Selena Gomez has shared a birthday tribute to Francia Raisa, seemingly dismissing rumours of an alleged feud with longtime friend and kidney donor.
The Only Murders in the Building star, 31, took to Instagram on Wednesday 26 July to wish her friend a happy birthday. “Happiest of birthdays to this special human being. No matter where life takes us, I love you,” Gomez captioned the post, alongside a slideshow of the actors over the years
The first image featured Gomez and Raisa sitting in the back of a car and smiling at each other, while the second photo showed the Disney Channel alum hugging the How I Met Your Father star from behind. In the third photo, the friends posed for a photo that appeared to be taken at Gomez’s 30th birthday party last year.
The birthday tribute comes after months of speculation that Gomez and Raisa had a falling out. The actors have been friends since 2007, when they first met during a visit to a children’s hospital. Ten years later, Raisa donated her kidney to Gomez amid her battle with lupus, the autoimmune disease that Gomez was diagnosed with when she was 24.
The two were rumoured to have fallen out after Gomez called Taylor Swift her “only friend in the industry” during an interview with Rolling Stone last November.
After Gomez’s interview surfaced online, some people speculated that the “Wolves” singer’s comments were a dig against Raisa. Reacting to the interview, Raisa wrote under an Instagram post of Gomez’s comments: “Interesting.”
The Wizards of Waverly Place star went on to clarify her remarks when she commented on a TikTok video: “Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know.”
At the time, fans pointed out that Raisa had unfollowed Gomez on Instagram. However, it appears the Secret Life of an American Teenager star has since re-followed her on the platform.
Raisa appeared to comment on their alleged rift last May, when she called for an end to the online “bullying” she’s received from Gomez’s fans. Speaking to TMZ, she opened up about receiving “pretty bad” comments about her broken relationship with the “Bad Liar” singer.
“Now I’m being bullied like crazy. It’s not good at all. It’s not fun either,” she said on 8 May.
“The only thing I’m going to say is in no way, shape or form does anyone condone bullying, especially Selena. She literally has a whole nonprofit dedicated to mental health, and I believe Rare Beauty even just had an event for mental health,” Raisa said, referring to Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund - a nonprofit committed to increasing access to mental health services for young people.
The Grown-ish star went on to say that the hateful messages have taken a toll on her own mental health. “So the fact that I’m now being bullied as I am, it’s messing with me mentally,” she said.
Raisa added: “To me it’s not what anyone wants for someone and [Gomez’s] literally out there saying please stop, so I don’t understand why it’s not stopping – not just for me, but others that are also being antagonised online.”
Despite their speculated feud, Gomez later said she’s “in debt” to “best friend” Raisa for donating her kidney amid the singer’s battle with lupus. In March, Gomez explained how Raisa offered to donate her kidney in an episode of Apple TV Plus’s documentary series Dear….
“My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said: ‘No, I am absolutely getting tested,’” Gomez recalled. “And within three days, she went to get tested, and she was a match. And it was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so so so lucky.”
Gomez added that Raisa “not even second-guessing [being] a donor” was “unbelievably overwhelming” and that she will “never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia”.
