Selena Gomez Reflects on Body-Shaming After Lupus Diagnosis: ‘Nobody Deserves to Hear Those Things’

Selena Gomez sat down for the newest episode of the Apple TV+ series Dear… on Friday (March 10) to discuss her experience with lupus and body-shaming trolls.

The superstar explained that after she was first diagnosed with the disease, she “didn’t quite understand what that meant” at the time. “I knew I had an autoimmune disease, it was just my body fighting itself on the inside,” she said. “And that was the most surreal part because I had never felt fatigue, I was young, I felt completely fine. So hearing from a doctor that, ‘Oh, you could’ve had a stroke onstage, you could’ve died,’ it was a lot.”

As a side effect of the medications she was prescribed for lupus, Gomez’s weight would often fluctuate, and she found herself being attacked online over her body and physical appearance. “It was like they couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down,” she said. “I lied. I would go online and post a picture of myself and I would say, ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m not accepting what you’re saying,’ all the while being in the room posting that crying my eyes out, ’cause nobody deserves to hear those things.”

During the episode, the Selena + Chef star also looked back on her 2017 kidney transplant, which she received from her best friend Francia Rasia. “I will never, ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia,” she said. “The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming. … I think it had to happen the way that it did. In order for me to get to where I am, I was meant to go through it to do something for others.”

Gomez just returned to social media this week after taking a brief break in the wake of perceived drama with Hailey Bieber. “Please, please be kinder and consider others’ mental health,” she shared on TikTok. “My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone. All my love.”

The singer’s episode of Dear… is now streaming on Apple TV+.