Selena Gomez is telling fans that vaping nicotine changed her voice for good, and she wants nobody else to learn that lesson the hard way.
The 34-year-old singer, actress and Rare Beauty founder posted a little PSA to her Instagram Story this past Sunday, October 18. In the minute long vid Selena talks straight to the people who’ve been dissecting her voice for years. She said she isn’t going to be able to change it, and she admitted she “vaped nicotine a lot.”
She admitted nicotine is “so hard to quit,” and that anyone dealing with it, or even thinking about picking up a vape, should know “it’s just not worth it.” She called the habit stupid and said it changed her voice.
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However, she said that if people don’t like listening to her voice, that’s understandable, and told them, “Just don’t listen.” Gomez said she’s excited because she has quit, and she hopes she can keep it up, while admitting it’s hard. She wrapped up her video by telling viewers that if they’re going through something, they can get through it too.
Last December, she dodged the vaping angle when fans kept asking about her voice on Instagram Live. On that Live, she said “there’s no excuse,” that she didn’t really care, and that her throat sometimes swells. Some fans pointed out that voice changes can come with lupus, and Selena has talked before about side effects from her lupus and bipolar medications.
A little medical context matters here too. Lupus flare-ups can inflame the area around the voice box and leave a voice raspy and strained, and voices also tend to deepen with age. Evidence on vaping’s side effects is getting clearer, but the long-term effects still aren’t known.
Now as many are aware, her health has been under a microscope for a real long time. She was diagnosed with lupus in 2013 and received a kidney transplant in 2017. Earlier clips of her vaping drew heavy online pushback, including harsh comments about her illness, while she mostly stayed quiet. This time, she stepped in front of the camera and told it herself.
Celebrities rarely admit that something they did cost them, and fewer still do it without a sponsor, a campaign or a polished apology. Selena just said owned it, and asked folks not to repeat it.