Selena Gomez Had the Perfect Reaction to Losing an Emmy—Because She Practiced

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As a pop culture and entertainment reporter here at Glamour, I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about Selena Gomez. What she does. Where she goes. Her outfits. Her relationships. All things Selena. And I think this might be my favorite Sel moment to date.

Rewind: A few days before the 2024 Emmys (part two: electric boogaloo), Gomez and her Only Murders In The Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short went on The Tonight Show to talk about their series, which was nominated in many categories, including lead actress in a comedy, Gomez’s first nod. While there, they did a bit where they practiced their “losing” faces, so that they would have a properly humble reaction if the camera was on one of them and someone else took home the award in their category.

In classic “third thing is the punchline” format, Gomez and Martin had gracious responses, and then Short pretended to freak out. Gomez, specifically, clapped, nodded, smiled, then turned over her right shoulder and mouthed “she should’ve won.”

(Not that any of them mentioned it, but this bit is more or less a recreation of a Friends scene where Rachel helps Joey practice losing a soap opera award. I can’t find the clip but here’s him, later, failing to do what he practiced.)

Anyway, back to Selena Gomez. At the Emmys, she did lose, and the award went to Jean Smart for Hacks. There is simply no shame in losing an award to Jean Smart. But Gomez made the most of her moment anyway, doing exactly what she had practiced, right down to the “she should’ve won.” The side-by-side of the two clips is hilarious and, of course, went viral.

The star looked gorgeous at the event, wearing a black column gown with white crystals adorning the halter-style neckline and a dramatic trumpet skirt near the ankle. All in all, the night was a win.

Originally Appeared on Glamour