirror and I’m like: ‘How did this happen?’ Until anyone figures it out: ‘Wee!’”

The loved-up couple had known each other years before dating, with the pair having previously collaborated on some of the pop star’s biggest hits including “Kill Em with Kindness” and “Same Old Love” from her second studio album Revival as well as “I Can’t Get Enough” featuring J Balvin and Tainy.

It wasn’t until 2023 that he and the Rare Beauty founder finally got together. Months after Gomez released her empowering anthem “Single Soon” - in which Blanco is credited as a producer - she hard-launched their relationship on Instagram in a photo carousel that included a sweet photo of the pair kissing, confirming to her fans that they were indeed dating. At the time, she captioned the photo writing that the smooch was one of her “favourite moments” when she had recently been in New York City.

The confirmation came on the heels of Gomez commenting below a post from Instagram account Popfactions that said, “#SelenaGomez seemingly confirms that she is in a relationship.”

Days later, she confirmed her relationship status with one word: “Facts.”

Eagle-eyed fans then noticed that the Disney Channel alum had also liked another post from the account alleging that Blanco was the singer’s new beau. With speculation swirling, she teased fans with a black-and-white Instagram Story of her cuddling with a faceless mystery man in a zebra-printed shirt, now assumed to be the producer.

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