Pals: Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez shared a number of cute friendship moments while attending the MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey on Tuesday

Sweet: The Bad Blood hitmaker, 33, and the Only Murders in the Building star, 31, have been longtime pals, and were pictured sharing a warm hug at the event

Hugs: Taylor smile as she embraced Selena inside the Prudential Center in Newark, where the event was held

It was the first sighting of the friends together in public in a while.

The duo first became friends in 2008, while they were both dating Jonas Brothers: Taylor dated Joe, while Selena was with Nick.

Selena previously remarked that her friendship with Swift was ‘the best thing we got out of those relationships’ during a KIIS FM UK interview in 2017.

Both ladies looked sensational at the star-studded event.

Selena wowed in a plunging red Oscar de la Renta gown with a floral pattern, a fringe, and a nude under layer.

The stunning halter-neck dress formed into a vine-like fringe towards the bottom, and she paired the outfit with strappy red heels.

Meanwhile Taylor flashed her toned legs in a form-fitting black Versace gown, complete with buttons across her torso.

The songstress shared a number of hugs with other industry pals, including Sabrina Carpenter and Nicki Minaj.

Longtime pals: The duo first became friends in 2008, while they were both dating Jonas Brothers: Taylor dated Joe, while Selena was with Nick

Still close: It was the first sighting of the friends together in public in a while

Sensational: Both ladies looked sensational at the star-studded event. Selena wowed in a plunging red Oscar de la Renta gown with a floral pattern, a fringe, and a nude under layer

Toned: Meanwhile Taylor flashed her toned legs in a form-fitting black Versace gown, complete with buttons across her torso

Winners: Swift swept up four wins for her song Anti-Hero, while Gomez won for Best Afrobeats Video for her ‘Calm Down’ collaboration with Rema

Each other’s cheerleaders: Both also cheered each other on from the crowd as they won their respective awards

Lovely: While Gomez accepted her award, Swift was pictured standing in the front row and encouraging those around her to also cheer and stand up for Selena

Respect: Meanwhile during Swift’s first acceptance speech of the night, Selena was pictured standing up for her friend in a sign of respect, while others around her remained in their seats

She was also pictured mingling with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Sonyae Elise at the event.

It was a fantastic night for Swift, who won in multiple categories.

She told the crowd as she accepted the award for Best Pop for Anti-Hero, ‘I love making pop music, I love making pop music videos, I also love making country.

‘I love slinking around different genres and the only reason I’m allowed to do that is because you, the fans, gave me the opportunity to do this.’

She added, ‘One big adventure and it’s all so much to challenge myself to make music that’s different than what I made last and I just love you for it. But I really love making pop music, so thank you so, so, so much.’

Swift won her second award for Song of the Year for Anti-Hero.

‘I want to say, I’m really, really lucky that I get to write songs with one of my best friends in the world, his name is Jack Antonoff,’ she said in her second speech. ‘I’m so lucky I’ve been making music with him since we worked on an album called 1989 – we will continue working together until 2089!’

Swift took home her third award of the evening for Best Direction for directing the video for her hit track Anti-Hero.

She thanked her ‘brilliant collaborators’ in her third speech of the evening, saying that being director ‘is absolutely a team sport.’

Swift won her fourth award for Video of the Year for Anti-Hero.

Making the rounds: The songstress shared a number of hugs with other industry pals, including Sabrina Carpenter

Friends: The duo were pictured hugging it out inside the auditorium

The host: She also hugged host Nicki Minaj while accepting one of her numerous awards

Congratulations: Nicki congratulated the pop star on her win

Mingling: Taylor was then pictured mingling with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Strike a pose: She also posed up with Sonyae Elise at the event

‘This is unbelievable – I just want to say that the fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me,’ she said. ‘Based on the memories that we made recently, the most joyful and exhilarating experience and we are not even halfway done.

‘It’s really felt like the adventure of a lifetime this past year.’

The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The show was hosted by rap royalty Nicki Minaj, marking her second consecutive year in the role. It was the first time the ceremony was held on a Tuesday.

Airing live in more than 150 countries, the global fan-filled spectacle honors the best music videos of the past year with unforgettable performances, epic tributes and show-stopping appearances from music’s biggest stars.