Benny Blanco Makes Candid Admission About Selena Gomez: 'I Thought She Hated Me'

Benny Blanco has opened up about his attempts to date Selena Gomez before they became a couple, revealing that he never thought he had a chance with her.

Blanco's candid admission comes following the release of their collaborative album "I Said I Love You First" on March 21.

Gomez and Blanco announced their engagement last December, a year after confirming their relationship.

Blanco and Gomez were guests on the Monday, March 24 episode of Jay Shetty's "On Purpose Podcast."

During the over one-hour interview, Blanco shared details of his and Gomez's courtship and his initial attempts to woo her.

He revealed he tried setting her up with a friend, saying, per The Daily Mail, "I thought she hated me. Obviously, 99% of it was in my head."

The music producer added, "I was talking to her and said, 'Oh my God, I have so many good single guy friends… We have dinners at the house all the time. You should come over sometime.'"

Blanco also shared that he wasn't considering having any romantic relationship when preparing for their earliest hangout.

He said, "I wasn't even thinking about anything [romantically with Selena] and we're talking about our ideal date and this and that."

During the podcast appearance, the lovebirds dished on their childbearing plans, with Blanco sharing his desire to show his and Gomez's joint album to their kids one day.

The couple also discussed Gomez's love for kids with the songstress saying per PEOPLE Magazine, "I don't know what will happen, obviously, but I love children. I have an 11-year-old sister that I absolutely adore."

Gomez added, "I love making [children] laugh; they're just so sweet. So absolutely, when that day comes, I'm so excited for it."

Blanco also shared that Gomez is a very shy person, but all that changes when she comes into contact with children. He said, "When she walks into a room, her main goal is to disappear into the crowd. My mom is very similar, [she] and my mom are very similar."

Blanco continued, "They'll wait and say like one thing throughout the night that winds up being the most poignant or funny thing of the night. But I'm gonna have diarrhea of the mouth talking to everyone."

He added, "Whenever there's kids at a place it's the only time I see her do that. She immediately goes to the kids and has these conversations for hours with the kids."

During the podcast with Shetty, Gomez opened up about how her views on relationships and the future have evolved.

Shetty referenced her 2024 interview with Time, where she revealed that if she had not found a partner by the age of 35, she planned to adopt.

In response, Gomez admitted that making strict plans often proves futile because life is unpredictable.

She said, "Well, I think first of all making plans and trying to stick to them is silly because you don't know what's going to happen," adding that she "can't believe" she gets to marry her "best friend."

Selena Gomez explained that she had once been fixated on finding a partner but later shifted her perspective. Instead of focusing on what she lacked, she started appreciating what she had, including her health, family, and friendships.

She stated, "I was genuinely set, but it was once I let go of me just saying, 'I want someone, and I wish I had this, I wish I had that.' Instead, I changed my mind to 'I'm so lucky that I get to wake up and my family is healthy, and I love spending time with my friends, and if it doesn't happen, I know I've always wanted to be a mom. You know, so, of course, I kind of planned that out."

She also described her connection with fiancé Benny Blanco as "rare to find."

Reflecting on her past, Gomez shared that she had been alone for five years and initially struggled with solitude.

In her Time interview, she said, "I was alone for five years and I got really used to it. A lot of people are afraid of being alone and I probably tortured myself in my head for like two years being alone, and then I kind of accepted it."

She continued, "Then I came up with my plan, which was I was going to adopt at 35 if I had not met anyone."

However, she noted that her friendship with Blanco eventually turned romantic, saying, "It just happens when you least expect it."