Francia Raisa appeared on Josh Peck’s Good Guys podcast on Aug. 1 to promote her line of salsa, and she did JUST that while addressing rumors of a feud between herself and longtime friend, Selena Gomez. “You guys, there’s no beef, just salsa,” she joked, denying speculation that the two had a falling out.
She also admitted that it’s been tough for her to see false headlines about herself regarding this topic. “Whenever I thought about my name being in the press, I never thought about it like this,” Francia admitted. “I always thought about it from an actor’s perspective.” Francia currently stars on How I Met Your Father and was a working actor long before she made headlines for donating a kidney to Selena in 2017.
Selena needed a kidney transplant amidst her battle with Lupus, and Francia bravely stepped in to donate hers. The two had been friends for years at the time. “She and I went public with our situation years ago, and honestly, we had to,” Francia explained to Josh. “The press got ahold of the story and we wanted to tell it. As for what’s going on lately…does anyone prep you for this kind of stuff? Never. We never get prepped for this kind of stuff. It always catches me by surprise.”
For years, fans have commented on the status of Selena and Francia’s friendship on social media, which has turned Francia away from the comments section of her posts. “I can’t read the comments because I don’t do well with it,” she admitted. “Sometimes I disappear because people are mean. People are so mean.” Selena has previously admitted that she doesn’t have any social media on her phone.
In November 2022, Selena and Francia fueled the feud rumors with some online back and forth. It all started when Selena did an interview with Rolling Stone and said that Taylor Swift is her “only friend in the [entertainment] industry.” Francia saw the quote on Instagram and commented, “Interesting.” She deleted the message, but unfollowed Selena on the site. When Francia’s comment popped up in a TikTok video, Selena jumped in to defend herself. “Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know,” she commented on the video. Fans also pointed out that Selena never mentioned Francia in her My Mind & Me documentary, which came out around the same time as the article.
In July, Selena proved she was on good terms with Francia when she sent her love on her 35th birthday. “Happiest of birthdays to this special human being,” Selena wrote, alongside several photos of the pair. “No matter where life takes us, I love you.” Francia “liked” the post on Instagram and then followed Selena back on the app.