I’d imagine one of the hardest things about being a celebrity is dealing with all the attention you receive online. One person who is no stranger to this attention is Selena Gomez, who has 378 million followers on Instagram. The actress has been open about the toll social media has taken on her, and how damaging it can be to read mean comments and comparisons. Now, she’s opening up about why she decided to quit Instagram, and give control of her account over to her team, and it might have something to do with her ex Justin Bieber.
While Gomez does have an Instagram account, she no longer runs it, her assistant does. She’s been open about choosing to quit the social media platform, and she explained what led her to this decision to Vanity Fair:
I never got the chance to go to an actual high school. The world was my high school for the longest time, and I started getting inundated with information that I didn’t want. I went through a hard time in a breakup and I didn’t want to see any of the [feedback]—not necessarily about the relationship, but the opinions of me versus [someone] else. There’d be thousands of really nice comments, but my mind goes straight to the mean one.
While she didn’t specifically name an ex, I’d assume she’s referring to Justin Bieber, especially considering the frequent comparisons between Gomez and the “Sorry” singer’s other exes as well as his wife Hailey Bieber.
For context, Justin Beiber and Gomez’s relationship started in 2011, they dated until 2014 and then broke it off. However, they remained in each other’s lives and reconciled in 2017. In 2018 they said they were on a break, but the two broke up not long after. Then, in 2018, the "Peaches" singer married his now-wife, and in 2019 Gomez released the song “Lose You To Love Me.”
Comparisons between Gomez and Hailey Bieber have been happening since she married her husband of six years. The social media star noted as the actress said, the comparisons are difficult to take in. The model also said when you get criticized and compared over and over again, “it starts to mess with your mind.”
The Wizards of Waverley Place alum has a similar stance, and she came to the conclusion that she didn’t want to exert any more energy dealing with online trolls. Gomez continued to talk about her relationship with social media and tough comments, saying:
People can call me ugly or stupid and I’m like, Whatever. But these people get detailed. They write paragraphs that are so specific and mean. I would constantly be crying. I constantly had anxiety…I couldn’t do it anymore. It was a waste of my time.
Over the last year, Gomez has been body shamed on social media. While many fans shared their heartwarming responses in support, people seem to think Hailey Bieber threw shade at her on TikTok, despite it being reported that she and Gomez were on good terms. The Only Murders star responded to the post, and said she doesn’t let things like this get her down.
While she personally quit Instagram, you can still see Gomez on Instagram, TikTok and all over the small screen. Hopefully, those with a Hulu subscription will be seeing her on the 2023 TV schedule in Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, but while we wait for that you can check out her documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me with an Apple TV+ subscription.
