Selena Gomez Talks Kids, Taylor Swift and Mental Health on Benny Blanco’s Podcast
Selena Gomez appeared on the first full episode of the new podcast “Friends Keep Secrets,” hosted by her husband Benny Blanco, his best friend Lil Dicky and his wife Kristin Batalucco.
Gomez covered everything from her bipolar disorder diagnosis to her friendship with Taylor Swift, dreams of a big family and the viral moment involving Blanco’s bare feet.
A New Celebrity Podcast Designed to Feel Like Hanging Out
Blanco and Lil Dicky, whose real name is David Burd, launched “Friends Keep Secrets” as a podcast built around real-life friendships rather than traditional interview formats. The setup reflects the casual, unscripted nature the show is going for.
There are 18 cameras set up throughout Burd and Batalucco’s house, capturing freewheeling conversation that might happen among close friends on any given evening — except millions of people are watching.
The team released a 50-minute pilot episode on Feb. 24 that received more than 224,000 views as of March 5. That pilot made waves for reasons both expected and unexpected.
Then, on March 3, they welcomed Blanco’s wife, Selena Gomez, for their first full episode, and the conversation covered a remarkable amount of ground.
Marriage, Jealousy and a Joke About Divorce
One of the more lighthearted moments came when the group discussed whether they would get jealous if their significant other had a sex scene in a film.
Gomez joked that she would divorce Blanco if he took on a role with a sex scene. She quickly said she was joking and that she would let him take the role if it was something he believed in.
The exchange was playful and offered a window into how Gomez and Blanco navigate their relationship with humor — the kind of unscripted moment the podcast seems built to showcase.
Gomez Dreams of a Big Family
The conversation turned to family planning when Blanco asked Burd, 37, and Batalucco how many children they hope to have.
Burd said no more than two kids, while his wife said “like three.”
Gomez went further. “I want four, but that’s out there,” she said. She added that she would be happy with any number, but one scene from the movie The Family Stone inspired her dream.
“My dream for sure was that scene where they’re all at the dinner table and they’re just with their partners or their significant others or kids or single and it’s just this beautiful cast of characters,” she said.
It was a moment of warmth and sincerity — a major pop star describing her ideal future not in career terms but in terms of a crowded dinner table full of the people she loves.
Gomez Opens Up About Her Bipolar Disorder
Perhaps the most significant portion of the episode came when Gomez opened up about her bipolar disorder, offering a candid account of what living with the condition has been like and how Blanco has learned to support her.
Gomez described her diagnosis as “complicated” and said it took multiple therapists and four rehabs.
Blanco shared his perspective, explaining that he noticed early in their relationship that she would have moments of “mania” but didn’t know what they were at the time.
“She’ll start to realize she’s having it after, and sometimes she doesn’t even remember when it’s happening,” Blanco said. “It’s such a delicate thing ‘cause you’re not supposed to technically talk to the person, really, about it while they’re deep in it, and even dating her, she’s, like, so hyper-aware.”
Gomez said she wasn’t ashamed of the episodes and praised Blanco for being understanding.
“But it is helpful to have a partner that will understand where maybe the temperature is at, and meet you where you are, and then you kind of gradually understand what’s happening,” she said.
The Viral Toe Kiss
If you followed the buzz around the pilot episode, you likely already know about Blanco’s feet. In the pilot, Blanco went viral for being barefoot, and fans called him out for how dirty the bottom of his feet were.
The newest episode leaned right into it. Gomez was sitting on the floor and Blanco had his bare foot perched on a coffee table next to her.
What happened next quickly became one of the episode’s most talked-about moments: Blanco was mid-sentence when Gomez leaned over and kissed his toes. Blanco turned to Burd and Batalucco and asked, “You like that?”
Gomez slapped Blanco’s knee and told him, “Don’t make it a moment.”
“No, I wasn’t. I liked it. It made me feel good. I love you so much,” Blanco responded.
Why the Toe Kiss ‘Made My Day’
Blanco explained why such a small gesture meant so much. He said he tries his best not to engage in PDA when with Gomez because she likes to keep it professional in interviews and public settings.
“She’s such her own entity,” Blanco says of Gomez. “I want her to shine and be her own independent woman so I try so hard — I use every bone in my body not to be googly-eyed over her and not kiss her and jump her bones all the time.”
