One ex wanted to be the father of her children — and another immortalized her in a “cathartic
piece of art.”
Selena Gomez is one of the biggest stars in the world — and her dramatic past relationships
shine just as brightly as her star power.
When Selena Gomez's Disney career was reaching new heights, thanks to her leading role on
"Wizards of Waverly Place," she was also cozying up to boy bander extraordinaire, Nick Jonas.
Gomez referred to her relationship with Jonas as, quote, "puppy love" in a 2015 interview
with Capital FM.
However, her old flame apparently wasn't too fond of the public knowing they were seeing
each other.
When he appeared on an episode of "The Radio 1 Breakfast Show Heart Rate Monitor," he got
a surprise video from Gomez asking him if he remembered their Central Park date from
way back in the day.
Jonas immediately recalled their 2008 relationship where the paparazzi was on their back, which
was a no-go for the Jonas Brother.
"She was unhappy that her Central Park experience was ruined by the fact that I walked about
20 feet away from her.
Even though they were taking pictures of us and obviously we were there together, I was
like, 'It'd be better if we stand about 25 feet apart.'"
In 2015, Gomez found comfort in Zedd, a DJ and music producer.
At first, it appeared as if they were simply making music together.
But after Zedd posted a picture of Gomez in bed, with the caption calling her darling,
the world quickly caught on to the fact that there was — more than likely — something
going on between the two behind the scenes.
Little did Zedd realize, though, that dating one of the world's most notorious celebrities
doesn't exactly allow for a lot of privacy.
He told Billboard,
"She is one of the most talked about people in the world, but I had no idea how much that
would change my life."
He even recalled reporters calling his parents and people hacking into his friends' phones
to get more info on the couple, which really frustrated him.
The pair never spoke on their relationship while it was playing out in interviews, but
Gomez confirmed they were an item on "The Edge Afternoons" post-breakup, saying,
"I adore [Zedd] a lot and I definitely had a thing with him, which was nice."
Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez dominated the airwaves in summer 2016 with their duet "We
Don't Talk Anymore," which rose to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.
Behind the scenes, there was a romance building between them, but Puth said it didn't last
long.
The former lovebirds were introduced by Taylor Swift at a VMAs after party, which led them
to connecting during a 2 a.m. recording session at Puth's house in the Hollywood Hills.
In an interview with Billboard, Puth opened up about his time with Gomez before they fizzled out.
He said of their relationship,
"Very short-lived, very small, but very impactful.
And it really messed me up.
I'm trying to put this the best way possible: It wasn't like I was the only person on her mind.
And I think I knew that going in — what I was getting myself into."
If fans had to guess who else she was thinking of, it's a solid assumption that Bieber fever
got in the way.
"What am I supposed to do with this?
I don't know."
While Selena Gomez and The Weeknd lasted only 10 months, their public appearances were flush
with affection.
While The Weeknd never really spoke about Gomez while dating her, he seemingly had a
lot to say about her post breakup.
Five months after they split, he dropped his project, "My Dear Melancholy," which he intimated
was about his relationship with Gomez.
It's hard not to see the connection to Gomez in his lyrics, with lines like,
"I almost cut a piece of myself for your life.
Guess I was just another pit stop, till you made up your mind.
You just wasted my time."
Fans didn't have to solely decode lyrics to know his feelings about Gomez.
He opened up to Esquire about the EP over two years after its release.
He shared,
"The reason why [the album] was so short is like, I think I just had nothing else to say
on this ... whatever.
It was just like this cathartic piece of art."
Ironically, Gomez called The Weeknd her best friend after the split, but the two haven't
been seen hanging out much since.
When Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber were first linked, the Disney star insisted her relationship
with him was not romantic.
She told Ellen DeGeneres,
"Oh brother, he's little.
No, no, he's like my little brother.
That's weird to me."
However, her feelings apparently quickly changed, because the infatuation was real when the
two first went public in 2011.
In fact, Bieber even suggested Gomez would be the mother of his future kids.
He told New!
Magazine,
"I really would love to be a young dad.
Selena loves kids, she is really great with them."
However, when Bieber wasn't planning a future with Gomez, the downs of their relationship
were chaotic, to say the least.
Selena Gomez's last go-around with Justin Bieber in 2018 was her final publicly known
relationship.
The two reportedly ended in March 2018, with Bieber proposing to Hailey Baldwin in July
2018.
With a turn of events that quick, the public started to turn against the pop star, and
he took to Instagram to do some reflecting in September 2019.
He shared,
"I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all of my relationships.
I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry.
It's taken me years to bounce back from all these terrible decisions, fix broken relationships,
and change relationship habits."
Apparently that introspection wasn't enough for Gomez, who said during a January 2020
interview with NPR,
"I felt I didn't get a respectful closure."
Bieber further accepted blame in a later interview, but how Selena feels at this point is unknown.
It may be safe to say that both have tried their best to move on and grow from their relationship.