An ‘awkward’ interaction between Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande has left social media users divided.
The two stars were spotted sharing in a sweet hug on the red carpet of the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards in Palm Springs, California, on Friday night.
Footage of them embracing and chatting to one another at the event was shared to X, formerly Twitter, afterwards, and it immediately went viral.
And while many of their fans were ecstatic to see them hanging out, others branded the moment as ‘forced’ and ‘awkward.’
A nine-second clip showed Selena, 32, and Ariana, 31, talking excitedly together, before they wrapped their arms around one another.
But immediately after the hug, the God Is a Woman songstress turned away from the Only Murder in the Building star – despite the fact that Selena appeared to still be saying something to her.
Selena then seemed to give Ariana – who wasn’t even looking at her anymore – a bizarre curtsy.
The Love On singer, who donned an all-white pants suit, bent her knees before quickly rising again.
After noticing Ariana’s back was to her, Selena then began to walk away, but the Wicked actress, who opted for a strapless light blue silk gown, turned back around and tried to grab her hand.
The clip was shared by the popular X account PopBase, and many rushed to the replies to share their thoughts.
‘Ariana is so annoying for looking back while Selena was saying nice things to her. Who TF does that?’ one person asked.
‘That looked awkward,’ another agreed.
‘This is so fake and forced,’ someone else added.
‘Not [Ariana] ignoring Selena in five seconds,’ a fourth tweet read.
A fifth said, ‘Selena Gomez clearly uncomfortable.’
Others, however, were excited that their two childhood favorites had come together.
‘Those of us who grew up with Wizards of Waverly Place and Victorious are shaking right now,’ a different user wrote.
‘We live for the Selriana interactions,’ gushed another.
‘Mothers,’ someone else simply tweeted.
‘Seeing them together makes my heart full,’ announced a fan.
Selena famously rose to fame as a teenager after she starred as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, while Ariana was shot to stardom at age 17 thanks to her role in the Nickelodeon show Victorious.
During a red carpet interview, Selena was asked if a collaboration between her and Ariana was in the works.
But unfortunately, she said she liked to ‘keep her friends’ as ‘friends’ rather than as coworkers.
Ariana also spoke about their friendship during the event, telling a reporter, ‘Selena’s the sweetest in the world.
Cute little red carpet moment between Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande at the Palm Springs International Film Awards! pic.twitter.com/4XTa25NGYL
— Ema Sasic (@ema_sasic) January 4, 2025
‘I love finally got to sit down and talk to her at the Academy Gala [on December 10]. It was the sweetest thing.
‘She had to give a speech and she was nervous so we were talking about nerves and how beautiful it is to do what we do but how it never gets old.
‘Certain parts of it you’ll never get used to. It’s so beautiful to see the work she’s done this year, and how we’re being celebrated for [our work].
‘I know what it feels like, you know? She started very young… it’s amazing to see this happening for her.’
The two women were previously photographed sitting together at the Academy Museum’s luncheon on December 10.
