Selena Gomez is a beloved multi-hyphenate celebrity with countless singing and acting accolades under her belt. But who is Selena, beyond the screen? Let’s find out.
She’s a Big Fan of Chorizo
Selena’s got great taste in food, and her boyfriend, Benny Blanco, knows it. He makes her breakfast every morning, always with chorizo.
In a May 2024 interview with Howard Stern, Blanco said that she always has “some variation” of chorizo and eggs, whether it be in a burrito or a quesadilla.
Sometimes, she doesn’t even want it wrapped, opting to eat them straight instead. We can’t blame her. We could go for some chorizo and eggs right now.
She Is (Or Was) a Britney Stan
It’s complicated. Her first concert, according to an interview with Marie Claire, was Britney Spears’, and …Baby, One More Time was the first CD she ever bought.
In 2016, Britney caught wind of Selena’s admiration and invited her to collab (per Teen Vogue). It never came to fruition, though Selena did attend Britney’s 2022 wedding.
However, that same year, Britney seemingly shaded Selena on Instagram for comments she made at an awards show. We hope they’ve resolved their feud.
She Loves McDonald’s
If there’s anything Selena might love more than chorizo, it’s fast food. By fast food, we mean McDonald’s. She ate it backstage at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
That’s not the only time she’s been spotted chowing down on some Mickey Dee’s. She ordered a ranch BLT, medium fries, and a Coke during Carpool Karaoke.
The icing on the cake? In 2015, she had her assistant hold her cheeseburger while she posed for pictures on the Jingle Ball red carpet (per The Cut).
She Was Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
Around 2020, Gomez opened up about her diagnosis with bipolar disorder. It’s unclear whether or not that was the year she got the official diagnosis.
All things considered, she has a pretty openminded and positive attitude about it. In an interview with Miley Cyrus, she said the information really helped her.
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t struggle. In an interview with TODAY, she admitted to not understanding her own issues at first, and the emotional pain that caused.
Her Fave Candy is Twizzlers
When being interviewed by Vogue as part of their “73 Questions” series, Gomez shared that her favorite candy was Twizzlers. Solid choice, Selena!
She didn’t specify which kind of Twizzlers, so I’m assuming (and hoping) it’s the original. Let’s be honest: the variations just aren’t as good.
That interview was back in 2017, so her opinions might have changed since then. I’ll accept any other choice, so long as it’s not circus peanuts.
She (Kind Of) Wants To Be a Chef
It’s hard to imagine Selena Gomez as anything other than a singer or actress, but in another lifetime, we may have gotten Selena the Chef!
In “73 Questions,” Selena revealed that, without her current career, she’d be a chef. Now, she has her own cooking show! It’s called “Selena + Chef.”
On it, famous chefs teach her how to improve her cooking. Clearly, she’s found a way to pursue her passion. Maybe one day, she’ll be the chef.
“Friends” Is Her Comfort Show
Like pretty much everyone on the planet, Selena Gomez loves Friends. Unlike everyone else, it seems like she’s a bit of a fanatic.
During a 2021 interview with Vogue, Jia Tolentino catches her watching an episode. When asked about it, Selena recites the exact day and time it aired.
She’s also got a Friends poster on her wall. She even tried completing a Friends-themed puzzle during COVID, but eventually gave up.
She Struggles With Her Body Image
Selena’s body has been scrutinized since she was a teenager getting hounded by paparazzi on the set of Wizards of Waverly Place.
When she gained weight, her body image took a nosedive. She said she’d “cry her eyes out” over the public scrutiny in “Dear…”, an Apple TV+ series.
To reclaim her body, she posted these photos to her Instagram story. “I’m not perfect, but I’m proud to be who I am,” it reads. “…it’s ok to be me.”
She Eats Whole Lemons
According to a 2016 Teen Vogue article, Selena’s a big fan of lemons. Apparently, she loves them so much that she eats them whole.
She can’t stomach them without a little seasoning, though. The “Bad Liar” singer prefers to sprinkle her lemons with some salt before digging in.
This might seem strange, but lemon peels are totally edible. So long as you clean them thoroughly, they’re a a good source of vitamin C (per Southern Living).
She’s a Homebody
Part of Selena Gomez’s charm is how down-to-earth she is. Despite her fame, she enjoys simple pleasures, like cooking at home and binge-watching her favorite TV shows.
