- Selena Gomez’s mother is Mandy Teefey and her father is Rick Gomez.
- Selena’s stepdad is Brian Teefey, who Mandy married in 2006.
- Selena talks about her parents in her Apple TV+ documentary My Mind & Me.
Selena Gomez, 30, is opening up like never before in her upcoming Apple TV+ documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. The doc, which comes out Nov. 4 on Apple TV+, explores the last six years of the pop stars’ life, including her struggles with her health, both mental and physical. Selena talks about her parents in the documentary. Her mother Mandy Teefey and her father Ricardo Joel Gomez were teenagers when Selena was born, and they split up a few years later. They both got remarried and Selena now has two half-sisters and one stepbrother.
Selena’s parents have witnessed their daughter’s career surge from a child actress to a Grammy and Emmy Award nominated superstar. Keep reading below to find out more about Selena’s mother and father, as well as her stepdad Brian Teeefey and her stepmom Sara Gomez.
Selena Gomez’s Dad
Ricardo Joel Gomez, also known as Rick Gomez, was born in Mexico and met Selena’s mom (then Amanda “Mandy” Corbett) in high school in Texas. They were teenagers when Mandy got pregnant and gave birth to Selena on July 22, 1992 in Grand Prairie, TX. Rick and Mandy got married after Selena was born, but the relationship wasn’t meant to be and they got divorced when Selena was 5 years old.
Rick was relatively absent from Selena’s life growing up and Mandy raised their daughter on her own. She told Harper’s Bazaar in 2013, “When I was seven, my dad would go to Hooters to watch [San Antonio] Spurs games, but he started noticing that when I would come, with my little pigtails, all the waitresses would be like, ‘Hey!’ So he ended up half spending time with me but with all those cute girls coming over. And that became our thing.”
Rick wasn’t involved in Selena’s childhood singing and acting endeavors. “He didn’t want to be a part of this industry life, so it was really me and my mom, our journey,” the Only Murders in the Building star told Rolling Stone.
In 2012, Rick got married to Sara Gomez, and two years later they welcomed their daughter Tori Gomez, who is now 8 years old. Sara also has a son Marcus Gomez, 18, from a previous relationship. It appears that Rick has gotten closer with Selena since starting his own family as he regularly posts photos on Instagram with the “Same Old Love” singer. It’s worth noting that Selena doesn’t follow her father on Instagram. She does follow her mom on Instagram.
Selena Gomez’s Mom
Mandy Teefey has been way more involved in Selena’s career than Rick has. Mandy wanted to be an actress when Selena was young, so she took her daughter to community-theater productions while working two jobs. “She was so cool,” Selena told Rolling Stone. “She was like Drew Barrymore in the Nineties, with her short hair and butterfly clips. She would make her own clothes. I was like, ‘Mom, I want to do what you want to do.’ And she’s like, ‘OK, well, maybe we can put you in theater classes.’ And I was like, ‘Nope. I want to be on TV.’ ”
Selena has openly admitted that she blamed her mother for her parent’s divorce. “I blamed my mom a lot [for the divorce] because I wanted a family so bad,” the Wizards of Waverly Place alum said in a 2011 E! Entertainment special. “I wanted to have my mom and dad together. I remember just being angry with my mom. I still feel really bad about that,” she added.
In 2006, Mandy got married to talent manager Brian Teefey. They welcomed daughter Gracie Teefey in 2013. “She’s adorable,” Selena told E! News after Gracie’s birth. “I’m obsessed with her and becoming a big sister. I know I’ve had the responsibility to be a role model for girls but when you have a little sister of your own, you kinda think, ‘Okay, this is legit.’ ”
Selena has had an up-and-down relationship with her mother over the years. It was reported in 2014 that Selena fired Mandy and Brian from her management team, which Mandy addressed four years later. “We never expected to manage [Selena] her whole life,” Mandy told Suggest in 2018. “We lost family time because the only time we saw her, we talked business. It was no longer fun for any of us, like it was when she was younger and we had to be with her because she was a minor.” Mandy also addressed Selena’s relationship with Justin Bieber which she allegedly wasn’t supportive of. “Selena can live her life however she wants as long as she is happy, safe, and healthy,” Mandy said.
Selena’s relationship with her mom seems better than ever as of late. The mother-daughter duo created their own production company, July Moon Productions, which produced the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Selena and Mandy are also the founders of Wondermind, a mental health multimedia company that launched in 2022. Selena told Rolling Stone that Mandy has been “very open about having struggles with her own mental health.”
Mandy recently told E! News that she has no plans to watch Selena’s Apple TV+ documentary. “It’s something that I feel, ‘cause I did a little interview in it, and I didn’t really want to do a lot. And it kind of just put me in a headspace that you just don’t want to revisit after you’ve grown through so much,” Mandy explained. Selena’s mom added, “So, when the time comes, and I feel like I’m ready to watch it, I’ll watch it. But what I’ve seen of it, it’s beautiful.”
Selena Gomez’s Stepdad
Brian Teefey became Selena’s stepdad when he married Mandy in 2006. Brian and Mandy run LH7 Management where they rep several artists. One of his clients was The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie who died in 2016. He used to manage Selena.
Brian has a close relationship with Selena and he even spoke about her kidney transplant back in 2017 in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife. Brian praised Selena’s BFF Francia Raisa who graciously donated one of her kidneys to Selena. He told us he was stunned and touched by “Francia’s ultimate sacrifice for a friend,” adding, “I am not only Francia’s manager but also Selena’s father so the magnitude of what Francia has done for our family cannot be put into words.”