Selena Gomez’s Mother Blasts Body Shamers After Revealing Life-Threatening Health Struggle

Selena Gomez’s mother, Mandy Teefey, is saying no to body shamers. After appearing on the December 2021 cover of Entrepreneur magazine alongside her 29-year-old daughter and businesswoman Daniella Pierson, Teefey says she received some unsolicited advice and hurtful criticism regarding her appearance and weight. Little did they know that Teefey was in the fight of her life regarding her health and packed on pounds as a result. In an Instagram post of an alleged screenshot of a private message she says is from an unknown user, she was told to “lose weight.” For Teefey, that comment was one of the nicer ones.

“I wasn’t ever going to discuss this, but I knew when the Entrepreneur cover came out comments on my weight were going to be DM’d to me,” she captioned the post in part. “But, I was out of the hospital for maybe 3 1/2 weeks from double pneumonia. I was told I had days to live.”

Teefey says it’s a miracle that she’s alive. She credits the medical staff and support she received from her loved ones to get her through. But, the battle was not easy. “I fought,” she continued. “The Drs fought and I was one of the few who made it out.”

She had double pneumonia, which caused “inflammation from the infection.” As a result, she gained more than 60 pounds. But, she refused to let it get her down. “I never gave up on myself or Wondermind coming to reality,” she shared, noting a new organization focused on mental health co-founded with her daughters. 

She continued: “I had zero business to be at a photoshoot. So, yesterday was a beautiful day for many reasons filled with personal attacks. I’m healthy and I will work on myself at my pace. It’s a miracle I am here and could careless (sic) if that means I’m a 16 instead of an 8.”