Selena Gomez responded to comments on her reaction at the VMAs Tuesday night to Chris Brown’s nomination.
“I will never be a meme again,” the “Only Murders in the Building” actress wrote Wednesday on a temporary Instagram story. “I’d rather sit still than be drafted for being myself. Much love”
The “Single Soon” singer, who won a Moon Person with Rema for their Afrobeats collaboration, “Calm Down,” was caught on camera sneering at Brown’s VMA nomination and then was seen sporting another bummed look when it was announced that SZA was not at the ceremony to accept her win for best R&B video for “Shirt.”
Brown was nominated for his collaboration with Chlöe Bailey, “How Does It Feel,” but the duo lost the Moon Person to SZA.
Gomez has never publicly commented about Brown’s controversial reputation in the music industry. In 2009, Brown pled guilty to felony domestic assault charges for violence against his then-girlfriend Rihanna. As a result, he received sentencing for community labor, five years of probation and domestic violence counseling.
Rihanna has a restraining order against Brown, which was modified in 2011 to let the former couple appear at awards shows simultaneously. Brown also participated in a fight with Drake and his entourage, an altercation with Frank Ocean over a parking spot, an alleged hit and run, a misdemeanor assault for punching a fan and got jail time for violating his probation.
In 2022, a woman filed a civil assault suit against Brown, accusing him of drugging and raping her at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Miami Beach home in 2020. The woman sought $20 million in the case, which was ultimately dropped due to a lack of criminal prosecution. Brown has denied all allegations.
This also wasn’t the first time Gomez’s expressions caught the attention of fans during the 2023 Video Music Awards. Earlier in the night, some jokingly called out her stunned reaction to Olivia Rodrigo’s performance of “Vampire” when the set mimicked the chaos of the music video with props falling and a fire breaking out in the background. The chaos was controlled, though, as Rodrigo later transitioned into singing “get him back!”