Selena Gomez Now: ‘Only Murders In The Building’ Season 3 Releases
With the return of Hulu’s hit comedy series Only Murders In The Building on August 8, Selena Gomez is back in front of fans. “I’m not sure I have enough words to explain just how beautiful this season has been,” the 31-year-old actor shared in an Instagram post. “It has been deliriously hilarious, challenging and for me, an absolute dream.” Gomez plays Mabel Mora, and alongside Steve Martin’s Charles-Haden Savage and Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam, the three neighbors attempt to solve crimes in their building. For Season 3, Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd guest star.
Who Is Selena Gomez?
Actor and singer Selena Gomez got her start in show business at age 9 with a two-year run on the kids show Barney & Friends. Gomez became a Disney Channel star in 2007 as the lead in the show Wizards of Waverly Place. She is also known for her roles in the Hotel Transylvania movie franchise and Hulu’s hit comedy series, Only Murders In the Building, which earned her a 2023 Golden Globe nomination. Simultaneously, Gomez grew her pop music career, and her three solo albums have topped the Billboard 200 chart. Her hit songs include “Lose You To Love Me,”“Good For You,” and “Calm Down.” The founder of Rare Beauty has a massive social media following and became the first woman on Instagram to surpass 400 million followers in March 2023.
Early Life
Selena Marie Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, on July 22, 1992, to Amanda Cornett and Ricardo Gomez. Her mother, commonly known as Mandy, gave birth to Gomez at the age of 16.
Movies and TV Shows
Gomez began her career in show business in 2001 when she performed on the popular children’s program Barney & Friends as Gianna. Dropped from the series after two years, Gomez auditioned for other shows without much success. She landed a small role in the movie Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003 and a bit part as Julie on Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire in 2005. She also signed on to play Emily Grace Garcia in Brain Zapped in 2006, and even recorded a song for the show.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place
In 2006, Gomez guest starred as Gwen in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on the Disney Channel. Earning more work from Disney, Gomez was tapped to play the evil Mikayla for the Hannah Montana series.
She then landed her first starring role when the channel cast her as Alex Russo in the show Wizards of Waverly Place in 2007. The hit series ran for four seasons, until 2012, and won two Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Program.
Another Cinderella Story and Princess Protection Program
In 2008, Gomez made her first animated movie, Horton Hears a Who!, and starred in the ABC Family movie Another Cinderella Story with fellow Disney Channel actor Andrew Seeley. Selena filmed two projects for the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise as well. The first was Princess Protection Program, released in 2009 and also starring Demi Lovato. Later in 2009, she starred in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.
Hotel Transylvania
In 2012, Gomez performed the voice of Mavis in the animated movie Hotel Transylvania. She has since reprised the roles in the film’s three sequels, released in 2015, 2018, and 2022.
Breaking out of children’s fare, Gomez starred alongside James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens, among others, in Harmony Korine’s comedic crime thriller Spring Breakers (2013). That same year, Gomez co-starred with Ethan Hawke in the action thriller Getaway. In 2014, Gomez was featured in the comedy Behaving Badly, with Mary-Louise Parker.
The next year, she joined the cast of Season 9 of The Voice as a mentor for Gwen Stefani’s team.
Only Murders In The Building
After several years away from the big screen, Gomez returned in 2019 in Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die. The next year, the multi-talented artist voiced the character of Betsy the giraffe in the Robert Downey Jr. film Dolittle.
But her most successful role of late is as Mabel Mora on the Hulu comedy series Only Murders In The Building. Now in its third season, Gomez stars alongside comedic legends Steven Martin and Martin Short as true crime–obsessed neighbors who attempt to solve a murder in their building on New York City’s Upper West Side. Gomez earned a 2023 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Actress – Musical/Comedy Series, and the show, for which she also serves as a producer, earned back-to-back Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series..
Music Career
Along with her acting, Gomez began building a music career by recording soundtrack songs in 2008 and 2009. That included three tunes for the soundtrack to her movie Another Cinderella Story, a song for the animated movie Tinker Bell, the single “One and the Same” for Princess Protection Program as a duet with co-star Demi Lovato, as well as four songs for the soundtrack to Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.
Soon, Gomez moved on to original music as the lead singer of Selena Gomez & the Scene. The pop band, which had a contract with Hollywood Records, released three albums: Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011). Some of their popular songs included “Love You Like a Love Song,” “Who Says,” and “Naturally.” The group split up in 2012.
Solo Albums
Far from the end of her musical journey, Gomez embarked on a solo career the next year. She has released three studio albums, all of which have topped the Billboard 200 upon release, and a Spanish-language EP.
Her solo debut album released in August 2013. It featured two early hits for Gomez: “Come & Get It” and “Slow Down.” Both songs are now multiplatinum.
Revival went platinum six months after its October 2015 release. It also introduced a new, more adult side of Gomez, who had long been in the shadows of her Disney stardom. Songs included the platinum single “Kill Em With Kindness” and multiplatinum hits “Hands To Myself” and “Same Old Love.”
Gomez’s third studio album came in January 2020. Not reaching the same level of success as her sophomore album, Rare nonetheless included the singer’s first Billboard No. 1 song “Lose You To Love Me.”
