Selena Gomez's 35th Birthday Countdown

Selena Gomez's songs

Selena Gomez Timeline

About Selena Gomez

From Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place to chart-topping music, Only Murders in the Building, and the billion-dollar beauty brand Rare Beauty, Gomez built one of entertainment's most versatile careers, while speaking openly about mental health through her Rare Impact Fund.

The girl in line behind the red bow

Gomez's story starts in a casting line: about 1,400 kids showed up to an open call for Barney & Friends, and the girl directly in front of her - wearing a red bow - was Demi Lovato. Both made the seven-kid cut. From there Gomez became a generation's teen idol as Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012), then pulled off the rarest trick in child stardom: growing into an Emmy-nominated adult career, starring in and executive-producing Only Murders in the Building as Mabel Mora.

Rare, in every sense

In September 2020 Gomez launched Rare Beauty, named after her album Rare, with a mission statement about self-acceptance instead of perfection. It became one of Sephora's best-selling brands, was valued at roughly $2 billion by 2024, and made Bloomberg's headlines that year when it pushed her into billionaire territory. She did it all while being the most-followed woman on Instagram - the first woman ever to pass 400 million followers - and using that megaphone mostly to talk about kindness and mental health.

One percent of everything, from day one

From the very first product Rare Beauty ever sold, 1 percent of all sales has gone to the Rare Impact Fund, which Gomez created to raise $100 million for youth mental health. It has raised about $30 million so far and supports 30 organizations across five continents - reaching more than 2 million young people a year. Gomez, who has spoken openly about her own mental health, hosts an annual Rare Impact Fund benefit to keep the money and the conversation moving.

Quick facts

• Born July 22, 1992, in Grand Prairie, Texas
• Named after Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla
• Was picked from about 1,400 kids at the Barney & Friends open call - Demi Lovato stood just ahead of her in line
• First woman to reach 400 million followers on Instagram
• Rare Beauty sends 1% of every sale to her Rare Impact Fund, which has raised about $30 million for youth mental health
• Stars in and executive-produces Only Murders in the Building