Showbiz

Selena Gomez ‘loses 800K Instagram followers’ amid backlash for her emotional deportation video putting her position as most followed woman on the platform in jeopardy

Selena Gomez ‘loses 800K Instagram followers’ amid backlash for her emotional deportation video putting her position as most followed woman on the platform in jeopardy

Selena Gomez has reportedly lost a whopping 707,880 Instagram followers in the last 30 days amid backlash for her emotional deportation video and record breaking Oscar nominations for her panned movie Emilia Pérez.

The songstress, 32, has a jaw-dropping 422M followers making her the most followed woman on the platform since dethroning Kylie Jenner, 27, in March 2023, but now that accolade could be in jeopardy.

Earlier this week Gomez sobbed on camera in response to President Donald Trump’s mᴀss deportations of undocumented immigrants – a policy he campaigned on ahead of the 2024 election.

She swiftly deleted the video, but sparked backlash from Republicans and MAGA supporters, including US Senate candidate Sam Parker who called for the Bad Liar singer, who is of Mexican decent, to be deported.

Since Gomez posted and deleted the clip on Monday she shed 116,833 follower and 24-hours saw her biggest single-day drop as  44,151 pressed the unfollow ʙuттon.

Meanwhile musical Emilia Pérez has been slapped with brutal fan reviews, despite it’s 13 Academy Award nominations, with the actress’ Spanish language skills also blasted.

Selena Gomez has reportedly lost a whopping 707,880 Instagram followers in the last 30 days amid backlash for her emotional deportation video and record breaking Oscar nominations for her panned movie Emilia Pérez.

Selena Gomez has reportedly lost a whopping 707,880 Instagram followers in the last 30 days amid backlash for her emotional deportation video and record breaking Oscar nominations for her panned movie Emilia Pérez.

Earlier this week Selena, who is of Mexican decent, sobbed on camera in response to President Donald Trump 's mᴀss deportations of undocumented immigrants

Earlier this week Selena, who is of Mexican decent, sobbed on camera in response to President Donald Trump ‘s mᴀss deportations of undocumented immigrants 

The songstress, 32, has a jaw-dropping 422M followers making her the most followed woman on the platform but now that accolade could be in jeopardy

The songstress, 32, has a jaw-dropping 422M followers making her the most followed woman on the platform but now that accolade could be in jeopardy

CritiqueJeu analysed data on all Selena’s social channels, revealing a loss of 808,500 followers over the last 30 days.

Paul Lenglet, co-founder and editor of CritiqueJeu, commented on the situation, ‘Selena Gomez had a great end to 2024, but the start of 2025 has not been so gentle on her. The star has been facing many criticisms over her participation and performance on Emilia Pérez, a film directed and filmed in Paris, but with a story that takes place in Mexico.

‘The film’s backlash, especially from Mexican audiences, is now combined with backlash from her video condemning the deportation of Mexican immigrants by ICE. Gomez has been known for publicly speaking out, but this can alienate different segments of her fanbase—and potential Rare Beauty, her make-up brand, customers.’

It comes after an Insider told MailOnline that the star  deleted her tearful video because she was worried it showed ‘weakness’ – and feared it could ‘alienate’ Republican fans of her beauty brand,’  

‘She realises that she cannot go up against a Republican backed nation – many of whom are loyal customers of her Rare Beauty brand,’ they said. ‘She does not wish to alienate.

‘She is going to stay out of politics and in her own lane after that drama.’ 

The source explained that Gomez is extremely ‘pᴀssionate’ about the topic but feels like she can ‘never win’ after seeing the negative response.

They added that the actress was only trying to be ‘helpful,’ but believes her message got lost because of her emotional state in the video.

