Selena Gomez has faced criticism on social media after opening up about her struggle to quit nicotine vaping, with renewed attention on her kidney transplant and former friend Francia Raisa, who donated the organ in 2017.
The singer and actress, 34, revealed in an Instagram Stories post on October 18 that vaping had affected her voice and that quitting nicotine had been difficult.
“I’m not gonna be able to change my voice,” Gomez said. “I vaped nicotine a lot.”
She added, “Nicotine is so hard to quit, and I think I just wanted to say, if you’re going through it or if you’re even trying to vape, it’s just not worth it.”
Gomez also acknowledged the impact on her voice, saying, “It’s so stupid. It changed my voice.”
Her admission prompted criticism online, with some users questioning her continued nicotine use following her kidney transplant.
One social media post read, “francia really gave this girl her kidney and she continued to smoke… oh wow”.
Another user wrote, “You actually gotta be a different level of asshole to have your friend give you their kidney and still continue to smoke whilst disrespecting them publicly, tragic”.
However, the criticism comes amid a complicated history between Gomez and Raisa.
Raisa donated a kidney to Gomez in 2017 after the singer’s lupus diagnosis led to serious complications.
Gomez said she hoped to maintain her efforts to quit, adding, “If you are going through something, you can get through it too.”