How Selena Gomez Made a Subtle Nod to Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce in ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Selena Gomez proved she’s always thinking about pal Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce — even while filming Only Murders in The Building.

When Charles (Steve Martin)’s sister Doreen (Melissa McCarthy) welcomed the trio into her home, numerous dolls were scattered all around the rooms. In one scene, Mabel (Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) sat on the couch surrounded by the figures.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed Mabel was seated next to a blonde-haired doll featuring Swift’s signature red lip and rocking a shirt with the No. 87. (Kelce, 35 — who began dating Swift during summer 2023 — wears the same jersey number on the Kansas City Chiefs.)

After the episode dropped on Tuesday, October 8, fans were quick to weigh in on the subtle shout-out.

“Did you guys see Taylor Swift in the new episode of Only Murders in the Building?” one user said in a TikTok on Tuesday. “She’s right there!” The clip zoomed into a side angle of the doll, as the user added, “Yep, down to the side profile. Looks like Taylor.”

The user captioned the clip, “Imagine my surprise when I saw a life-sized Taylor Swift Replica sitting next to Selena Gomez in the new episode of Only Murders in the Building! Down to a #87 jersey in honor of Travis Kelce!”

Many fans in the comments section claimed they missed the reference, while others alleged they find “Taylor Swift lyrics/life references” each week on the Hulu show.

Gomez, who’s an executive producer on Only Murders in the Building, previously reacted to Swift potentially making a cameo on the show. “You’re hilarious,” she told E! News in August. “She’s a little busy, you guys.”

Martin, 79, and Short, 74, poked fun at the idea, joking they’re regularly in contact with the Eras Tour performer.

“Listen, she calls us every day. Here — she’s calling right now. Ahh, I’ll take it later,” Martin quipped, while Short added, “No, I was talking to Taylor around 3 a.m.”

Martin explained that he has a plan to “unite” Gomez and Swift, who have been close pals since crossing paths in 2008 on a double date with Nick and Joe Jonas, respectively.

“Taylor Swift handles everything perfectly and so does Selena. In the situations I’ve seen — politically, trolls, everything — she just seems to have a wisdom about how to do something quietly, effortlessly. And I know that you have to think about these things,” he said, while Gomez replied, “I wish I was recording that to send to her.”

While Swift has not made a cameo in season 4 of the series, several actors have rounded out the cast, including Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis and Eva Longoria. The current season, which premiered in August, centers around the murder of Charles’ stunt double Sazz (Jane Lynch).

New episodes of Only Murders in the Building drop Tuesdays on Hulu and Disney+.