Selena Gomez says after 2023 MTV VMAs She Will 'Never Be a ...

Every moment has the possibility of becoming a meme in this digital age, and Selena Gomez wants no parts of it.

The chatter following the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12 has included noting how the 31-year-old Emmy nominee appeared to remain in her seat without moving much during some performances, such as Demi Lovato's and Olivia Rodrigo's.

She's receiving some backlash online for a couple of moments in particular: Having her hand over her ear during Rodrigo’s performance of “Vampire” and her scrunching her face after Chris Brown's nomination in the best R&B category was announced. She cheered after SZA was announced as the winner.

Gomez explained why she covered her ear during Rodrigo's performance in an Instagram comment on a post about the moment.

"I heard a loud noise and it scared me," Gomez wrote under BuzzFeed Celeb's post.

Rodrigo's performance included reenacting what happens in the "Vampire" music video, when the stage begins to fall apart and staffers rush Rodrigo off set.

Gomez also commented on an iHeartRadio post about the face she made after Brown's nomination was announced.

"Who cares lol," she commented on the post.

The "Only Murders in the Building" star appeared to address the more general murmurings of her stillness during the show on her Instagram story in the wee hours of the morning after the awards show.

"I will never be a meme again," she wrote. "I'd rather sit still than be dragged for being myself. Much love."

Gomez became a meme last month when people online reposted a picture that her friend Dominic J West first shared on his Instagram story in which she is sitting up while fully wrapped in a blanket as she looks off into the distance.

Her "still" approach at the VMAs similarly inspired memes on social media.

"Me in any social events," read a message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on top of a video of Gomez in her seat fidgeting with her hands.

"31 never felt so good," the person captioned, adding in Spanish, "I understand her."

"No bc selena gomez is so real like this is me at any social event ever," another person said regarding the moment.

Randi Richardson

Randi Richardson is a reporter for NBC News' TODAY.com based in Brooklyn.