Selena Gomez Paused An Interview In Fear Of How She'd Be Perceived, And It Shows The Toll Online Criticism Has Taken On Her

Selena Gomez is no stranger to public scrutiny, but a new interview put her to the test mentally, emotionally, and physically.

To promote their new collaborative album I Said I Love You First, newly engaged Selena and producer Benny Blanco, stopped by Hot Ones for a fun interview while simultaneously testing their spice level.

Now, the two aren't strangers to this specific interview style. Benny was featured in a Hot Ones spinoff episode called Truth or Dab back in April 2021, while Selena was introduced to the series in June 2019 alongside Jimmy Fallon for cross-collaboration on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

But that didn't make their most recent experience any easier, especially for the former Disney star. The heat started to kick in for her around wing four. After that, things went downhill, and it became increasingly impossible for Selena to hide her discomfort.

But it wasn't until they reached Da Bomb hot sauce that her most memorable reactions made an appearance...

...like this one where she was clearly contemplating her decision to come on the show...

Or this part where she had to physically remove herself from the table as she tried to soothe her tongue with a cloth napkin.

When they made it to the second to last sauce, Selena began to reconsider the way an online audience might perceive her natural reactions and immediately tried to pull herself together.

"You know what," she said, pausing the interview. "I'm gonna stop being this way 'cause everyone's gonna go, 'She's being so dramatic!'"

"I can already read the comments," she continued. "Fine. I'm cool." Benny expressed his concern to which Selena replied, "We live in a cold world, Benny."

But the footage showed she was, in fact, NOT cool:

To be honest, I found it a little sad that Selena felt like she couldn't fully enjoy — and I say "enjoy" lightly because her tongue probably felt like it was on fire — her time without thinking about the cruel comments she'd receive afterward.

But because she lives in the public eye and has been since she was a child, I also understand why the notion crossed her mind. Selena's seen backlash from everything from responding to Trump's deportation order to the gifts her fiancé got her for Valentine's Day, so, unfortunately, I can see why she'd feel like she'd have to prep herself for public consumption.

Well, despite it all, Selena made it to the end of the challenge, genuine emotions and all!

You can watch Selena and Benny's full Hot Ones episode below:

What did you think of Selena's remarks? Let me know in the comments!