Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco made it clear they are in love with a courtside appearance at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
The couple were photographed getting cozy on Wednesday, January 3, at the Crypto.com Arena. In one pic, Blanco, 35, kissed Gomez, 31, on the head. During other moments at the game, Gomez rested her head on Blanco’s shoulder, he kissed her hand and they were caught giggling on the Jumbotron.
The date night marked the duo’s first public outing since Gomez confirmed their romance last month. Fans were initially surprised when Gomez gushed over Blanco in a December 2023 Instagram comment, which read, “He is my absolute everything in my heart. He [has] been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The end. … He’s still better than anyone I’ve been with. Facts.”
The Only Murders in the Building star noted in a separate comment that she and Blanco were dating for “six months” prior to her social media announcement. Before going public, Gomez and Blanco worked together on her songs “Same Old Love” and “I Can’t Get Enough.” Their most recent collaboration was on Gomez’s track, “Single Soon,” which was released in August 2023.
A source recently told Us Weekly that Gomez was thrilled about the romance, adding, “She’s all in and happy to be shouting her love from the rooftops. Selena says he dotes on her like a princess and she’s head over heels.”
Meanwhile, a second insider shared how Gomez’s connection with Blanco compared to her past relationships, saying, “Selena hasn’t felt this happy about anybody she’s dated in a really long time.”
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco on the Jumbotron at the Lakers game tonight
pic.twitter.com/UQstch7rVZ— Selena Gomez Source (@GomezSource) January 4, 2024
The insider continued. “Selena and Benny are truly in love and although she has kept most people she’s dated under wraps, with Benny, she couldn’t wait to reveal they were together.”
Gomez, who had a lengthy on-again, off-again relationship with Justin Bieber and has been linked to DJ Zedd and The Weeknd, has previously discussed how her outlook on dating has changed over the years.
“I think I have standards, and I think I live in a world right now where boys confuse standards with high maintenance,” she said on SiriusXM Hits 1 LA with Tony Fly and Symon in August 2023 before discussing what she required in a potential partner. “Not cool in the sense that people think you’re cool. You just gotta be nice and, like, please make me laugh and also just be good to my family and people around you.”
At the time, Gomez referred to herself as single and “enjoying” that phase of life.
“I just want to be happy with who I am so that whenever that person comes into my life, I can just have them add on to me instead of being this insecure, you know, person that I normally used to be,” she added. “It’s basically my way of saying it’s totally OK being on your own and it’s fun.”
