Selena Gomez [1] gets remarkably candid in her documentary "My Mind & Me," addressing her bipolar disorder, her songwriting process, and even her relationship with Justin Bieber [2] (in so many words). She's continued to open up even further in various interviews while promoting the documentary, which aired on 4 Nov. But one recent revelation in particular provoked ire from her fans: Gomez's assertion that Taylor Swift [3] is her "only friend" in the entertainment industry.
Gomez's controversial statement appeared in a 3 Nov. interview with Rolling Stone [4]. "I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities," Gomez said. "My only friend in the industry really is Taylor [Swift], so I remember feeling like I didn't belong."
Gomez's statement appeared to bother another industry friend — "Grown-ish" actor Francia Raisa [5], who donated a kidney to Gomez in 2017 [6]. The day after the documentary aired, Raisa commented "interesting" on an E! News Instagram post [7] that featured Gomez's quotes, according to BuzzFeed News [8]. She quickly deleted the comment but soon unfollowed Gomez on social media.
Some fans quickly pointed out [9] that Gomez may have been referring to the music industry, while Raisa is an actor. Gomez herself entered the conversation on Sunday, commenting "sorry I didn't mention every person I know" under a TikTok video about Raisa unfollowing her. Her comment provoked some negative backlash among fans. "'Every person I know' um how about the ONE person who gave you part of her literal body? Think that name might be on the tip of your tongue?" one person wrote on Reddit [10].
On Sunday, another industry friend, Nicola Peltz Beckham, shared a photo of a girls' night sleepover [11] with Gomez, further emphasising that the "Lose You to Love Me" singer's statement about Swift was clearly hyperbole. Swift herself, who is currently enjoying a string of successes [12] after the release of her album "Midnights," [13] has not addressed the situation.
Gomez and Raisa have been friends for 15 years, report Us Weekly [14], first meeting in 2007 during a visit to a children's hospital.