Selena Gomez, pop star phenomenon and Rare Beauty wizard, decided on a fresh approach to the madness that is the 21st-century dating game this week: Sitting on the sidelines at a soccer match, she shouted at the players, “I’m single! I’m just a little high maintenance. But I’ll love you so much.” And you know what? I believe her!
None of the players sprinted over—which alone might be the wildest celebrity news of the century—but evidence exists that Gomez was enjoying herself regardless. A friend of Gomez’s captured the encounter on video, and Gomez later uploaded the clip to TikTok, prompting millions of likes and comments calling her actions Alex Russo-coded. (Russo, of course, being Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place character from her Disney Channel days. It’s an apt comparison.)
Other comments included, but were not limited to:
- “What in the Alex Russo is happening here?”
- “how do they not notice that a QUEEN is in their presence”
- “I can’t wait for her to find her person and to watch her glow in ways she absolutely deserves!!”
- “i say this at least twice a day” (from the official TikTok account, no less)
- “i love it when i can relate to celebrities”
- “Get you a rich football player selena”
- and “girl we know you’re dating zayn”
That last one is a not-so-subtle reference to news that Gomez and former One Direction singer Zayn Malik were reportedly spotted kissing in March. “Selena and Zayn went out in SoHo in New York City last night at around 10:30 P.M.,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “They walked in holding hands and were kissing. Most restaurant staff and restaurantgoers didn’t notice them. It seemed like they were comfortable together and it was clear that it was a date.”
But the fling was either short-lived, not serious, or nonexistent, as Gomez seemed to confirm with her latest TikTok. Regardless, she’s resorted to shouting at attractive strangers at soccer games while wrapped in a trench coat and blankets. And that’s the kind of public figure we can all understand.
Culture Writer
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.