Latest news with #FranciaRaisa
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Selena Gomez sparks health fears after fans spot worrying detail in viral video
Selena Gomez has sparked renewed fears for her health after fans spotted a worrying detail in a now-viral Instagram video. In the footage shared by a fan account, Gomez, 32, appeared to be 'vaping' as she got her hair and makeup done for her night out with pal Taylor Swift on May 31. Gomez — who suffers from lupus and underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 — could be seen exhaling a vapor-like mist as she scrolled through her iPhone. Another angle showed her holding what looked like an e-cigarette or vape pen, which produces an aerosol that typically contains nicotine, in her left hand as makeup artist Hung Vanngo applied her eyeliner. Fans flocked to the comment section to voice their concern for Gomez due to the potential effects that vaping could have on her lupus symptoms or kidney health. They also speculated about the type of vape pen Gomez may be using and if it contains nicotine, CBD or THC. Others wondered if she may vape for 'medical' reasons like pain relief or to help alleviate anxiety. However, some voiced outrage on behalf of Gomez's kidney donor Francia Raisa, with one Instagram user writing: 'I would get so mad if i was the donnor (sic)' has reached out to representatives for Gomez for comment but has yet to hear back. Gomez was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body's tissue and organs, in 2013. She went public with the diagnosis in 2015 and revealed that she had gone through chemo to treat it. Gomez let fans in on her debilitating lupus battle in her 2022 Apple TV+ documentary My Mind & Me, where she spoke about experiencing excruciating pain 'everywhere.' Due to complications of the chronic illness, she famously underwent a kidney transplant in 2017, with her then-best friend Raisa generously donating her kidney. However, the pair suffered a falling out just one year later over Gomez's 'unhealthy lifestyle' post-surgery, which allegedly included consuming alcohol and smoking. While the effects of vaping on kidney function are still being studied, those with lupus are highly discouraged from vaping or smoking as it 'activates your immune system and can make your lupus symptoms worse,' according to Spire Healthcare. Among the online speculation about Gomez's health and the specifics of the vape device she may be using, many fans came to the Rare Beauty founder's defense. 'she's an adult. she's old enough to determine good actions vs bad and if she chooses to make bad decisions then that's on her. it's also not our business. get over it,' one Instagram user penned. Another added: 'Does vaping affect the kidney? My understanding it is the lungs. Anyway she is a grown woman, able to make her own adult choices. Would you like people scrutinizing your every move. NO!' A third comment read: 'Oh nooo! A celebrity living her life doing what she wants?? Whatever will we do???' Gomez — who suffers from lupus and underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 — could be seen exhaling a vapor-like mist as she scrolled through her iPhone Interest in Gomez's battle with lupus, her mental health and the drama with kidney donor Raisa picked up in 2022 following the release of My Mind & Me in November 2022. The Apple TV+ documentary follows Gomez as she deals with worsening lupus symptoms that land her in a medical facility, where she is put on the intravenous drug Rituxan that her physician said would get rid of her joint paint for about a 'year or so.' It also explores Gomez's battle with bipolar disorder, which she was diagnosed with after suffering from psychosis and suicidal thoughts. However, there was no mention of Raisa in the 1 hour and 35-minute documentary despite her life-saving sacrifice. Raisa then unfollowed Gomez on Instagram after the star named Taylor Swift as her 'only friend in the industry' in an interview with Rolling Stone while promoting the doc. Gomez also spoke about receiving a kidney in the same interview, however her quotes did not mention Raísa being her donor. Raisa was so irked by Gomez's quote about Swift that she branded it 'interesting' in the comments section of an E! News post at the time. Days later, Gomez left an eyebrow raising comment underneath a TikTok video that discussed how her Raisa unfollowed her in the wake of being snubbed in the documentary. 'Sorry I didn't mention every person I know,' Gomez wrote in the comments. Fans flocked to the comment section to voice their concern for Gomez due to the potential effects that vaping might have on her lupus symptoms or kidney health However, some voiced outrage on behalf of Gomez's kidney donor Francia Raisa, with one Instagram user writing: 'I would get so mad if i was the donnor (sic)' They also speculated about the type of vape pen Gomez may be using and if it contains nicotine, CBD or THC. Others wondered if she may vape for 'medical' reasons like pain relief or to help alleviate anxiety However, Gomez showed appreciation for Raisa several months later in a 2023 episode of the Apple TV+ series she discussed the life-saving transplant. The actress revealed that Raisa took it upon herself to get tested to see if she could be a kidney donor. Fans were left shocked by the public feuding as the duo had previously had a tight knit friendship and even referred to each other as 'sisters' in the past. Gomez and Francia's friendship dates back to 2007 as they both starred on hit TV shows for teens at the time. Ten years later, Gomez stunned the world when she revealed that her longtime friend had saved her life by donating her kidney to her. Gomez famously shared the news by uploading a picture of herself and Raisa in adjoining hospital beds to social media. The star included a heartfelt caption, where she described Raisa's sacrifice as the 'ultimate gift.' 'There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,' Gomez wrote. 'She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.' At the time the friends also did a joint interview on the Today show, with Gomez detailing just how dire her health situation had been. 'My kidneys were shutting down. My mentality was to keep going. She lived with me during this interesting time where my kidneys were just done. That was it, and I didn't want to ask a single person in my life,' she explained. In 2022, Gomez snubbed Raisa while declaring Taylor Swift her 'only friend in the industry.' While their allegedly spawned a riff between the pair, Gomez and Raisa reconciled in 2023; Gomez seen in May 2025 'The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. She volunteered and did it. And let alone someone wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. 