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Since going public with their relationship in 2023, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco can't help but gush about their connection, which started off as a friendship. The two originally got to know each other thanks to their shared love of music. Blanco, a producer, has collaborated with Gomez since 2015 on a few of her most popular songs, like “Kill Em with Kindness,” “Same Old Love” and “I Can’t Get Enough.
” Gomez and Blanco later realized that their connection extended beyond the recording studio. After the pair teamed up again for her August 2023 track "Single Soon," they went , confirming their romance. In December 2023, the singer and actor uploaded a to Instagram, including one of her kissing Blanco and another of them sweetly embracing.
"New York, my favorite moments w you this week," she cheekily wrote in the caption. So, how did the two become more than friends and when did they first meet? Read on for a complete timeline of Gomez's relationship with her new beau. In 2015, Gomez released her second studio album, "Revival.
" For that project, Blanco was credited as a producer on several songs, such as “Kill Em with Kindness” and “Same Old Love.” In 2019, Blanco and Gomez returned to the recording studio to work on the track “I Can’t Get Enough," which also features Tainy and J Balvin. In the music video, Blanco and the three artists danced around on a giant-sized bed.
In August 2023, Gomez released the song "Single Soon," where she sings about the excitement that someone can feel when they get out of a relationship. While teasing the song on , Gomez said she wrote the upbeat tune "a while back" and said her song was "perfect for the end of summer." Blanco has production credits on this song as well.
In December 2023, Gomez confirmed that she and Blanco were dating when she liked and replied to a post about her relationship status. Instagram account Popfactions wrote, " seemingly confirms that she is in a relationship." A few days later, Gomez responded in the comments with the single word: "Facts.
" Fans rejoiced when Gomez liked another Popfactions post that said she and Blanco were rumored to be dating. At the time, reps for Gomez and Blanco did not reply to TODAY.com’s request for comment.
As news started to heat up about a romance between the two, Gomez shared a black-and-white photo on her Instagram story of her snuggling up to a mystery man in a zebra-printed shirt that many eagle-eyed fans speculated was Blanco. In December 2023, Gomez with Blanco when she shared a sweet picture of them kissing. In , Gomez also shared some of her "favorite moments" that happened while she spent time in New York.
She included a photo of her attending a soirée with her and another pic of her and Blanco at what appeared to be a dinner party. In that snap, Blanco had his arms wrapped around Gomez while she smiled for the camera. In a December 2023 interview with , Gomez opened up about her love life and revealed what she's looking for in a partner.
"Honestly, I have to start being attracted to the right kind of people, because it’s a bit of both," she said. "It’s very hard to find someone who can listen to you and care about you, but I know when it happens it will be great and you will want it to be healthy." In the interview, Gomez also said she hopes to become a mother one day, saying it's “fundamental to her life’s purpose.
” On Jan. 3, Gomez and Blanco were seen sitting courtside at a Lakers game. As the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Miami Heat, the couple were seen cuddling up next to each other.
At one point, Gomez laid her head on Blanco's shoulder, and in other moments, he was photographed kissing her hand and placing his hand on her knee. On Jan. 7, Gomez posted a photo on her Instagram story of her and Blanco locking lips, the same night she attended the Golden Globes.
Decked out in a red dress she , Gomez is seen pressing her lips into Blanco's. "I won," she captioned the picture. Gomez's comment alludes to her defeat in the best performance by a female actor in a television series (musical or comedy) category.
She was nominated for her role in "Only Murders in the Building," but lost to .” In an shared Jan. 13, Nicola Peltz Beckham shared fun pictures from a pajama party hosted by none other than the couple themselves.
Featuring the group decked out in matching PJ sets, Beckham wrote that her best friends surprised her with the birthday gathering, sharing that they played games and she felt “so loved.” “I love you all so much,” she wrote. “And thank you benny for making the best food everrrr and you and sel for hosting.
” On Feb. 6, both Gomez and Blanco took to their Instagram stories to share a peek into their lives as a couple. Blanco shared a photo of Gomez hiding her face as her beau brandished an autographed photo of her from her child star days.
In a post to her own story, Gomez and Blanco seemed to be together in a vehicle as she rubbed her fuzzy-sock-clad feet on him. Then in a carousel of photos posted to her Instagram Feb. 12, Gomez revealed some behind-the-scenes looks at her life with Blanco.
"My bes fwend," she . The pictures showed the two musicians cooking together and spending time at a party. The last photo showed Gomez and Blanco sharing a romantic moment while one of their friends seemingly yelled into a Golden Globe statue like a microphone as "The Bear" actor Matty Matheson looked on.
