Selena Gomez cozied up with the ex of Taylor Swift.
Is that being a good friend? Under the circumstances, maybe.
Not long after Selena and Taylor traded gossip, Selena parked herself right next one of her bestie’s most high-profile exes in a group photo.
Some think that Selena broke girl code, but even Swifties argue that it’s not a betrayal.
Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez have been besties for ages
Selena and Taylor launched their careers very differently. And Selena’s acting career has nearly eclipsed music.
But Selena isn’t just a remnant of Taylor’s “squad” era.
These two have been thick as thieves at awards shows for the better part of the past decade. It’s a solid friendship.
So why did Selena snap a photo with Taylor’s ex?
As you’re about to see, this is a group photo. In fact, it’s such an all-star ensemble that it’s difficult to say which of these household names is the most or least famous.
To the right, we see Ke Huy Quan, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. The first two of whom are Oscar winners.
To the left are Tom Hiddleston and Selena Gomez. Tom has played many roles over the years — one of which had him spending a lot of time with Taylor.
Yes, Tom Hiddleston is Taylor Swift’s ex
2016 was one of Taylor Swift’s worst years in terms of her public brand. It wasn’t such a great year for the rest of the planet, either.
In the aftermath of her breakup with Calvin Harris, Taylor briefly dated Tom Hiddleston.
It was not one of her more memorable dalliances, and it did not come at an easy time for her. But yes, it does make him her ex, even if they only spent limited time together.
For quick context on the photo …
The snap comes from this year’s Emmy Awards. You can tell because Selena Gomez’s eye-popping dress is profoundly distinctive.
Steve Martin and Martin Short are her costars on Only Murders In The Building.
Tom Hiddleston and Ke Huy Quan are also castmates from Season 2 of Loki. This was just a cute crossover selfie at an awards show.
Should Selena be snapping pics with an ex of Taylor Swift?
It sort of depends.
For example, it would be deeply weird if Selena went live on Instagram while locking lips with Calvin Harris — who is not only an ex, but dunked on Taylor publicly after Kim Kardashian tried to ruin her.
But if Taylor and Tom parted ways on unfriendly terms … they managed to keep it extremely secret.
In fact, some Swifties forget that he’s Taylor’s ex at all
The relationship, such as it was, was so brief that not everyone remembers it at first.
There have also been conspiracy theories — since the moment that they appeared in public together — that the romance was all for show.
Taylor has dated a number of Brits, and Tom is a handsome gentleman. But it was also a rough PR year for her — literally her roughest, so the theory is that it was a convenient distraction.
Taylor and Selena are good friends. They don’t have drama — there’s no Karlie Kloss verse about Selena misusing Taylor’s home, Selena isn’t besties with Kim K.
It would be difficult to imagine Taylor getting mad about a Ke Huy Quan Emmys selfie just because Tom was in it.
Also, these two know each other better than any of us could hope to. If Selena Gomez thought that she were being a bad friend, she’d have just … not taken a photo with an ex of Taylor Swift.
