A definitive timeline of Selena Gomez's 2023 social media "breaks"
The Only Murders In The Building star is currently on an Instagram hiatus to "focus on what really matters" but this is what matters to us
Selena Gomez is the most followed woman on Instagram, but whether that’s for her actual content or how goddamn messy she is is anyone’s guess. Yesterday, the Only Murders In The Building star and potential Kylie Jenner nemesis announced that she was taking a break from Instagram in a story featuring new beau Benny Blanco (more on him later). “I’m off social media for a while. I’m focusing on what really matters,” she wrote. In another world, we may have celebrated this statement as an unqualified win for self-care. Instagram is toxic! Even more so if you’re an A-list celebrity constantly in the public eye! But this is Selena Gomez we’re talking about. And in the words of one Twitter user, “Selena Gomez thinks a social media break is when you close the app.”
Without further ado, here’s a full timeline of our dear messy queen’s many “breaks” from social media over the past year:
January 10, 2023: the start (or continuation) of it all
In the early days of 2023, Selena rocked the social media landscape with a simple statement: “Wait can you tell I’m back on Instagram ?” For the past four to five years, she had turned her passwords over to a member of her team and taken a blissful, real hiatus from the demands of being a poster. “I didn’t want to post anything on social media because I realized that I was in a situation where I was extremely blessed. What could I possibly post or say?” she told InStyle of her decision in 2022. That clarity wouldn’t last long.
February 23, 2023: the first break
Selenators got their first taste (or re-taste if they’d been around since the pre-2023 hiatus) of what was to come when Selena took to Tiktok to announce that she was leaving Tiktok. “I’m gonna be taking a second from social media, because this is a little silly,” she said on a livestream. “I’m 30, I’m too old for this, so… but I love you guys so much! And I will see you guys sooner than later, I just… I’m just gonna just take a break from everything.” She posted again three days later.
April 2023
Selena continues to post even as her rumored feud with Haley Bieber rages on, but still finds time to talk about how she wishes she (or anyone else) wasn’t. “It just scares me, that’s all,” she said in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival (via Yahoo! News). “I see these young girls… They are devastated, dealing with bullying and not being able to have their own voice. It can be great in moments, but I would be careful and allow yourself some time limits of when you should use it and when you shouldn’t.” She also managed to go on a month-long hiatus after one final post featuring Meryl Street on April 20 without notifying anyone first.
May 23, 2023
Selena returns from her unannounced hiatus.
June 26, 2023: the great unfollowing
Selena is still posting but there’s some drama behind the scenes. Eagle-eyed fans spot that the star has unfollowed Zayn Malik, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and Dua Lipa (via Page Six).
August 30, 2023: Selena (accidentally) scabs
This one’s more of a snafu than a break, but we would be remiss not to include it in this list. On August 30, Selena posted a now-deleted photo from the set of OMITB with the caption “Missing and wanting @onlymurdershulu.” As SAG-AFTRA members weren’t allowed to promote their work on social media in any way and this was definitely a promotion, Selena took down the post.
October 30, 2023: the second announced hiatus
October kicked off what we’ll call the “modern era” of Selena breaks. On October 30, as fellow celebrities began to make statements about the Israel-Hamas war, Selena announced another short retirement. “I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world,” she wrote. “I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag,” she continued. “I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt. That’s what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t.”
November 9, 2023
Selena returns no less than ten days later with a series of pictures on her story snapped at a barbecue spot in Los Angeles.
December 7, 2023: the big one
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall with Selena’s PR team on December 7. Motivated by… something, Selena went on a damange-your-own-reputation bender the likes of which we probably haven’t seen since Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” fiasco. First, she went in hard on rumors surrounding her and producer Benny Blanco, responding “Facts.” to one account that shared the news and calling Blanco “the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The end.” on another. She went on to respond directly (and angrily) to a number of other users’ comments on the whole situation, before hitting post on one final, infamous statement. In response to a user writing “She out here doing the absolute most under this post over some fuckass relationship but when asked to stand with the people of [Palestine] all of a sudden she has to take a social media bre— *call drops*,” Selena responded, “you’re right.”
January 9, 2024
…all of which brings us to today. Perhaps in response to becoming a meme (again) for whatever she whispered to Taylor Swift at the Golden Globes or maybe just because it’s her prerogative, Selena is once more off the apps. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the past year, it’s that she’ll almost certainly be back. See you next time, girl!