It was the night everyone had circled on their calendars for months. The 97th Academy Awards, held on March 2, 2025, felt different. Part of that was the massive buzz surrounding Emilia Pérez, a film that basically rewrote the rules for what a "musical" could be. But mostly? People were watching for Selena Gomez.
Honestly, the lead-up to the Selena Gomez Oscar 2025 moment was a bit of a rollercoaster for fans. If you’ve been following the awards circuit, you know her performance as Jessi in the Jacques Audiard-directed film was polarizing in the best way. She was gritty. She was raw. She was singing in Spanish. Then the nominations dropped in January, and the internet kind of lost its collective mind when her name wasn't called for Best Supporting Actress.
But here is the thing: she showed up anyway. And she owned it.
The Snub That Wasn't Really a Snub?
When the nominations were announced, Emilia Pérez led the pack with a staggering 13 nods. It was a historic morning. Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly trans woman nominated for Best Actress. Zoe Saldaña snagged a Supporting Actress slot. But Selena? She was left off the acting ballot.
Critics were divided. Some argued her role wasn't "meaty" enough compared to her co-stars, while others pointed to her Golden Globe nomination as proof she deserved to be there.
Regardless of the "snub" narrative, Gomez technically was an Oscar nominee that night. Her song "Mi Camino" was nominated for Best Original Song. While the award eventually went to "El Mal" (also from the same film), it meant she walked into the Dolby Theatre not just as a star, but as a recognized contributor to one of the year's biggest cinematic achievements.
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That Ralph Lauren Gown and 16,000 Drops of Glass
Can we talk about the dress for a second? Seriously.
Selena didn't just walk the red carpet; she floated. She wore a custom, blush-colored Ralph Lauren gown that was basically a work of engineering. Her stylist, Erin Walsh, later revealed the look was a tribute to Old Hollywood icon Sophia Loren.
The details were insane:
- 16,000 drops of glass embellishments hand-sewn onto the fabric.
- 12 artisans worked on the dress over hundreds of hours.
- An off-the-shoulder neckline that made her Bulgari diamonds pop.
She mentioned in a quick interview that the dress was so heavy her fiancé, Benny Blanco, actually had to help her maneuver through the crowds. It’s those little human moments that make the Oscars feel less like a corporate gala and more like a real (albeit very expensive) party.
The Big Win She Celebrated Like a Fan
The highlight of the night for Selena wasn't about her own trophies. When Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress, Selena’s reaction was caught on camera. She was "a baby," as she later put it—crying, cheering, and looking more excited for Zoe than she probably would have been for herself.
Seeing that kind of genuine sisterhood in Hollywood is rare. There was no "lead vs. supporting" ego. Just a group of women who had spent months in the trenches of a difficult, experimental film finally seeing their hard work validated by the Academy.
Why 2025 Changed Everything for Her Career
Looking back, the Selena Gomez Oscar 2025 run wasn't a failure because she didn't take home an acting statue. It was a pivot.
For years, people saw her as the "Disney kid" or the "pop star who acts." Emilia Pérez changed the conversation. She worked with Jacques Audiard. She held her own against Zoe Saldaña. She was part of a Best Picture-nominated ensemble.
Earlier that same season, she actually won a SAG Award for her work in Only Murders in the Building. During her speech, she joked about how Marty (Martin Short) and Steve (Steve Martin) weren't there because "they don't really care." That dry, self-deprecating humor has become her trademark, and it played well even in the high-pressure environment of the Oscars.
Misconceptions About the Night
You might see TikToks or tweets claiming she "lost" or that she was "furious" about the acting snub. Don't buy it.
The reality is that Selena has been very vocal about how much this film saved her creatively. She wasn't there to collect a trophy to validate her worth; she was there because she helped make a film that broke the record for the most nominations for a non-English language movie (previously held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma).
What’s Next for Selena?
If the 2025 awards season taught us anything, it’s that she is officially in her "prestige" era. She’s no longer chasing the charts; she’s chasing the craft.
If you want to keep up with what's coming next, here is how you can stay in the loop:
- Watch the "Mi Camino" performance: It’s available on most streaming platforms and shows a much more vulnerable side of her vocals than her pop discography.
- Stream Emilia Pérez: If you haven't seen the film yet, it’s a must-watch to understand why the Academy was so obsessed with it.
- Check out the SAG speech: It’s a great reminder of why she’s one of the most relatable people in Hollywood right now.
The 2025 Oscars didn't give Selena Gomez an acting statue, but they gave her something better: a permanent seat at the table.