'The fact that she was a match, I mean that's unbelievable. That's not real.' Both Raisa and Gomez, said they 'went through depression' post-surgery, according to Self. Raisa said it was difficult for Gomez because she had complications after the surgery, where her kidney turned around inside of her body and she needed to have emergency surgery to correct it. Francia said that after surgery, she received a text message Selena that said: 'I'm so scared I might die.' She explained: 'That's when she got the complication where the kidney turned and broke an artery and she had to go back in and they actually had to take a vein from her leg - so she has a scar right here [pointing to her inner thigh] and build a wall around her artery.' At the time Francia also showed her scars, which included two on her stomach and one below her belly button. The songstress also defended Francia after a tasteless joke was made about who really donated the kidney in Saved by the Bell reboot in 2020. The joke was later cut out due to the backlash. Selena addressed the situation months later, Tweeting: 'I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing but sadly it has apparently. I hope in the next writer's room when one of these tasteless jokes are presented it's called out immediately and doesn't make it on air.' But just a year after her kidney donation, the two were said to be feuding, with Francia taking an issue with Selena's 'unhealthy lifestyle' and her consuming alcohol following the surgery. Selena even responded to a commentator who addressed the issue, after she shared a TikTok video where she joked about her drinking. 'So one of your best friends gives you her kidney and you continue to drink excessively. Damn Selena,' the user wrote, to which the former Disney star replied, 'It was a joke a**.' However, they reportedly reconciled in 2021, after Raisa shared about the process of kidney donation on her social media. 'There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,' Gomez wrote. 'She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis' She was also present at Selena's 30th birthday party in July 2022 and Selena shared a TikTok of the duo having fun together that same month. While Raisa's absence from Gomez's Apple TV+ documentary may have opened old wounds, the longtime friends eventually reconciled for a second time in 2023. In a 2024 interview, Raisa spoke candidly about being Gomez's kidney donor and shutdown rumors that she was 'forced' to donate it. Raisa appeared on The Art of Kindness podcast with Robert Peterpaul, where she was asked what her biggest act of kindness was. 'Besides donating a kidney, what? It was definitely a personal choice. It was definitely just an act of kindness no matter what the rumors are,' she said. 'It was something I just did because I really felt called to do it and I've been blessed since.'
The Herald Scotland
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Cristina Jimenez talks 'Dreaming of Home,' immigration, climate change
"Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change" (St. Martin's Press, pp. 320, out now) is more than a memoir, "it's about the story of many undocumented and courageous people," Jimenez said, and an invitation for readers to organize and dream of a more just place for all. "I had dreamed of a better world and for this book to be in a different context, but here we are," Jimenez said, sounding determined. "I think about this book as an organizing tool, as a story and as a way for us to come together to remember that we do have power." INTERVIEW: Cristina Jimenez Moreta helped get DACA, now she helps young immigrants find their voice Jimenez's parents brought her to New York from Ecuador when she was 13, she said. When she was in the 11th grade in New York City's Queens borough and ready to apply for college, she found out that due to her undocumented status, the road to higher education would look different than that of her peers. Although Jimenez recalls feeling defeated then, she said her mother, who was proudly in attendance at her daughter's book event, was the one who told her not to back down and fight for the necessary resources to pursue her educational goals. Those small but significant seeds of courage and community have led her to this moment. "Community is what's going to give us the energy, ideas and strategies for what we need to do to move us forward," she added. That, and love. MUST READS: 13 books to break down the immigration debate amid Trump's return to power Why love is at the center of 'Dreaming of Home' During the Q&A, led by actress Francia Raisa, Jimenez opened up about the effects of migration, how climate change plays a role in people seeking a new place to call home, and why love is at the heart of her new memoir. "So much of the migration story is the story about love, and we barely think about immigrants and our conversations about immigrants as stories of love," she said. USA TODAY's The Essentials: 'How I Met Your Father' star Francia Raisa talks Selena Gomez friendship, comfort food essentials Jimenez said she wanted to shed light "on the fact that love is at the center of the courageous act of leaving everything behind for your loved ones. "Love is at the center when immigrant communities are doing the best and struggling to accomplish dreams, to lift each other up, to do better for their families. And when I think about my parents and many of the parents that had to leave everything behind to come here and take on great risk, I think it was love at the center of their courage and their ability to make that scary decision." 'Why do we even have such a thing as migration?' Jimenez asked attendees to examine their thoughts and preconceptions around immigration. "What I also wanted to do with this book is to really pull the curtain and let the reader have an opportunity to understand why do we even have such a thing as migration and people being forced out?" she said in response to a question from Francia about the impact of climate change on migration patterns. "So much of what we, as migrants and as immigrants, get from the media and from everything we hear is that somehow we are bad - that we are criminals because we migrated to seek a better life, to seek safety," she said. "I wanted to really talk about what's underneath migration: unjust laws, violence, corruption and increasingly more and more now, climate change." More: The U.S. already has millions of climate refugees. Helene and Milton could make it worse. She added: "If you care about our democracy, if you care about climate change, if you care about having a world that we all can share, you have to deal with immigration." Cristina Jimenez immigration advocacy work knows no bounds In 2020, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, USA TODAY named Jimenez one of its Women of the Century for her work in helping establish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and inspiring young immigrants to find their voice. Jimenez cofounded United We Dream, which became the country's largest immigrant-youth-led network with 400,000 members across 100 local groups and 28 states. More: Paola Ramos explores the effects of Trumpism on the Latino vote in her book 'Defectors' The group pressured then-President Barack Obama to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. In 2012, his administration created DACA, which allowed these young immigrants to obtain work permits, get driver's licenses, and go to college. The organization helped change public perception of undocumented youth. Contributing: Nicole Carroll, USA TODAY
