Selena Gomez: From Wizards of Waverly Place to Rare Beauty and Benny Blanco

In a one-minute Instagram Story on 18 October 2026, Selena Gomez did something celebrities rarely do: she told fans that a habit had damaged her voice. She said heavy nicotine vaping had changed the way she sounds, that she had quit, and that anyone who did not like her voice now was free to tune out. It was blunt, a little funny and very her.

That frankness is a large part of why Gomez has lasted. She went from a purple dinosaur show in Texas to Disney Channel stardom, built a pop career with three number-one albums, earned a Cannes acting prize, became one of the youngest self-made billionaires through Rare Beauty, and has spoken openly about lupus, a kidney transplant and her mental health along the way. In 2026 she is filming a new season of Only Murders in the Building, singing in Spanish on her husband Benny Blanco’s album and reuniting with Demi Lovato for a Rare Beauty campaign. Here is the full story.

Who Is Selena Gomez?

Selena Gomez is an American singer, actress, producer and entrepreneur. She became famous as Alex Russo on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, released hit albums including Revival and Rare, and now stars in and produces Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin and Martin Short. She founded the make-up brand Rare Beauty in 2020 and married music producer Benny Blanco in September 2025.

How Old Is Selena Gomez?

Selena Gomez is 34 years old. She was born on 22 July 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas, and celebrated her 34th birthday in July 2026 while filming in London.

Early Life and Family

Gomez was born to Mandy Teefey, a former stage actress, and Ricardo Joel Gomez, who is of Mexican descent. Her parents separated when she was five and she was raised mainly by her mother, who later became her manager and producing partner. She was named after the Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla. Her first screen job came at around age ten on the children’s series Barney & Friends, where she met Demi Lovato, beginning a friendship that has lasted, with gaps, for more than twenty years.

Career

Disney Channel and Wizards of Waverly Place

After guest roles on Disney Channel, Gomez was cast as the lead in Wizards of Waverly Place, which ran from 2007 to 2012 and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program. Disney films such as Another Cinderella Story (2008) and Princess Protection Program (2009), with Lovato, followed. She returned as Alex Russo in the 2024 sequel series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

Music

She first recorded with her band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which released three albums between 2009 and 2011. Her solo albums Stars Dance (2013), Revival (2015) and Rare (2020) all reached number one on the Billboard 200. “Lose You to Love Me” became her first Billboard Hot 100 number one in 2019. In March 2025 she and Benny Blanco released a joint album, I Said I Love You First.

Acting beyond Disney

As an adult she took on Spring Breakers (2012) and The Dead Don’t Die (2019) before Only Murders in the Building premiered on Hulu in 2021. She plays Mabel Mora and also serves as an executive producer; the show has been nominated several times for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2024 she played Jessi in Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, sharing the Best Actress award at Cannes with her co-stars and earning a Golden Globe nomination.

How Did Selena Gomez Become a Billionaire? Rare Beauty

Gomez became a billionaire largely through Rare Beauty, the make-up company she launched in 2020. In September 2024 Bloomberg estimated her fortune at about $1.3 billion, most of it tied to her stake in the brand. Rare Beauty pledges part of its sales to the Rare Impact Fund, which supports mental-health services for young people; at the fund’s fourth benefit on 14 October 2026 she said it had raised more than $30 million so far. The figure is an estimate, and she has not disclosed her finances herself.

What Is Selena Gomez Doing Now? Latest Updates in 2026

Gomez spent mid-2026 in London filming the next season of Only Murders in the Building. Blanco, who has a well-known fear of flying, reportedly crossed the Atlantic by ship to visit her.

On 31 July she released “Te Olvido (La La)” with Blanco and Becky G, a cumbia-flavoured song that marked her return to Spanish-language music. It appears on Blanco’s eight-track album Hermoso, released on 14 August 2026.

October was busy. She hosted the Rare Impact Fund Benefit in Los Angeles on 14 October, posted her vaping message on 18 October and, on 28 October, launched a Rare Beauty campaign with Demi Lovato built around limited-edition “Delena” blush bundles. The shoot recreated the poster of their 2009 film Princess Protection Program, and a vlog on her YouTube channel nodded to their old web series.

Who Is Selena Gomez’s Husband?

Selena Gomez’s husband is Benny Blanco, the American record producer and songwriter. They confirmed their relationship in December 2023, announced their engagement on 11 December 2024 and married on 27 September 2025 in Santa Barbara, California. In October 2026 she told E! News that the first year of marriage had still brought surprises, and Blanco has joked publicly that he is eager to become a father.

Health and Personal Life

Gomez has chosen to talk publicly about her health. She revealed a lupus diagnosis in 2015, received a kidney transplant in 2017 from her friend Francia Raisa, and in 2020 said she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The 2022 Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me covered those years. Her openness is also the mission behind the Rare Impact Fund.

Belloria’s View

The vaping video is a small moment that explains a big career. Gomez could have let a changed voice pass without comment; instead she named the cause, warned younger fans and shrugged at critics, all in about a minute. That same willingness to say the uncomfortable part out loud is what turned Rare Beauty from a celebrity make-up line into a brand built around mental health, and it is why her audience has followed her from Disney to prestige television without much fuss. Her music output is now occasional, but as a public figure she has rarely been more consistent.

Social Media Stats

Social media figures are approximate and may change. Gomez has been one of the most-followed people on Instagram for years.

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