Selena Gomez is once again at the center of a scandal, Pop Tellers. Is it that deep? You decide…
The singer took to Instagram on Monday (Jan 27) to speak out on the deportation of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. under President Trump’s latest policies. While addressing the situation, Sel, in floods of tears said, “All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can’t.”
Shortly after the video dropped, X and other social platforms were bombarded with a flood of negative reactions. Selena immediately deleted the clip—but you know, the internet remembers.
After receiving extreme backlash, the singer followed up with another Story which wrote, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.” And that one got the axe too.
But wait… isn’t showing empathy supposed to be a good thing? Well, not everyone is buying Selena’s emotional plea. People are really mad at her, like fuming, and here’s why:
Why Are People Criticizing Selena’s Video?
They Think Selena’s Being a Hypocrite
Some critics think the video wasn’t entirely genuine and was more of an attempt to regain favor with her Mexican fans, especially after she faced backlash for starring in Emilia Perez—a movie heavily criticized for leaning into Mexican stereotypes.
One X user wrote, “Selena gomez playing the victim right after feels like a calculated move to get back mexicans love after emilia perez.” While another said, “If you are a billionaire who participated in a movie that is pure racist propaganda towards Mexicans, you have no right to cry or call us “my people” we are not your people.”
Selena’s Being Accused of Sitting Back
Another major point of contention? Selena said she “can’t do anything” about the situation, but the internet was quick to point out that—uh, she’s literally a billionaire with massive influence.
“The way she forces tears has me crying. anyways she said she can’t do anything when she’s a billionaire and has the most followed acc, okaaay,” a critic on X said.
Others have been quick to point out her weak efforts despite being so “passionate” about the deportation of Mexican people in America.
Selena Faces Accusations of Performative Activism
Even those who believe in Selena’s compassion are questioning, where was this energy before?
The singer-actress is also being called out for what some are labeling as performative activism. Critics have brought up the fact that she remained silent or did not care as much for other worldwide issues, such as the Black Lives Matter movement or the war in Palestine, where hundreds of people were also forced to leave their homes.
An emotional X user wrote, “To all the people feeling sorry for the criticism Selena is getting right now – its not about her crying, its not that her message is bad – its about her history with being ignorant and down right cruel in her response to the people suffering in Gaza and the Black lives matter movement.”
Selena’s Being Labelled as Uneducated
Selena faced another wave of criticism from political commentators, who slammed Selena for “living in a bubble” and not truly understanding Trump’s immigration policy.
Selena’s Fans Continue to Defend and Support Her
Despite receiving much backlash, Selena’s fans continued to support her, claiming she was being unfairly singled out as a celebrity to always get dragged for showing empathy. One fan tweeted, “it’s insane how selena gomez is the first celebrity (i think) showing this kind of empathy for people in real time and still manage to receive hate for it…”
Proving the haters wrong, Selenators also highlighted the star’s history of activism over the years:
Why is This Issue So Important to Selena?
In case ya didn’t know, Selena actually comes from a Mexican family—her father immigrated to the U.S. with his family in the 1970s. She’s always been proud of her Latina heritage and has consistently advocated for immigrant rights.
Among other efforts, Selena even produced a documentary during Trump’s first term, shedding light on the struggles of immigrants.
Oof that was a lot! Take a deep breath, I know you want to.
So, do you think we should hold celebrities accountable for their mistakes (they make way too many mistakes—we’ve seen it all)? Did Selena deserve all this backlash? Let us know in the comments below…
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