Gomez sobbed as the spoke about Trump's immigration policy in an emotional clip shared to her Instagram Stories on Monday morning

She swiftly deleted the video, but sparked backlash from Republicans and MAGA supporters , including US Senate candidate Sam Parker who called for the Bad Liar singer to be deported 

After quickly taking down her post, Gomez shared a message that read: 'Apparently it¿s not OK to show empathy for people'

After quickly taking down her post, Gomez shared a message that read: ‘Apparently it’s not OK to show empathy for people’ 

Meanwhile Emilia Pérez has been slapped with brutal fan reviews, despite it's 13 Oscar nominations, with the actress' Spanish language skills also blasted (Gomez pictured in the movie)

Meanwhile Emilia Pérez has been slapped with brutal fan reviews, despite it’s 13 Oscar nominations, with the actress’ Spanish language skills also blasted (Gomez pictured in the movie)

In March 2023 Selena dethroned Kylie Jenner (pictured) as the most followed woman on Instagram

In March 2023 Selena dethroned Kylie Jenner (pictured) as the most followed woman on Instagram  

‘Selena thought that she was being authentic and helpful with her video but in retrospect, she realizes that it could have been more powerful without the tears,’ they continued. 

‘The tears showed weakness and that is not what she intended.

‘She is very pᴀssionate and after seeing critics calling for her to help by donating some of her millions to enrich the lives of immigrants in their home countries, she realized that she could never win.

‘She only wants people to see that most Americans are descended from immigrants. Many people are citizens because their ancestors chose to come here whether documented or not.’

Read MoreBREAKING NEWS Selena Gomez hits back at Senate candidate who called for her to be ‘deported’ for sympathizing with migrants article image

DailyMail.com has reached out to Selena’s rep for comment. 

Gomez broke down in tears while sympathising with Mexican migrants in the video. 

‘All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something but I can’t,’ she said between sobs. 

‘I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.’

The video did not sit well with many social media users, who were quick to slam her for not using her reported net worth of $1.3 billion to take action herself.

People branded her ‘shallow’ and ‘narcissistic’ on X, formerly Twitter. 

Some famous faces even got involved, including British journalist Piers Morgan, who said: ‘Posting yourself weeping over illegal immigrant criminals being deported is a new level of absurd celebrity narcissism.’

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan also issued a scathing response to her video meltdown. 

‘If they don’t like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We’re going to do this operation without apology,’ he told Fox News.

It comes after an Insider said star deleted her tearful video because she was worried it showed 'weakness' - and feared it could 'alienate' Republican fans of her beauty brand,'

It comes after an Insider said star deleted her tearful video because she was worried it showed ‘weakness’ – and feared it could ‘alienate’ Republican fans of her beauty brand,’

US Senate candidate Sam Parker who called for the her to be deported

US Senate candidate Sam Parker who called for the her to be deported

She also responded to Parker's call for her to be deported in a separate post, writing: 'Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat'

She also responded to Parker’s call for her to be deported in a separate post, writing: ‘Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat’ 

Former Miss California and runner-up Miss USA Carrie Prejean Boller hit out at Selena on social media telling her to use her reported $1.3 billion fortune to tackle immigration

Former Miss California and runner-up Miss USA Carrie Prejean Boller hit out at Selena on social media telling her to use her reported $1.3 billion fortune to tackle immigration

‘We’re gonna make our community safer… It is all for the good of this nation. And we’re gonna keep going. No apologies. We’re moving forward.’

The Only Murders in the Building star previously produced a 2019 Netflix documentary, тιтled Living Undocumented, chronicling the lives of undocumented families in the United States. 

Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Inside Selena Gomez’s decision to delete crying video about migrants after it sparked deportation calls article image

At the time, the former Disney Channel star, who was born in Texas, opened up about her family’s own immigration story, which began in the 1970s when her aunt crossed the border from Mexico to America while hidden in the back of a truck. 

Her paternal grandparents, Ricardo and Mary, followed their daughter and, once in the US, they welcomed Gomez’s father, who is also called Ricardo. Her mother, Mandy Teefey, is also a US citizen.

In a personal essay for Time magazine in 2019, Gomez said undocumented immigration is an issue she thinks about ‘every day,’ adding: ‘When I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations. I feel afraid for my country.’

The Golden Globe nominee noted that as a Mexican American woman she feels ‘a responsibility to use’ her platform ‘to be a voice for people who are too afraid to speak.’

‘When I signed on to executive-produce a show about undocumented immigrants, I couldn’t help but anticipate the criticisms I might face. But the truth is, the worst criticism I can imagine is still nothing compared to what undocumented immigrants face every day,’ she explained at the time.

The Rare Beauty founder reminded her followers that ‘fear shouldn’t stop us from getting involved and educating ourselves on an issue that affects millions of people in our country.’

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