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Francia Raisa denies being ‘forced’ to donate kidney to Selena Gomez: ‘I just felt it in my heart’

Francia addressed the negative comments, admitting that she prefers not to read them. “People are so mean. They hit you right there.”


Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
AUGUST 2, 2023 1:27 PM EDT

Francia Raisa wants to clear up all rumors surrounding her relationship with Selena Gomez, denying speculation about an alleged feud and opening up about her kidney donation.

“No one forced me to do anything,” the 35-year-old actress revealed during her recent appearance on the ‘Good Guys’ podcast. “I just felt it in my heart. I knew it was a match, I knew it was going to happen,” she explained to the listeners.

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Francia went on to say that her donation “came out of the genuine kindness of my heart,” and declared that she has “been super blessed ever since.”

“She and I went public with our situation years ago and, honestly, we had to,” she recalled. “As for what’s going on lately, does anyone prep you for this kind of stuff? Never. We never get prepped for this kind of stuff. It always catches me by surprise. I don’t know if it’s good or not.”

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Francia addressed the negative comments, admitting that she prefers not to read them, as online users start problematic and hurtful rumors. “I can’t read the comments because I don’t do well with it. I really don’t. Sometimes I disappear because people are mean. People are so mean. They hit you right there. Someone said, ‘Oh, you’re just looking for attention because your career’s a flop.’ I’m like, ‘Is it a flop?‘”

Back in 2018, Francia talked to W Magazine about her decision to donate her kidney to Selena, detailing the moment Selena revealed that she needed “a new kidney” amid her health issues at the time, to which the actress responded by getting tested.

“She was asking me about my day, and she grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and tried to open it and couldn’t,” she shared. “Then she threw it on the floor, and she fell to the floor and started crying. I was like, ‘What is wrong with you?’ She said, ‘I need a new kidney. I don’t know what I’m going to do, the waitlist is seven to 10 years.’ And it just came out of me, and I said, ‘I’ll get tested.’”