Francia Raisa has finally set the record straight on years of speculation about her friendship with Selena Gomez. The 37-year-old actress, who famously donated her kidney to Gomez in 2017, says the narrative of a falling out between them has been blown out of proportion.
In a new interview, the "How I Met Your Father" star dismissed long-standing rumors that she and Gomez had a bitter split. “Right now what you are asking me is nonsense that has been in the media, and there are too many rumors,” Raisa said firmly. “I’ve never said anything.”
The actress stressed that she was never upset with Gomez over reports about the singer’s lifestyle habits after the transplant, including speculation about smoking. “When that rumor came out that I had gotten angry or something like that because [Selena] was smoking, I wasn’t aware of those rumors. No one knows what’s going on, and neither she nor I are talking about it. One day, maybe we will address it.”
On Organ Donation
Raisa used the moment to highlight what truly matters: the act of giving. When asked what she would tell others considering organ donation, she explained that it should be about saving someone’s life, not forming an unbreakable bond.
“Look, from the beginning the doctors told me, it’s a donation,” she said. “If you are going to donate a dollar to St. Jude or somewhere else, you’re not going to call to say, ‘Hey, what are you doing with my dollar?’ It’s a donation and it’s something nice that I was able to do. I am grateful that I am alive and I can say that I have saved a life.”
While she hinted that the experience might be “more difficult” for women than men, she didn’t go into detail about why.
A Harrowing Experience for Both
The donation in 2017 wasn’t without complications. Gomez, who suffers from lupus — a disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissues — nearly lost her life during the surgery when one of her arteries burst. Raisa recalled in a 2018 SELF interview that both women fell into depression afterward.
“It’s going to be hard, the recipient is going to glow and she’s going to recover a lot faster than the donor because she’s getting something she needs and you are losing something you don’t need to lose,” Raisa was warned by a social worker before the surgery. “And it was hard. Selena and I both went through a depression.”
Raisa also revealed the physical reminders she carries to this day, lifting her shirt in the interview to show scars across her stomach, including one she compared to a “C-section.”
Where They Stand Now
The rumors of tension resurfaced recently when Gomez celebrated her wedding to music producer Benny Blanco, with fans noting Raisa wasn’t spotted at the festivities. But Raisa didn’t bite on speculation. Instead, she reinforced that what she did for Gomez was never about fame, validation, or recognition.
Raisa seems focused on gratitude, for her health, for the life she saved, and for moving forward without feeding into gossip.