Selena Gomez & Francia Raisa: A History of Their Friendship & Kidney Donation

The pop sensation & the ‘Grown-ish’ alum’s friendship made headlines after Francia donated a kidney to Selena. Here is a complete timeline of their relationship.

• Selena Gomez is a singer and actress known for her songs “Calm Down,” “Wolves,” and more.
• Francia Raisa is an actress known for her roles on TV and for being one of Selena’s closest friends over the years.
• Selena recently wished her pal a happy birthday via Instagram on July 27, 2023.
• Francia spoke about their friendship in a new interview on October 6, 2023.

Selena Gomez, 31, is known for having a few A-listers in her friendship circle. From Taylor Swift to Jennifer Aniston, the Rare Beauty founder has plenty of supportive women by her side. One of those high-profile friendships includes Grown-ish alum Francia Raisa, 35. The pair have been close pals for many years and made headlines when Francia donated her kidney to Selena in 2017. Amid Selena’s latest birthday tribute to the 35-year-old, below is a complete timeline of their bond!

When Did Selena Gomez & Francia Raisa Meet?

Although the two beauty’s friendship became an online obsession for fans amid the age of social media, Selena and Francia met nearly 20 years ago! As many know, Francia was a star in the hit ABC series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which premiered in 2008. At the same time, Selena starred on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, and both ABC and Disney had some of their actors attend a charity event in 2007. “Disney and ABC Family had the stars of their shows go to the Children’s Hospital,” Francia told Latina magazine (via PEOPLE). “Selena and I were in the same group and we just clicked.”

Selena & Francia’s Kidney Donation Story

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Years later, in 2015, Selena revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus via an interview with Billboard. “I was diagnosed with [autoimmune disease] lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy,” she explained at the time. The starlet went on to add that her break from her work had to do with her health. “That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” Selena added.

Two years after she revealed her lupus diagnosis, Selena told her millions of Instagram followers that Francia had donated her kidney in order to help Selena’s health. “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me,” Selena captioned a photo of them in the hospital together on September 14, 2017. “I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

In October 2017, the two besties sat down for an emotional interview on the TODAY show to discuss the donation process. At the time, Francia and her pal were living together and she knew something was off after Selena broke down in tears one day. “And she goes, ‘I don’t know what to do. The [transplant] list is seven-to-10-years long,’” Francia said. “And it just vomited out of me. I was like, ‘Of course I’ll get tested.'” Selena noted that her “life” was “better” following the surgery.

Their Rumored Feud

@selenagomez

But everyone is a 10, remember that fact while viewing

♬ original sound – Selena Gomez

Five years later, in November 2022, online rumors began to circulate that there was a feud between the two besties. After Selena spoke to Rolling Stone magazine at the time about who her friends were, many highlighted that she didn’t mention Francia. “I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities,” Selena told the outlet at the time. “My only friend in the industry really is Taylor [Swift], so I remember feeling like I didn’t belong.”

Soon after the mag shared the interview via Instagram, Francia shared a since-deleted comment on the matter. “Interesting,” she wrote, per InStyle. Later, Selena seemingly responded to her friend’s comment via a TikTok about the situation. “Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know,” she commented on the post at the time.

Are Selena & Francia Still Friends?

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Francia and Selena’s bond seemed as tight as ever in July 2022 when they took to TikTok to share a hilarious video together. In the clip, the two joined in on the “He’s a 10 but…” trend and drove fans wild over their jokes. It wouldn’t be until nearly a year later that Selena would share a post with Francia regarding her 35th birthday. “Happiest of birthdays to this special human beings [sic]. No matter where life takes us, I love you. @franciaraisa,” Selena captioned the carousel of photos for Francia’s special day. The birthday gal later ‘liked’ the post and appeared to have followed Selena back on social media. Despite this, the two have not revealed the status of their friendship at this time.

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Francia Raisa says Selena Gomez rift had nothing to do with kidney transplant.

🎥: @APEntertainment pic.twitter.com/M0K79Givo0

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 5, 2023

Francia opened up about their relationship and her kidney donation in an October 2023 interview with The Associated Press. She said that what happened between her and Selena was “very private,” and she wanted to keep it that way. “I had to grow, and she had to grow, and some of the best relationships I know took some time apart and then came back together, and they were better than ever.

When it came to the kidney donation, Francia also explained that the donation had “nothing to do” with their short falling out. In the AP interview, she compared it to other donations. “When you’re giving a donation, let’s say to St. Jude, you’re not going to call St. Jude [and] be like, ‘What did you do with my $1?'” she said.