Something I love to see: two absolute queens supporting each other through and through (no matter how hard stans try to pit them against each other). And that's exactly what Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande have been doing amid their recent Golden Globe noms (Sel for Emilia Pérez and Only Murders in the Building, and Ari for Wicked)—though their friendship actually goes waaaay further back than that.
Curious how these two former child stars became close? We've got their full friendship timeline, ready for you peruse, so let's get into it.
December 7, 2013
Fans first try to pit Selena and Ariana against each other way back in 2013 following the annual Jingle Ball concert. During the show, Selena experiences some major technical difficulties, as does Ari, who takes the stage right after Selena. And when Ari tries to laugh off the situation, quipping, "At least now you know I'm not tracked," some interpret her joke as shade aimed at Selena.
Ariana later takes to Twitter to clear up the misunderstanding. "Ohhh jesus. I wasn't throwing shade AT ALL I didn't even see anyone else's set," she writes. "I was sick backstage that's why I didn't even do the carpet."
In a second tweet, she adds, "I was just cracking a joke cause my mic was off. Everyone had tech difficulties. Sorry if it was taken the wrong way it wasn't my intention!"
October 17, 2015
After Selena releases her Revival album, Ariana takes to Twitter to show her love. "And while we're on the topic of new music, I have to mention #REVIVAL is so effing good @SelenaGomez!" she tweets. "I'm in love."
In a second tweet, she adds, "I love nothing more than seeing young women doing what they love & kicking ass at it," to which Selena replies, "AMEN," with three hearts.
November 20, 2016
Selena and Ariana share a moment on the red carpet at the 2016 American Music Awards, which marks Selena's first public appearance after a break from the spotlight. Later, Ari chats with Entertainment Tonight about the exchange. "I just saw her come in, and I hugged her so tight," Ari gushes. "She looked like a princess. I literally almost cried when I saw her."
She continues, "I haven't talked to her in a long time so I don't know what's going on, but I gave her a huge hug and she looked beautiful, and I'm so happy that she's here."
March 22, 2017
More (made-up) drama!! Selena lands the April 2017 cover of Vogue, and in a video, she and a friend jokingly rearrange a magazine rack so the issues featuring her face are in the front. One of the magazines that she blocks with her own: the April 2017 cover of Cosmopolitan...which stars Ariana.
Selena never responds to the drama, but given the rest of this timeline, I feel confident saying no shade is intended.
July 10, 2018
During a press junket for Hotel Transylvania 3 (in which Selena voices the character Mavis), Sel is asked how Mavis would respond to Ariana's recent engagement to Pete Davidson. Selena laughs at the question and then replies, "I honestly don't know what Mavis would say, but I would say that it's amazing and beautiful."
August 29, 2020
After Selena and BLACKPINK drop the single "Ice Cream" (which Ariana helped write), Ari sends a giant ice cream cone-shaped bouquet to Selena to congratulate her. "OBSESSED @arianagrande," Selena captions a photo of the bouquet for her Stories.
In a second Story, she adds, "Thank you so much for everything. Your support means the world."
Oh, and here is what the accompanying note from Ariana said, btw: "Selena, congratulations ice queen! Love & Gratitude, Ari."
August 14, 2021
A video of Selena Gomez singing along to "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" makes the rounds on the internet, and Ariana can't help but share the clip on her Instagram Story.
"CUTIES ARE YOU KIDDING @selenagomez LOVE YOU," she adds.
July 20, 2022
Selena takes to TikTok to show off her morning routine using Rare Beauty products...all while listening to Ari's song "My Hair."
A jam, for sure.
August 17, 2023
In a video posted to her IG Story, Selena can be seen applying her Rare Beauty brow gel during a car ride while Ariana's song "Be Alright" plays in the background.
Ari later reposts the clip along with the caption, "Cutie @selenagomez."
January 12, 2024
While serving as a guest DJ on SiriusXM Hits 1, Selena makes sure to give her friend a shout-out. "Here's another song I love, Ariana Grande," she says before playing "7 Rings," noting, "I cannot do anything fun without listening to Ariana."
Later, Selena says of Ari's music, "I feel so empowered and I think she is incredible, and I just have so much fun. I’m the girl that's playing Ariana all the time, and I think people kind of notice that, but I love it! I think she's amazing."
January 21, 2024
Another day, another vid of Selena getting ready while listening to Ariana's music—this time to "Yes, And?" Towards the end of the video, she even starts singing along to the track.
"Have to start my morning with @Rare Beauty and my fav @arianagrande," she captions the video.
March 8, 2024
After Ariana's album Eternal Sunshine drops, Sel shows her support in her IG Stories, posting the lyrics to "The Boy Is Mine."
"The queen never misses," she captions the photo, adding a fire emoji.
December 4, 2024
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ariana calls out the "disreputable tabloids" who have fueled speculation about how her relationship with Ethan Slater began—and when fan account @thegrandeheels creates a post quoting the story, Selena slides into the comments to show her support. "AMEN," she writes alongside five clapping emojis.
December 9, 2024
The 2025 Golden Globe nominations are announced, and Selena reacts in real time to the news that both she and Ari are nominated in an IG Story. In the video, you can see Selena gasp when presenter Morris Chestnut called her name in the category of Best Supporting Actress—and a moment later, she exclaims, "Oh my god, Ari!" when her friend's name is called next in the same category.
Pls see her reaction for yourself:
"I don't even know what to write," she captions the video. "I'm so proud of @zoesaldana and I am so grateful and honored @goldenglobes."
Oh, and according to Selena, Ariana is one of the first people to reach out to her following the announcement. "Ariana texted me and it was the sweetest note and it was about six in the morning," she later tells Variety. “We sent each other voice messages. It was very exciting."
December 10, 2024
Selena and Ari sit next to each other at the Academy Women's Luncheon and pose for a few cute pics together:
They also have a sweet social media exchange, with Sel calling an Ari "an angel on earth" in her IG Stories.
Ari later reposted Selena's Story, adding the caption, "That's you @selenagomez."
While chatting with Variety at the event, Ariana gushes about her fellow nominee. "I respect her so much, and I've always adored her," she says of Selena. "I was really happy for her to see us on that list together. It was very special."
She goes on to say, "I really love watching this moment happen for Selena. I know how hard she's worked and how long she's waited. I recognize that because it resonates with me so I know that feeling." Her final thoughts: "I don't know Selena as well as I wish I did, so I'm excited to sit next to her today."
December 11, 2024
While chatting with Saoirse Ronan for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Selena admits she's "still a bit awkward" when interacting with other celebs...including Ariana! She goes on to recount an event where she'd wanted to say hello to Ari but stopped herself.
"Ariana was in the other room, and I was like, 'I’d love to go say hi, but I don't want to bother her,' because I know how life can be,” she tells Saoirse. "And I think that can step in the way of me getting to know people, and that's something I should work on a little bit." (Skip to 38 minutes in to catch the moment.)
January 4, 2025
At the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards, the friends share a quick hug on the red carpet, and fans are quick to deem the moment awkward, mostly because Sel seems to curtsey for Ari...not realizing she'd already turned around. Watch it here and decide for yourself:
February 9, 2025
Sel and Ari both make an appearance at the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where Selena gives Ariana a cute peck on the shoulder (followed by a hug) on the red carpet.
And later, they're photographed chilling with Fernanda Torres. Iconic!
IDK about you, but it seems to me like this is just the beginning for Selena and Ari's beautiful friendship!!
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