Selena Gomez's Full Biography

Selena Gomez has been in show business since she was a small child and appeared on Barney & Friends. Then she launched into further success with a Disney show and several movies as a teenager, as well as a music career.

In adulthood, she has continued acting, as well as owning her own production company and releasing clothing lines, fragrances, makeup, and more.

Selena Gomez's Early Life And Education

Gomez was born on July 22, 1992, to a 16-year-old mother, Mandy Teefey, who would struggle to provide during her childhood. Teefey was a stage actress of Italian descent, and Gomez’s father, Ricardo, was of Mexican ancestry. The two divorced when Gomez was only five, and she was raised by her mother.

She recalls watching her mother do makeup and prepare for stage appearances, and describes it as her first awareness she wanted to join the world of acting. She’d get her chance playing Gianna on Barney & Friends, but says she was shy and uncertain at first.

Selena Gomez's Career

2000s

In 2002, 9-year-old Selena joined the cast of Barney, where she and other young actors would sing, dance, and act out preschool-targeted life lessons like friendship, safety, and sharing. Along with Debby Ryan and Demi Lovato, she was one of the few kids on the show who would go on to build acting into a career.

She continued appearing on Barney until 2004 when she was deemed too old for the show, but by then, she’d already had small roles in two movies: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire, released in 2003 and 2005 respectively.

After leaving Barney, she appeared on two Disney shows, The Suite Life of Zach & Cody and Hannah Montana, before landing the lead in a new show, Wizards of Waverly Place, in 2007.

2008 was a banner year for Gomez. In that year, she would sign her first record contract, star in the Disney movie Another Cinderella Story, and start her ow production company all in the same year she celebrated her 16th birthday.

In 2009, she would star in a movie based on the Wizards of Waverly Place series, as well as another Disney movie, Princess Protection program, alongside her fellow Barney alum, Demi Lovato, with whom she recorded a song, “One and the Same” for the soundtrack.

At the same time, she continued to make appearances on other Disney shows, including The Suite Life On Deck and Sonny With A Chance.

In the same year, she and her band, Selena Gomez & The Scene, released their first album.

2010s

In 2010, Gomez wrapped up the Wizards of Waverly Place series and worked on two more albums with her band.

2013 was her first ‘grown-up’ acting role in Spring Breakers, released before Gomez was old enough to buy beer legally.

She continued to release new music dropping her debut solo album in 2013. She appeared in more movies, including The Muppets, a second Wizards of Waverly Place movie, Rudderless, and The Fundamentals Of Caring.

She also voiced Mavis Dracula for the 2012 movie Hotel Transylvania.

Health issues would temporarily shadow Gomez’s career during this period, but she returned to take the stage at the 2017 American Music Awards.

2017 also marked her executive production of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, based on the novel of the same name by Jay Asher. The show was released to mixed response as some complained that it could be seen as glamorizing suicide, but Gomez defended it, saying she believed it was very true to the novel and agreeing that suicide is a hard subject to address.

In the same year, her song Bad Liar became the first to debut its music video on Spotify.

2020s

In 2021 Gomez starred in the Hulu hit Only Murders In The Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. She also executive-produced the series.

Her first Spanish-language project, an EP titled Revelación, received Latin Pop Album of the Year nominations from the Billboard Latin Music, Latin American Music and Lo Nuestro award ceremonies.

In 2022, she was the subject of the documentary film, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, which received accolades for her openness about living with mental illness.

Selena Gomez's Business Ventures

Aside from her music, acting, and producing, Gomez has released a line of clothing called Dream Out Loud, signed an endorsement deal with Pantene, collaborated with Coach for a limited-edition line of handbags called Selena Grace, and a fashion line that includes outerwear and bags.

She also released an athleisure and sneaker line with Puma, and launched her makeup brand, Rare Beauty. In addition to beauty and clothing products, Gomez is an owner of the ice cream brand Serendipity and collaborated with our Place on a cookware line.

Gomez also co-founded Wondermind, a media platform devoted to mental health.

Discography:

Solo albums

Stars Dance (2013)

Revival (2015)

Rare (2020)

Selena Gomez & the Scene albums

Kiss & Tell (2009)

A Year Without Rain (2010)

When the Sun Goes Down (2011)

Selena Gomez's Personal Life

Relationships

Gomez’s love life has been the subject of public speculation and fodder for gossip columns. From 2008 to 2009, she dated singer Nick Jonas. She was then briefly seen being involved with actor Taylor Lautner. The next year, she started dating Justin Beiber, with whom she would be on-and-off for nearly a decade.

In 2015 she briefly dated DJ Zedd, and in 2017, she dated The Weeknd. Along the way, there have been rumors linking her to various other men, including Niall Horan, sales and merchandising executive Samuel Krost, actor Charlie Puth, singer Drew Taggart, and most recently, in 2023, Zayn Malik.

Religion

Gomez was raised Catholic but has said she doesn’t care about the idea of ‘religion’ and prefers to think of “faith and a relationship with God,” She has since become involved with the controversial Hillsong church.

Health

Gomez has dealt with a number of health issues, including a kidney transplant and chemotherapy as part of her battle with lupus, and shared in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Selena Gomez's Net Worth

Gomez’s net worth is estimated at around $95 million. She continues to act and sing, has production projects lined up through 2023, and has a long list of products, endorsements, and investments.

Selena Gomez Is Involved With Activism

Gomez has an initiative called Charity, Action, Now (CAN), and is a Unicef ambassador. She’s been involved in efforts to get teenagers more involved in and aware of political matters and is a major advocate for mental health causes.

She was involved in a charity project to raise funds for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. She also donated the funds from her 2016 Revival Tour dates in North Carolina to fight the ‘bathroom law’ that targeted transgender individuals.

Gomez has also been involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, COVID vaccine distribution, and pro-choice activism.

Controversies

Gomez’s few controversies have been connected to her work, specifically, concerns expressed by the mental health community that her Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why, would promote suicide, rather than awareness. She also received backlash over her role in Spring Breakers.