Selena Gomez never anticipated that a lighthearted moment with her husband, Benny Blanco, would spiral into an intense online backlash. What unfolded on his podcast quickly became internet fodder, blending affection with controversy. As fans zeroed in on one uncomfortable detail, the moment exposed how easily intimacy can turn into a spectacle under relentless public scrutiny.
The controversy unfolded during the second episode of Blanco's podcast "Friends Keep Secrets," where Gomez appeared as a guest. Almost an hour into the episode, Gomez, seated on the floor, leaned forward and affectionately kissed her husband's toes as his foot rested casually on a coffee table. The gesture immediately caught the attention of the online community, especially given the timing.
Just days earlier, Blanco had faced criticism after fans noticed his visibly dirty feet during the podcast's pilot episode. That earlier moment had already unsettled viewers, so Gomez's affectionate act felt, to many, like pouring fuel on an already smoldering fire.
Blanco appeared delighted by the gesture, reacting, per the Daily Mail, with "I liked that." Gomez playfully pushed back, cautioning him not to turn it into a spectacle. Still smiling, Blanco doubled down, saying "I liked it," before adding "It made me feel good. I love you so much."
Blanco then shared with his co-host Dave Burd (aka Lil Dicky) and his wife Kristin Batalucco how he struggles to refrain from publicly expressing his affection for Gomez. He said "I try with every bone in my body not to be googly-eyed with her." He added "I want to kiss her and jump her bones all the time, so to watch her just kiss my toe just really made my day."
However, what may have felt intimate and harmless to the couple quickly became something else entirely online. Online reaction to Gomez's toe-kissing moment during her appearance on the podcast was brutal. Viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their discomfort, with some comments quickly going viral.
One user wrote "This is the most disgusting thing," before adding "Benny and Selena, the smelliest couple I've ever seen." Others questioned Gomez's judgment. "I love Selena, but why [did] she set herself up doing this?" one person asked. Another commenter pushed the speculation further, writing "If she does it in front of everyone, what does she do in private?"
The pile-on continued. "Oh my God this woman is so disgusting," another user posted, adding "I'm sure she stinks worse than him." One blunt response summed up the discomfort in two words: "Humiliation ritual."
The intensity of the backlash highlighted how quickly affection can be reframed as spectacle when shared publicly, especially involving celebrities with massive followings and divided fan bases. While social media reactions were swift and harsh, the moment also showed Gomez's consistent public support for her husband.
The podcast appearance was not an isolated display of affection. Following the initial dirty feet backlash, Gomez had already signaled her stance. One day after Blanco's dirty feet sparked widespread chatter, Gomez shared a playful video on her Instagram Story showing the couple laughing together in a park before she leaned in to kiss him. According to The Blast, she captioned the clip by writing that she falls "more and more in love" with him every day. The post suggested that criticism had done little to shake their bond, even as online commentary grew louder.
As criticism against him mounted following his podcast's pilot episode, Blanco took his defense to late-night television. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he addressed the dirty feet controversy head-on. "Okay first of all, it's the facility's fault, not mine!" Blanco exclaimed. Gesturing toward his podcast co-host Lil Dicky, he added "The floors are... I have great feet. Hold on!" To prove his point, Blanco removed one of his boots and displayed his foot to the audience. Encouraging the cameras closer, he said "Someone zoom in on my foot. Look at that!" When prompted to show the bottom of his foot, he continued "Look at that clean foot. Look at that. Are you kidding me?" as the crowd applauded.
Lil Dicky later explained the situation saying "It was the first day we filmed anything, so crew was coming in and out." When host Jimmy Kimmel pressed further asking "So you're saying that Dave's floors are not clean," Lil Dicky responded "On that day it was dirty. You know how floors get."
