Friends Keep Secrets

The Selena Gomez Episode

Date: March 3, 2026
Podcast Hosts: Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd), Kristin Batalucco
Guest: Selena Gomez

Overview

In this relaxed, joke-filled, and intimate episode of Friends Keep Secrets, the hosts—benny blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd), and Kristin—welcome their close friend Selena Gomez into the circle. Rather than a conventional interview, the group lounges around the kitchen, reminiscing, joking, and unpacking moments from friendship, love, therapy, mental health, and marriage. The show is a genuine peek into their real-life dynamic: silly, heartfelt, occasionally profound, and always entertaining.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jealousy, On-Screen Romances & Relationship Dynamics

Timestamps: 00:15–06:10

• The episode opens with a riff on gossip and jealousy, leading to a funny hypothetical: would anyone get jealous if their partner had an on-screen sex scene with Margot Robbie? Kristin jokes she’d only be okay with it if it’s with Selena.
• The group discusses relationship boundaries, trusting partners, and respecting each other’s careers and artistic pursuits, often with tongue-in-cheek banter about rewriting scenes for comfort ("I'd say...being that Selena is an actress...I'd say, could you talk to them about putting her in?" —A, 01:44).
• Discussions touch on trust, boundaries in creative work, and the humorous reality of supporting your partner.

Quote:

"I think she would behave in a certain way, that was so over the top, like, respecting me at every moment, even when I wasn't there."
—Benny, (04:34)

2. Female Friendship Dynamics

Timestamps: 05:07–06:14

• Selena and Kristin highlight their unique roles as the only women in their tightly-knit group of guy best friends, and how the boundary between romantic and best-friend 'soulmate' energy can blur.
• Selena reflects on being "the only girl" and what it means to trust and be trusted in a circle of creative men.

3. Social Media and DMs

Timestamps: 06:47–09:26

• The group takes a playful detour into the world of Instagram DMs—comparing who Selena follows, how she manages anxiety over direct messaging, and the weirdness of public versus private communication when you're as visible as she is.
• Selena opens up about periods of deleting social media apps for mental health and peace of mind.

Quote:

"People who know me know this very well. I go through phases where I completely delete it off my phone. And I've gone years, two months to days doing it. And I like it."
—Selena, (07:27)

4. Mental Health, Therapy, and Bipolar Diagnosis

Timestamps: 11:23–15:37

• Dave sensitively asks Selena about her experience with bipolar disorder, when she knew something was wrong, and her journey to diagnosis. Selena discusses how hard it is to find the right therapist and not to give up on seeking help.
• She reflects on rehab stays, her understanding of mania, and how loving, supportive partners can help manage mental health.

Quote:

"I went to four different rehabs because it all helped me understand it."
—Selena, (11:55)

"You are not defined by a term. Ultimately, it's just informative to seek and talk and listen...I do believe there is a lot of hope and you can hopefully find that in your world."
—Selena, (15:00)

• The hosts discuss the challenges of being public about mental health, audience pressure, speaking “to the world”, and living freely without feeling defined by public perception.

5. Wedding and Relationship Memories

Timestamps: 18:11–38:54

• The group recounts Selena and Benny’s wedding in vivid, heartfelt detail: first looks, vows, emotional moments, comical mishaps, and meaningful family moments.
• The scene brings back the warmth, nerves, and chaos leading up to and during weddings, with specific references to crying during vows, speeches, the hora, and special family traditions.
• Steve Martin and Martin Short attended, and even praised Dave's officiant speech.

Quote:

"All I could do is look at him, and I'd be like, it's crazy. You were doing it."
—Selena, (36:09)

Memorable Moment:
Benny and Selena recall their first look and the overwhelming emotions that followed—nerves, tears, laughter—punctuated by genuine love and support from family and friends.

6. Friendship, Family Dreams, and Children

Timestamps: 41:25–43:54

• The hosts and Selena share dreams for future family life, referencing movies like The Family Stone and envisioning communal, supportive environments.
• Selena shares how Diane Keaton’s matriarchal dinner table on-screen embodies her dream of a future filled with love, even as she acknowledges that family planning is unpredictable.

7. Close Friendships & “Would You Take a Bullet?”

Timestamps: 54:00–55:01

• They riff on the intensity of their bonds, joking about which friends they'd take a bullet for.
• Selena and Benny admit they would sacrifice everything for each other, offering an honest look at the depth and meaning found in their chosen family.

8. Music, Taylor Swift, and Artistic Creation

Timestamps: 46:21–52:43

• Selena gushes about being a lifelong Taylor Swift fan and shares sweet stories about their supportive friendship, including a custom art piece Taylor gifted her for her 30th birthday and a song Taylor wrote about them ("Family").
• The feeling is mutual for their partners, and the conversation covers favorite Taylor and Rihanna songs, musical memories, and connecting emotionally through music.

Quote:

"She painted a beautiful lake, and in the stars, she painted our exact star sign...She hand-sewed, 'Here's to the next 30 years.' From Taylor to Selena."
—Selena, (48:11)

9. Authenticity and Growing Together

Timestamps: 60:09–62:22

• Selena and the group reflect on how romantic and platonic relationships draw out their most authentic selves.
• Selena credits Benny with helping her fully embrace her real personality, while others reflect on how friendships and marriages have changed them.

Quote:

"What I love and how I fell in love with Benny is that he's uncensored. And that's what makes me uncensored."
—Selena, (61:09)

10. Kitchen Games and Playful Chaos

Timestamps: 10:30–61:09

• Throughout, there's kitchen chaos: pickles, air hockey, arm wrestling, cracking backs, and joking about putting kids on leashes.
• The laughter is constant, punctuated by play and inside jokes, underscoring a real sense of comfort and love.

Notable Quotes

• On Relationships & Boundaries:
  "If you were just one day like, I wrote this and I'm gonna do it, I'd be like, great, so sign here, and that's our divorce."
  —Kristin, (02:35)

• On Friendship:
  "We're soulmates of friendship."
  —Benny, (05:07)

• On Public Life:
  "Does that weigh on you—where you feel like at all times what you say is gonna have an audience by pretty much like a large…?"
  —Benny, (15:45)

Key Moments by Timestamp

• Mental health journey & diagnosis: 11:23–15:37
• Selena’s DM anxiety & social media detox: 07:27
• Wedding first look and vow nerves: 25:03–36:16
• Taylor Swift’s handmade art gift: 48:03–49:17
• Community & dreams for the future: 41:25–42:44
• “Would you take a bullet for me?” friendship discussion: 54:00–55:01
• Music & Taylor Swift discussion: 46:21–52:43
• Kitchen games & arm wrestling: 58:22–61:09
• Final group “friends on three” chant: 63:11–63:19

Final Thoughts

The Selena Gomez Episode is a lush, vulnerable, and wildly enjoyable window into the everyday lives of a group of talented creative friends. Listeners get warmth, sincerity, humor, and candor about the realities of mental health, partnership, growing up in the spotlight, and the kind of friendships that carry you through it all. It’s like being at a kitchen table with them—and you leave feeling happier, lighter, and more connected.

For fans of heart-on-the-sleeve conversation, unfiltered humor, and friendship at its realest, this is unmissable.