Every time Selena Gomez gets real about her mental and physical health, we stand in awe. As one of the most famous people in the world, the 32-year-old has been in the spotlight since childhood. She’s endured scrutiny over her career, her romantic relationships, her famous friendships; no one could blame her for keeping private something as personal as her health.
Instead, the Only Murders in the Building star consistently speaks out about her experience with bipolar disorder and lupus, an autoimmune disease causing inflammation that can affect many different organs, according to Mayo Clinic. In the process, Gomez has tackled the stigma around mental and chronic health conditions head-on. Now, she’s coming forward about another health issue she’s had to confront and make peace with: her inability to have biological kids.
Per the profile, Gomez has previously spoken about being open to adopting kids and reaffirmed those feelings. “I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” she said. “I’m excited for what that journey will look like.”
Still, Gomez acknowledged, the journey will “look a little different,” and that’s something she’s had to come to terms with. “It’s not necessarily the way I envisioned it. I thought it would happen the way it happens for everyone.”
Gomez’s health journey has been a harrowing one, so it can’t have been easy to accept this news. She was diagnosed with lupus in 2013 and first shared it publicly in a Billboard cover story two years later. “I’ve been through chemotherapy,” Gomez shared at the time, explaining that her health issues required her to check into rehab. “That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke.”
Then, in 2017, Gomez shared that she’d gotten a kidney transplant from friend and fellow actor Francia Raisa, revealing the news in a vulnerable Instagram post. “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend,” Gomez wrote alongside photos of Gomez’s surgery scar and the two lying in hospital beds. “I am incredibly blessed.” According to a 2024 Time interview, Gomez’s transplanted kidney is working well and her lupus is currently in remission.
And, when it comes to not being able to carry children, Gomez says she’s “in a much better place with that” today. “At the end of the day, I don’t care [how I have children],” she said. “It’ll be mine. It’ll be my baby.”
Before you go, read about more stars who have opened up about their autoimmune conditions: