Tyler, The Creator has responded with heavy sarcasm after a 2011 MTV Video Music Awards clip of Selena Gomez presenting him an award resurfaced online.
The 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Tyler Gregory Okonma, fired back on social media this week as the old footage gained fresh traction. The video shows Gomez, now 32, announcing Tyler as the winner of Best New Artist at the 2011 VMAs for his hit ‘Yonkers.’ He beat out Big Sean, Foster the People, Kreayshawn, and Wiz Khalifa for the honor.
The renewed interest in the clip has drawn attention to the strained history between the two stars. Early in his career, Tyler posted a series of crude and explicitly sexual tweets directed at Gomez. The source material does not quote these tweets verbatim, but reports they were sexual in nature and created lasting friction between the two.
Tyler himself acknowledged the bad blood in a 2013 interview on Power 106 Los Angeles. “We don’t really get along. She don’t like me. We don’t like each other. ‘Cause [I’m] kicking it with Justin [Bieber], like that’s my homeboy. She always be mean muggin’ me. Like why are you hating on me?” he said at the time. Bieber was dating Gomez during that period, and Tyler’s friendship with the pop star appeared to deepen the rift.
The tension persisted for years before Tyler addressed it in his 2021 song ‘Manifesto.’ In the track, he rapped about saying “crazy” things about Gomez and insisted he had not wanted to “offend her.” He also claimed to have apologized to her directly. Gomez has never publicly responded to either the original tweets or the musical apology, according to available coverage.
The 2011 VMAs moment itself has become a recurring piece of internet lore. The clip circulated again in 2024, prompting renewed discussion of how Gomez conducted herself while handing Tyler his trophy. Viewers have repeatedly praised her composure despite the circumstances. “That was definitely an awkward moment – Selena handled it with a lot of grace given the circumstances,” one commenter wrote. “Selena handled that moment with true professionalism despite everything Tyler had said,” another added.
Tyler’s latest reaction to the resurfaced video leaned into mock alarm rather than genuine contrition. “Oh no im gonna get cancelled, this has never happened, why hasnt anyone in the last 15 years EVER brought this up, this is the first time oh no. I am a terrible person through and through smh,” he wrote. The sarcastic tone suggests he views the cyclical outrage as performative rather than substantive.
The rapper’s dismissive stance stands in contrast to his earlier musical apology, creating an unclear picture of where the two stand today. Gomez has maintained silence throughout each wave of renewed attention, neither acknowledging Tyler’s ‘Manifesto’ lyrics nor engaging with his latest comments.