Selena Gomez did a quick about-face on Wednesday after she was accused of sharing an Instagram post that violated the rules of SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing actors’ strike.
The 31-year-old actress and singer initially shared a video with what appeared to be behind-the-scenes footage from the set of her acclaimed Hulu comedy series Only Murders In The Building, which also stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Meryl Streep.
In her caption, she wrote that she was ‘Missing and wanting @onlymurdershulu,’ and she ended the brief text by tagging the official account of her series.
However, fans quickly jumped into the comments of her post to inform her that it may have violated SAG-AFTRA’s rules against promoting film and television projects amid the strike, and it was deleted after 15 hours, according to Variety.
DailyMail.com has reached out to a representative for Gomez for comment.
Gone in a flash: Selena Gomez, 31, deleted an Instagram post with BTS footage from the set of Only Murders In The Building (pictured) on Wednesday after fans said it might break SAG-AFTRA strike rules; seen with costars Steve Martin and Martin Short
Behind the scenes: ‘Missing and wanting,’ Gomez wrote while tagging the official Only Murders account. The clip featured black-and-white behind-the-scenes footage, but she never spoke in it
According to the outlet, her post had acquired 1.1 million before it was deleted.
So far, Gomez has not publicly commented about the post, its deletion or SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios and streamers.
The union is embroiled in a bitter dispute over contracts with the studios and major streamers as actors try to extract better pay and higher residual payments.
SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which is also striking, are united on attempts to prevent the studios from using AI in the future.
The striking actors fear they may be replaced or scanned and mimicked by AI programs, allowing studios to avoid paying for actors, while the writers are trying to prevent Hollywood studios from using AI to craft scripts, which would then only require them to pay a single writer to revise and edit the computer-generated screenplays.
The two unions are also hoping to force streaming services to reveal viewership numbers, which could help to verify that studios are not committing fraud when doling out tiny residual checks. The data could also be helpful for actors or writers hoping to renegotiate a contract based on the performance of their film or show, data which is usually kept secret by studios and streamers.
Industry observers have opined that streaming services may be attempting to keep data secret because it may indicate that viewership is far lower than it is publicly represented as.
Gomez’s since-deleted post raised concerns that she may have been getting around SAG-AFTRA’s rules against promoting or publicizing struck work, though she did not speak in the video and did not urge her followers to watch her show.
However, tagging Only Murders In The Building’s official account struck some as an attempt to promote the series.
One critical comment on the post described the Single Soon singer as being ‘tone deaf,’ while others accused her of scabbing and union busting.
Shouting her down: One fan said she was ‘tone deaf,’ while others accused her of being a scab in the comments before she deleted the video after 15 hours
Rule breaker? SAG-AFTRA members are prohibited from promoting their film or TV projects from struck entities while the ongoing actors’ strike continues; still from Only Murders
Mum’s the word: Gomez has not commented so far, and SAG-AFTRA declined to comment. It’s unclear if she made the post or if an assistant did; still from Only Murders
Demands: SAG-AFTRA and WGA members are striking together for better pay, better residuals and to limiting studios and streamers from using AI to replace actors and writers; F. Murray Abraham seen on the picket line on Wednesday in NYC
It’s unclear if Gomez posted the video and wrote the caption herself, or if it may have been posted or created by an assistant or social media manager.
She and her costars have been unable to give interview or promote Only Murders In The Building since the start of the ongoing strike, even as Hulu continues to release new episodes on Tuesdays.
Even though she’s not allowed to promote her series due to her union membership, Gomez has been free to continue promoting her music career.
She recently released the standalone song Single Soon.