Her Spanish-language EP, released in March 2021, didn’t rise to the commercial success of her albums, but it captured critical acclaim, earning Gomez her first Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.
Gomez has shared she is working on a new album, sharing photos from inside a recording studio in June 2023. She has not announced its name or any details about when it could be released.
Hit Songs
Gomez has regularly graced the Billboard Hot 100. Her first Top 10 hit, “Come & Get It,” came in April 2013. “The Heart Wants What It Wants,” “Good For You” featuring A$AP Rocky, “Same Old Love,” and “Hands To Myself” followed. Then, in November 2019, “Lose You To Love Me” soared to No. 1 ahead of its inclusion on her third album, Rare.
Other popular songs include 2017’s “Bad Liar,” “Fetish” featuring Gucci Mane, and “It Ain’t Me,” a collaboration with Norwegian DJ Kygo. She also teamed up with the mysterious Marshmello for ”Wolves.” In May 2018, Gomez released the track “Back to You” for Netflix’s teen suicide drama 13 Reasons Why.
More recently, Gomez has found success on collaboration singles, such as “Baila Conmigo” with Rauw Alejandro, “Let Somebody Go” with Coldplay, and “Calm Down” with Rema. Her latest single “My Mind & Me” released shortly after her documentary in November 2022.
Billboard’s Woman of the Year
In November 2017, months after undergoing kidney transplant surgery, Gomez was named woman of the year at the annual Billboard Women in Music event. “I would like to thank my amazing team and my family because they stuck with me through some really hard times,” she told the crowd. “And I got to do a lot this year, even though I had a couple of other things to do.”
Health: Lupus and Bipolar Diagnoses
In early January 2014, it was reported that Gomez had been battling lupus—an autoimmune disease that can cause facial swelling, fatigue, headaches, and joint pain—for more than two years. In September 2017, the multitalented artist revealed that advancing symptoms of lupus had forced her to undergo a kidney transplant earlier in the year, with her roommate and friend Francia Raísa serving as the donor.
One month later, Gomez provided details of the experience with The Today show’s Savannah Guthrie in an NBC news interview: “She lived with me in this interesting time where my kidneys were just done,” Gomez recalled. “The thought of asking somebody to [donate] was really difficult for me. And she volunteered and did it… The fact that she was a match, I mean, that’s unbelievable.”
Thanks to Raísa, Gomez was able to quickly move to the operating room for the life-saving procedure. While there were additional complications during the operation, Gomez has recovered nicely, noting that there was a 3 to 5 percent chance of her lupus resurfacing.
In November 2017, Gomez was honored at the Lupus Research Alliance Annual Gala in New York City for helping to raise more than $500,000 toward research for the disease. During her speech, she recalled the moment doctors stressed to her the urgency of undergoing a transplant procedure. “It actually got to a point where it was life-or-death,” she said. “Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney, and it was the ultimate gift of life. And I am doing quite well now.”
The chart-topping artist, who previously spoke about her battles with anxiety and depression, revealed in an April 2020 interview with Miley Cyrus that she had been diagnosed as bipolar. “When I got to know more information, it actually helps me,” Gomez told her fellow former Disney star. “It doesn’t scare me once I know it.”
Gomez opened up even more about her mental health in the 2022 Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, revealing that she was initially skeptical. “I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t wanna go to the mental health hospital,” she says in the documentary. “I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to be trapped in myself and my mind anymore. I thought my life was over. I thought, ‘This is what my life’s going to be like forever.’”
Rare Beauty and Activism
Outside of acting and music, Gomez has delved into business. In 2017, she teamed with Coach to launch the Selena Grace line of handbags and accessories, and the following year, the two sides collaborated again for a ready-to-wear collection.
September 2020 saw the launch of Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, her massively popular makeup line, and the Rare Impact Fund, its philanthropic partner dedicated to mental health. Bloomberg reported in July 2023 that the company sold $70 million worth of a liquid blush year to date and the company expected to triple its overall says year over year.
Additionally, Gomez has served as a spokesperson for Borden Milk, appearing in the organization’s advertising campaign and print ads. She also worked on a campaign that encouraged teenagers to learn more about the 2008 presidential candidates. A supporter of UNICEF, 17-year-old Gomez became one of the organization’s ambassadors in 2009 and works to help children around the world through her C.A.N. (Charity, Action, Now) initiative.
Relationships: Justin Bieber and Others
Gomez has dated fellow musicians Nick Jonas, Zedd, and The Weeknd, as well as been romantically linked to other stars. But her most well-known relationship has been with pop star Justin Bieber.
She and Bieber first met in 2009 and eventually entered into an on- and off-again relationship. Even after their final breakup in early 2018, the romance still provides fodder for the celebrity gossip mill. In 2023, the internet was aroar over a social media drama between Gomez and Hailey Bieber, whom Justin married in September 2018.
Gomez has publicly feuded with her mother, Mandy Teefy. The two unfollowed each other on Instagram in December 2017, with some speculating it was because the singer had rekindled her romance with Bieber, though another source said the situation was more complicated than that. Teefy later told Gossip Cop that she wasn’t happy with her daughter dating Bieber, but said there was little she could do about it. “Selena can live her life however she wants as long as she is happy, safe and healthy,” she said.