“So to watch her just kiss my toe really made my day,” he added.
The Story Behind Gomez’s AirDrop Name
In one of the episode’s more amusing tangents, Gomez shared the story behind her iPhone’s AirDrop name.
Gomez said she would receive random photos via AirDrop when on airplanes, so she changed the name of her phone. She chose “Shine Bright” because of the song “Diamonds” by Rihanna, where the lyric is “shine bright like a diamond.”
The twist: She chose the name before she knew Blanco was the love of her life. Blanco is the one who co-wrote and produced the song — a coincidence that connected back to the person she would eventually marry, long before their love story began.
Gomez did warn fans that her iPhone name will change now that the secret is out.
A Special Gift From Taylor Swift
The episode also featured a touching story about Gomez’s friendship with Taylor Swift.
Blanco told a story about Gomez bringing stuff over to the house from storage. She brought a piece of artwork that Blanco was “blown away” by.
He asked who made it, expecting to hear the name of a famous painter. Instead, it was a painting by Swift, given to Gomez as a 30th birthday gift.
Gomez described it in vivid detail: “She did it on an actual cloth, and she painted a beautiful lake. It was at night, and the moon was there and in the stars…she painted our exact star signs. So for hers [Sagittarius] and mine [Cancer], and she said, ‘Here’s to the next 30 years,’ handsewn, ‘From Taylor to Selena,’ and it was all sewn by hand, so she had it painted or she painted it.”
“It’s just, instead of writing, ‘Here’s to the next 30 years,’ or printing it, she sewed every letter,” she said. “It was the sweetest gift.”
Which Swift Songs Are About Gomez
The Swift conversation continued when Gomez confirmed that Swift’s song “Dorothea” is about her.
“From relationships to family to love to hate, all of it in between — we were figuring it out [together],” Gomez said.
“We didn’t really know what was going on,” she continued. “We’ve never seen each other any differently. So when I listen to it, I’m so impressed by how it’s eloquently put.”
There’s also a vault track titled “Family” that Swift wrote about Gomez. Gomez shared what the unreleased song is about.
“It was over, easily, a decade ago, insinuating in the lyrics, without quoting, it is basically saying you have these amazing dreams,” Gomez recalled about the track that has yet to be released.
“You want to be in a movie, in every crowd I see you,” she explained. “Then her part was, you believe in my stupid dreams, like playing stadiums.”
“Now, when I listen to those songs, both of those things have happened for us. And that’s really sweet because back then, she was just like, ‘I wrote this song about us and it was just our story,’ and it was the sweetest thing.”
Two friends dreamed big together, wrote about those dreams, and watched them come true for each other over the course of more than a decade.
A Mystery Celebrity Slid Into Gomez’s DMs
In one of the episode’s more intriguing moments, Gomez revealed that a celebrity slid into her DMs with a flirty message in 2022, but the name was bleeped out.
The message was short: a heart eyes emoji and fingers crossed emoji.
Gomez confirmed it was a random message, not a response to her Instagram Story, meaning the mystery celebrity was making a deliberate move.
“He took his shot… It was a good shot,” Blanco joked.
“I think it’s very kind. If anything, that was very nice,” Gomez said. “It did not feel inappropriate. By the way, that was the first time I’ve ever seen it!”
Despite the bleep, the group’s lighthearted reaction spoke to the comfort and security in Gomez and Blanco’s relationship.
Bread and Butter Pickles: A Taste Test Gone Wrong
The episode wrapped with a lighter moment showcasing the group’s chemistry. Gomez’s favorite snack that she eats almost every night is bread and butter pickles. Burd, on the other hand, hates pickles.
The group decided to each have a pickle at the same time. Blanco put a pickle in Gomez’s mouth before eating one himself.
Burd was hesitant and felt like throwing up. He put the pickle in his mouth but didn’t chew it before spitting it out.
It was the kind of silly, low-stakes moment that made the episode feel less like a celebrity interview and more like what it was billed as: a group of friends hanging out with cameras rolling.
The first full episode of “Friends Keep Secrets” can be watched here.
BOTTOM LINE: The first full episode of “Friends Keep Secrets” delivered a rare mix of vulnerable celebrity conversation and unscripted fun, and if Gomez’s appearance sets the tone, the podcast is one to watch.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
