Tragic Details About Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez shocked fans when she took to Instagram in September 2017 to reveal she had undergone a kidney transplant due to complications from lupus. According to the National Research Center on Lupus, lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation anywhere in the body, including the kidneys. Gomez shared details about her experience with the disease and her surgery in the caption of the post. "So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering," the singer wrote in part. "It was what I needed to do for my overall health." She also revealed that her close friend, Francia Raisa, was her organ donor. "... There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa," the actor penned. "She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me."

Since receiving her lupus diagnosis, Gomez has become a voice for those dealing with the disease. That November, the "Spring Breakers" star attended the Lupus Research Alliance's Breaking Through Gala and gave a speech in which she spoke out in support of those facing a similar situation. "I'd like to see the day when all young women can realize their dreams of life without a Lupus," Gomez said (via E! News). "This is why I am committed to the Lupus Research Alliance. So that none of us are alone, especially the young women that I have grown up with and heard many, many stories."

Selena Gomez's on-again-off-again relationship with Justin Bieber didn't exactly seem like a fairytale romance. You might remember the duo's frequent social media spats, which gave the public a glimpse into their apparent toxicity. It turns out that this relationship was allegedly even more harmful than you may have guessed. 

During a 2020 interview with NPR, Gomez revealed shocking details that likely changed many fans' perception of the former couple. "I've found the strength in it. It's dangerous to stay in a victim mentality," Gomez said of her split from Bieber in the interview. "And I'm not being disrespectful. I do feel I was a victim to certain abuse." The "Come & Get It" singer was then asked to confirm whether she was referencing "emotional abuse," to which she responded: "Yes, and I think that it's something that — I had to find a way to understand it as an adult."

In 2019, Bieber had taken to Instagram to share a lengthy public apology for his past behaviors, including his faults in previous relationships. "I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all of my relationships," the hitmaker penned in part in the post. "I [b]ecame resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry." Although Bieber did not name Gomez in the apology, many assumed that she was on the receiving end of much of this disrespect. It seems that the "Lose You to Love Me" singer grew from the experience, though, because Gomez later told The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast in June 2022 that the relationship taught her that she shouldn't tolerate mistreatment.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Although Selena Gomez and her mother, Mandy Teefey, seem to be on good terms these days, the mother-daughter duo have had their fair share of family troubles. When the former Disney Channel star's parents stepped down from their roles as her managers in 2014, rumors circulated that Selena Gomez fired her mother. Teefey later ended this speculation when she spoke about the ordeal during an interview with Gossip Cop in 2018. 

"Every mother and daughter has disagreements," the mom said of her decision to stop managing Gomez. "We lost family time because the only time we saw her, we talked business." Although Teefey may not have been fired, it seems that her role as her famous daughter's manager put a rift in their relationship. "It was no longer fun for any of us, like it was when she was younger and we had to be with her because she was a minor," she continued.

Gomez's on-and-off relationship with Justin Bieber was also reportedly to blame for much of the tension between the star and her mother, and Teefey seemingly confirmed that she wasn't a Bieber fan during the Gossip Cop interview. Explaining that she didn't communicate with the pop star at all while Gomez was dealing with lupus complications, Teefey also admitted that she was "not happy" about Bieber and Gomez rekindling their romance in 2017 after one of their many breakups. However, she ultimately decided: "Selena can live her life however she wants as long as she is happy, safe, and healthy."

Selena Gomez found it difficult to shed her Disney image when pursuing more mature acting roles. This is a common complaint among former child stars who risk forever being associated with their kid-friendly acting gigs, with fellow Disney Channel alumni like Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus taking on more risqué personas after transitioning into their adult careers. Who could forget Cyrus' controversial "Bangerz" era, or the more adult image Lovato debuted after releasing their 2015 single, "Cool for the Summer"? For her part, Gomez seemed to follow this trend when she appeared in the raunchy 2012 crime thriller, "Spring Breakers."

The star later admitted in an interview on the Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast that earning a reputation as a mature actor wasn't easy. "I felt like it was very difficult for people to take me seriously," Gomez said. "I have slowly pushed through that, and I'm really glad, but it was very frustrating. I felt like a joke, you know?" Outside of her career in entertainment, the singer-actor explained that she's also done a lot of maturing in her personal life. 

"It was necessary for me to walk through those things," Gomez said of all the tragedy she's experienced in more recent years. "I had a lot of soul-searching to do. By all means I don't have life figured out, but I do know that during that time I was learning so much about myself."

In a November 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Selena Gomez opened up about her mental health, revealing that she had previously contemplated suicide. "I thought the world would be better if I wasn't there," she said. The singer's suicidal ideation was also discussed in her 2022 Apple TV documentary "My Mind and Me," in which a former assistant recounted a 2016 episode. "At one point, she's like, 'I don't want to be alive right now. I don't want to live.' And I'm like, 'Wait, what?' It was one of those moments where you look in her eyes and there's nothing there. It was just pitch black. It's so scary," she said.

During a September 2023 appearance at the Music and Health Summit in Los Angeles, Gomez shed more light on her struggle with psychosis, noting that her bedroom was one of her many triggers. "The bedroom is a real trigger for me [from] when I was going through psychosis," she explained. "Going through that whole period of my life, it was my bed that I was stuck to."

In the Rolling Stone interview, Gomez also touched on her struggle with mania and some of the ways it manifests itself. "It would start with depression, then it would go into isolation," she says. "Then it just was me not being able to move from my bed. I didn't want anyone to talk to me," she recounted.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.