Selena Gomez has defended her friendship with Taylor Swift after commenting ‘lol’ on a post sparked rumours they had fallen out.
The Shake It Off icon, 36, was seen over the weekend at the New York Knicks game with the Haim sisters, all in matching t-shirts.
They sported blue tops with Knicks-inspired puns, including Taylor in one which read ‘Stevie Knicks’, while the sisters wore ‘Knickelback’, ‘Knickolas Cage’ and ‘Knickole Kidman’.
Sitting courtside at Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Taylor was front and centre and could be seen celebrating with Mariska Hargitay (also in a Stevie Knicks tee) when their team won.
Selena, who was not in attendance, then commented ‘lol’ on a post of them hugging and cheering, which fans assumed was an ‘insult’.
The Rare founder, 33, took to her Instagram stories to insist she had not been making a dig at her long-time friend over the game.
‘Woke up and was sent so many texts,’ she wrote over a cosy picture of her bed and a fireplace.
‘I would never insult my friends, nor was it an insult. The comment was a reaction to the first slide on the page.’
Selena went on to explain that her friends had bet on the game, clarifying another post she had shared on Wednesday night when the San Antonio Spurs lost.
‘So funny how some are all the sudden fans though lol,’ she had written, sharing a screenshot of her group chat discussing the game.
In the new post she added: ‘I bet my friends on the game. The friends in the text chain I posted. I lost but was poking fun at my opponents, my friends.
‘Believe it or not, I do have other friends in my life. But quickly forget that most assume otherwise.’
She then went on to post snaps with former Waverly Place co-star Jennifer Stone, who played on-screen bestie, Harper Finkle.
Taylor and Selena have been friends for almost 20 years, first meeting when they ended up on a double date with Joe and Nick Jonas.
The Only Murders in the Building star was just 15 at the time, meanwhile, the now record-breaking singer was yet to release Love Story.
Of course, Taylor was at Selena’s wedding to Benny Blanco last year, featuring in plenty of pictures with the couple.
It’s expected that the former Disney actress will also be at Taylor’s wedding to Travis Kelce, which is rumoured to be happening this summer.
Seemingly irritated with the constant speculation about the status of their friendship, Selena quipped: ‘Also.. it’s a basketball game.’
While on podcast Therapuss With Jake Shane, Selena reflected on her longest friendship within the celebrity bubble.
‘It’s cute. We were young. We all know and love each other now, and it’s so cute,’ she said. ‘We didn’t know what we were doing [at the time]. But, yeah, she and I like to say the best thing we got out of those relationships was each other.’
She went on to share: ‘It was really sweet. I was about 15. She was about 18, and that’s when it was the crazy curly [haired] Taylor, and she had all these bracelets that went all the way up [her arm].
‘I believe Love Story was the first song she had ever played me, and it wasn’t released yet. It was in a hotel room, I remember it vividly, and it was just like … it was one of those songs that I instantly heard and thought, “This is one of the most beautiful songs ever.”‘
Love Story went on to launch Taylor’s career, with Wizards of Waverly Place cementing Selena as a Disney star.
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