Selena Gomez Fires Back at Haters After Her Facial Expressions at the VMAs Go Viral: 'I Will Never Be a Meme Again'

Selena Gomez doesn't approve of the abundance of memes being made from her animated facial expressions at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

During the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, September 13, the "Single Soon" singer slammed haters via an Instagram Story statement after various social media posts about her reactions at the awards show appeared to make her upset.

"I will never be a meme again. I’d rather sit still than be dragged for being myself. Much Love," Gomez wrote over a black screen, seemingly clapping back after camera footage captured her looking disgusted at the mention of Chris Brown's name, appearing concerned by Olivia Rodrigo's on-stage antics and more during the star-studded evening.

After Gomez shared the cryptic message, fans flocked over to Twitter (recently renamed X) to dish their thoughts on the situation.

"This doesn’t make sense she was THE moment tonight nobody’s clowning on her????" one person asked, while another questioned, "oh gosh who is bullying her now???" insisting, "let her be."

"She was having a fun night, got an award and danced to the performances. The last thing she wants is for a natural reaction to get used as a meme so people can hate on her or the artists," a third person explained.

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Unfortunately, celebrities receiving hate seems to be inevitable, as one critic demanded Gomez to "maybe just relax and take it as a joke," while another hater claimed: "She's always the victim."

As OK! previously reported, Gomez looked repulsed when the list of nominees for best R&B song were announced on the speakers of Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday night, September 12.

The "Lose You to Love Me" singer specifically scrunched her nose and puckered her lips when Brown's name was said for his feature on Chlöe Bailey's song "How Does It Feel," publicly displaying her disapproval of the artist after he violently beat Rihanna before the Grammys in 2009.

When SZA was declared the winner of the award, Gomez's face lit up with excitement, though she went back to frowning when she realized the "Kill Bill" singer wasn't physically there to accept her award.