Taylor Lautner and Selena Gomez. | Image: Instagram/@taylorlautner, @selenagomez
Hollywood actor Taylor Lautner came into the defense of singer-actress Selena Gomez, who recently faced a wave of online body-shaming backlash.
On his Instagram Story, Lautner re-posted an art card that featured two images of Gomez, highlighting the changes in her appearance. Alongside the pictures were a series of comments, most of which appeared to criticize the actress’ body.
In his caption, the “Twilight” actor condemned the hateful remarks, calling out the toxic culture of body scrutiny.
“It’s a cruel world full of hate out there. You can never please everyone nor should you have to. In my experience it doesn’t make the words sting less, it just refocuses you onto what matters. And it sure isn’t the shape, color or appearance of your body. Daily reminder to all of us to not forget how beautiful you are inside and out… and to be a little nicer,” he wrote.
Image: Instagram/@taylorlautner
Gomez and Lautner briefly dated in 2009, during the time when they were at the height of their fame, with the former being a rising star through Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and the latter gaining fame for his role as Jacob Black in “The Twilight Saga” film series.
The pair first met at the set of the romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” which they both starred in. At the time, they were seen getting cozy together at the film’s press event in Los Angeles, fueling dating rumors.
In October 2009, the duo stepped out and were photographed holding hands while walking, seemingly confirming they were romantically involved. Two months later, sources reported that the two had quietly broken up due to their busy schedules.
Gomez is now engaged to music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco after almost two years of dating, while Lautner is now married to Taylor Dome, a nurse and social media influencer, since 2022.