Selena Gomez’s ‘Awkward’ First Kiss Was on Camera — ‘I Ended Up Missing Half His Lip’
The first kiss is often an awkward — if exciting — moment for many of us, but some child stars are forced into the extra awkward experience of having their first time locking lips filmed for the world to see! That was the case for Selena Gomez, who got her start in entertainment before she was even a teenager.
The star, who has since made the leap from child fame into more mature roles, opened up about the cringe-worthy first kiss that had her missing her on-screen partner’s lips.
Selena Gomez rose to fame on Disney
Gomez was born in 1992 and was just a kid when she started her entertainment career with a two-year spot on the children’s favorite Barney and Friends. As Biography.com reports, it was her time on the Disney Channel that really boosted her name recognition and gave her a foothold into the world of fame she currently inhabits.
She guest-starred on both The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana, Disney shows with an immense following that helped boost other child stars into fame as well.
In 2007, Gomez’s career really took off with a lead role in The Wizards of Waverly Place, a Disney favorite that features Gomez as a young wizard whose wayward spell puts her family in jeopardy while they’re on vacation. These days, Gomez is probably better known for her singing career than her acting one, and that started in earnest with the 2008 release of her debut album, Kiss & Tell.
Along the way, the star has grabbed headlines not only for her chart-climbing singles but also for her openness about her personal struggles (notably with lupus and bipolar disorder) and her on-again, off-again relationship with Justin Bieber.
‘The Suite Life with Zack and Cody’ helped Selena Gomez get her start
Gomez was just a guest star on The Suite Life with Zack and Cody, but because of her later work with Disney in a more substantial way, it was a major stepping stone for Gomez’s career. The series revolved around two identical twins (played by Cole and Dylan Sprouse) who lived in a hotel room with their single mom.
Gomez’s appearance was in Season 2, Episode 22 in an episode titled “A Midsummer’s Nightmare.” Zack and Cody decide to audition for a school play with the goal of meeting girls way higher in their minds than honing their theatrical skills.
Three guest stars portray the ladies in question, and Gomez appears as Gwen alongside Gage Golightly as Vanessa and Allie Grant as Agnes.
Selena Gomez’s first kiss was on screen . . . and awkward
The appearance on Suite Life may have been a fleeting moment in Gomez’s rise to the top, but it made a lasting impression — not least because the star had her very first kiss in that episode! She locked lips with Dylan Sprouse on screen, and she opened up to Tiger Beat magazine about just how awkward the experience was for her.
“I actually leaned in to kiss him, and I had my eyes closed a little too early,” the star explained. “And I ended up missing like half of his lip, so it ended up being the most awkward kiss in the world.”
Gomez, talking about the incident in 2009, was able to laugh it off: “But I was 12, so it was okay. It was good.”
Most of us are probably grateful that our first-time kissing experiences aren’t forever memorialized on film and captured for the world to see.
