Selena Gomez has been accused of “throwing shade” at Olivia Rodrigo.

The singer, 30, held a hand to her ear throughout 20-year-old Olivia’s performance at the 2023 MTV Music Video Awards on Tuesday (12.09.23) night as the star performed her hit ‘Vampire’.

Selena was also seen pulling faces during the show midway through Olivia’s performance when it appeared the singer’s set started to collapse.

As Olivia crossed the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, a red drape fell from the rafters and sparks started to fly, prompting a man to run out and redirect the Grammy winner in what was a planned stunt.

Amid the supposed chaos, Selena was seen looking horrified on camera.

Her expressions and the way she held her ear has gone viral, with many fans saying she was “being shady” towards Olivia due to the star’s rumoured feud with Selena’s friend Taylor Swift, 33.

One fan said on X: “Not Selena Gomez covering her ears during Olivia Rodrigo performance,” while a second user wrote Selena was an “evil mean girl”.

Other fans were quick to defend Selena, with many saying she was simply reacting to Olivia’s set-collapse stunt.

One said: “This is completely unfair and out of context: Olivia pretended to have her set break down and semi-explode as she was fake rushed off stage, and Selena was reacting to that, probably thinking something was really going wrong.”

Olivia won for best editing at the VMAs, while Selena landed the best afrobeats award for ‘Calm Down’.

Rumours of a feud between Olivia and Selena’s pal Taylor were sparked in 2021 when the singer gave Taylor and Jack Antonoff – who is a longtime collaborator with Taylor – writing credits and royalties for her track ‘Déjà vu’ as it had interpolated Taylor’s ‘Cruel Summer’.