Why Selena Gomez Isn’t at the 2024 Oscars

Selena Gomez has made some appearances during awards season, including most recently at the 2024 SAG Awards at the end of February. Those hoping for a red carpet appearance tonight from the Only Murders in the Building actress, who has never attended the Academy Awards before, will be disappointed.

Gomez understandably skipped this evening’s ceremony. The Oscars is focused on film, so there are no categories for television, which Gomez’s project would fall under. Gomez has no nominations for any acting projects…yet. This could change in the future as she prepares to shoot a Linda Ronstadt biopic. She also wasn’t tapped to be a presenter tonight, although fellow pop star and actress Ariana Grande will be.

Gomez gave Grande a shout-out on Instagram Friday, following the release of Grande’s new album, Eternal Sunshine. “The queen never misses,” she wrote.

However, Gomez could make an appearance on Oscar night at Vanity Fair’s Oscar after-party. She last attended the prestigious event in 2016.

Gomez is very dedicated to pursuing acting more as a career. In an interview with Rolling Stone following the release of her single “Love On,” Gomez explained that while she doesn’t intend to really retire from music, it isn’t the space she wants to put all her energy.

“I think it’s natural for people to take breaks, but I think for me, there is a whole other aspect to my life, pride and joy,” Gomez said. “I love film. I love TV. I just feel like I haven’t done a lot of the things that I want to do in that space. It’s not that it’s ‘no, never’ [to music], it’s more that I would like to explore that world a bit more and have the time to actually do that.”

In the acting world, Gomez added, “I love being able to take roles that I have to fight for, not the ones that are being handed to me. I’m going for the stuff that really, really inspires me.”

Gomez got her start in acting as a child, appearing on Barney and then Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place—her breakout role. The series is now being rebooted, and she will be reprising her part in the pilot.