Selena loves to share glimpses of her home life on social media, cozied up with her dog and her boyfriend. She prefers that to a crazy night out.
We get it. With schedule as busy as hers, it’s no wonder why she wants a peaceful home environment. A girl needs her downtime!
She Was Homeschooled
She wasn’t homeschooled for her entire life, but was for much of her adolescence. This was probably the best way to fit education into her schedule.
According to Access Hollywood, she graduated high school in 2010 through homeschooling. You could actually go back and watch it, in a way.
How? Well, Selena graduated high school while filming Monte Carlo, which featured a traditional graduation ceremony. Since the two coincided, she called it her “graduation.”
She Was a Shy Kid
Speaking of her childhood, Selena was a shy kid. In a 2008 interview with People, she shared that she initially felt nervous on the Barney & Friends set.
It was her first time on screen, and she didn’t know what was going on. I can’t blame her — I’d feel nervous and shy, too!
She only stayed on the show for two seasons. However, her time on the show helped her gain the confidence needed to continue on her path to success.
She Struggles With Lupus
Selena was first diagnosed with lupus in 2013, though we don’t know which kind. Over the years, it’s caused her immense amounts of pain, both physical and emotional.
In 2016, she had to cancel part of her tour because of lupus complications. She then checked into a rehab facility to work on her mental health.
Since then, it’s been a series of ups and downs. She underwent chemotherapy and had to get a kidney transplant because of the illness (per TODAY).
She Was Obsessed With Selena Quintanilla
Selena Gomez was always a fan of Selena Quintanilla, the famed Mexican-American singer from the 90s. When she found out that she was her namesake, she freaked.
She was almost named Priscilla, but her father insisted on Selena. Her family loved and admired her just as much as she did.
She revealed this on an episode of “Selena + Chef,” saying that it “gave her goosebumps” because of her deep admiration for the singer.
She’s Deleted Instagram From Her Phone
Since she’s the most followed person on Instagram, this might come as a shock. But even Selena Gomez isn’t immune to social media overload.
According to Teen Vogue, she “freaked out” after becoming the most followed account, feeling completely consumed by it all. She subsequently handed control over to her team.
She had a brief comeback in 2023, though we don’t know if she’s completely returned. Either way, she’s always chosen the photos and captions for her posts.
She Babysits
Selena Gomez absolutely loves kids. It’s only natural that she’d be a great babysitter! Her younger sister is eight, and she likes taking care of her.
Caring for her sister made Selena realize she wants to be a mom. On the “Giving Back Generation” podcast, she said it’s her long-term goal in life.
She also babysits outside of the family. She took her younger sister and Jessica Simpson’s daughter, Maxwell, to an Olivia Rodrigo concert. It was Maxwell’s first.
She’s Got a Bunch of Tattoos
Selena doesn’t have big tattoo sleeves or anything like that, but a collection of small, meaningful ones. At the time of this writing, she has about 17 (per PopSugar).
Most of them connect to people. For example, on the inside of her arm is the date of her kidney transplant, which she shares with Francia Raisa.
She also has a semicolon on her on her wrist, representing mental health awareness, that she got with the 13 Reasons Why cast.
She’s Very Spiritual
Gomez called herself “spiritual, not religious” in her Vogue interview with Jia Tolentino. “I’m very, very spiritual,” she said. “I believe in God, but I’m not religious.”
She does label herself a Christian, though she doesn’t follow a specific denomination. Her strong faith has helped her overcome her many health battles.
Ultimately, she wants to believe that she was elevated to her level of fame for a reason, and to pay her success forward.
She Was a Pageant Queen
Well, maybe “pageant princess” is more accurate. She doesn’t do them anymore, but was big into pageantry as a little girl growing up in Texas.
She revealed this little tidbit to her fans back in 2015, when she tweeted the above picture for Throwback Thursday. So, how long was this period in her life?
We don’t actually know. It seems like it was pretty brief, but it shows that she was always destined for the spotlight.
She Was Fluent in Spanish as a Child
Being half Mexican on her father’s side, Selena often spoke Spanish with her paternal grandparents. Unfortunately, her knowledge faded when she started going to school.
Now, as an adult, she’s trying to relearn the language. She released an EP in Spanish called Revelación as part of that effort.
While working on the EP, she regularly met with a Spanish coach, dedicating herself to improving her fluency and connecting with her heritage (per Vogue).