During a Feb. 23 appearance on “ " Gomez recalled an “awkward” situation that happened to her at the 2023 Emmys when she was with Blanco. “This is kind of embarrassing.
This is such a weird habit. But every night I fall asleep to the same show,” she explained. “And it’ll either be ‘Friends’ or something comfy.
But lately, it’s ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ So I fall asleep every night just watching the show and I’m a fan.” Gomez then said that she crossed paths with Jason Segel at the award show and things got awkward once she noticed that he was waving in her direction.
But, after waving back, Gomez soon learned he was actually waving to someone behind her. “He felt awkward and then inclined to come over,” she said. However, once they were face to face, Gomez said Blanco told Segel, “Oh, she falls asleep to you every night.
” “I was like, ‘That’s weird!’” Gomez said with a shocked expression on her face, laughing. “But I do!” On March 8, Gomez celebrated Blanco's birthday when she shared a few sweet pictures and videos of them together on . In the post, Gomez shared a snap of her smooching Blanco, as well as a video of them kissing each other in the dark.
She captioned it, “Happy birthday baby! Your emotional endurance, positive disposition, unbelievable talent (that blows me away), undeniable humor and loving, kind heart absolutely kill me. I love you @itsbennyblanco.” Blanco commented with several emoji, including the happy face with tears emoji.
Blanco opened up about his relationship with Gomez in an April 25 interview with . Blanco said it took him a while to catch on to his connection with Gomez. He realized he was interested in her when they were in the middle of a recording session.
“I was the last one to know,” he said. “It’s crazy how your partner could just be sitting there the whole time, right in front of your eyes, and you don’t even notice, and then you have that 'Clueless' moment where you’re like, ‘Wait, I’m in love.’” Blanco released his new book, "Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends," where he shares his best dinner party recipes.
To celebrate, Blanco threw a party featuring a cake in the shape of the book. On , Gomez shared pics from the party. In one snap, she kissed his life-size cake and in another, she posed for the camera while Blanco hugged her from behind.
"So proud of @itsbennyblanco — Open Wide is out now!!" she captioned the post. Blanco opened up about his relationship with Gomez while talking about his new cookbook, “Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends,” on . Blanco recalled the time when he for Gomez.
While joking about the moment, he said he advises everyone learn to cook to win over potential partners. “Look at me, the only way I got where I am is by cooking food. 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.
Blanco then talked about how it felt to have Gomez at and what it’s like to have a supportive girlfriend by his side. “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!’” he joked. In an interview with , Gomez gushed about Blanco when Kotb talked about meeting him.
"I had the privilege of meeting a really cute, nice guy," the TODAY show host said before Gomez burst out in a giggle. "His name is Benny Blanco." "When you said you are sum total of the five people you spend the most time with, so choose wisely — you're choosing wisely," Kotb continued.
"I felt that right away." “It feels wonderful. He’s wonderful,” Gomez responded, giggling.
In a interview, Gomez shared that after years of being single, she made a plan to become a parent before she and Blanco started dating. “I was alone for five years, and I got really used to it. A lot of people are afraid of being alone and I probably tortured myself in my head for like two years being alone, and then I kind of accepted it," she told the magazine.
"Then I came up with my plan, which was I was going to adopt at 35 if I had not met anyone.” She shared that she asked Blanco if he had any friends he could set her up with. When he introduced her to his friend at a party, that's when Gomez realized she was actually interested in Blanco.
“It just happens when you least expect it,” she said. In a , Gomez and Blanco took part in a viral couples challenge, which consists of two people reacting to “Who’s mostly likely to?” prompts, such as “Who cleans the house?” (The answer: Blanco). In the 30-second clip, the couple reacted to the prompts, disagreeing on some points — they both pointed to themselves for the prompt, “Who’s most likely to fall asleep during a movie?” — and agreed others applied equally.
But when the audio prompt asked, “Who said I love you first?” Gomez confidently pointed to herself and mouthed “me” at the camera. Blanco, meanwhile, hugged her side and dropped a kiss on her outer arm. During an interview with touching on Gomez's Disney Channel upbringing until now, the outlet pointed out that the "Emilia Pérez" star has been more public about her current romance compared to her past relationships.
"I guess this is the safest I’ve ever felt in one, and I see a future with this person," Gomez said in the Nov. 20 article. She added, "And when you put a little bit out there, people are not as hungry to hunt you down.
Like, if they hear something, they’re going to, but if you’re like, 'I did it,' they’re like, 'Oh, well there’s you, just going to Sushi Park.' Gomez said she still manages to keep many details of her relationship with Blanco private. "But there’s so much of my relationship people don’t see, that’s just mine," she shared.
Joyann Jeffrey is a trending news reporter based in New York City.
