15 Tragic Facts About Selena Gomez

Selena's mother, Mandy Teefey, was just 16 when she had Selena. After her parents split up, money was tight and her mother worked hard to support her. Selena has often said this difficult childhood made her resilient.

Before breaking through on Disney Channel, Selena appeared as a child in the children's series Barney & Friends. That's where she met Demi Lovato, who became one of her closest childhood friends.

After guest roles on shows like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana, Selena landed the lead role of Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, which made her one of Disney's biggest stars.

In 2015 Selena revealed that she has the autoimmune disease lupus, which can attack the organs. In 2017 she needed a kidney transplant, and her friend, actress Francia Raisa, donated one of her kidneys to her.

Although Francia Raisa saved her life by donating a kidney, the two reportedly drifted apart for a while, and a 2022 comment by Selena about her friends in the industry caused a stir online. They later appeared to have reconciled.

In 2020 Selena revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after years of struggling with her mental health. She has been open about anxiety and depression, making her one of the most outspoken stars on mental health.

Selena and Justin Bieber had an on-and-off relationship from roughly 2010 to 2018, and their breakups attracted enormous attention. Selena later suggested the relationship had taken an emotional toll on her, while fans kept pitting her against Hailey Bieber.

After the breakup, Selena received hateful comments from some fans online. This contributed to her taking long breaks from social media and stepping out of the spotlight.

Despite her love-hate relationship with social media, Selena was for a long time the most-followed woman on Instagram, with more than 400 million followers. She often uses her platform to discuss mental health.

Selena's Disney years were intense: she was acting, recording albums with her band Selena Gomez & the Scene and touring while still a teenager, a pace she later said was hard on her.

Her makeup brand Rare Beauty became a global success, and in 2024 Bloomberg reported that it had made her a billionaire. The brand also supports mental health initiatives through its Rare Impact Fund.

Selena was an executive producer of the hit series 13 Reasons Why, which dealt with heavy topics like suicide and bullying and received both praise and criticism. She later found huge success starring in and producing Only Murders in the Building.

Many people speculated about cosmetic procedures, but Selena has explained that her appearance changed visibly because of her illness and medication, something she has often had to defend herself against.

In her documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, she spoke honestly about her struggles with fame, mental health and loneliness, admitting she often felt misunderstood and isolated despite her enormous success.

Despite health problems, heartbreak and public criticism, Selena remains positive, ambitious and committed to her fans and causes. In 2025 she married producer Benny Blanco, and she continues to grow as an actress, singer and entrepreneur.