Selena Gomez has a message for anyone reaching for a vape: Don’t.
The 34-year-old singer and actress used her Instagram Stories on Sunday, October 18, to speak about the damage she says nicotine did to her voice. She did not spare herself. “I vaped nicotine a lot,” she told followers, adding, “I’m not going to be able to change my voice.”
The warning was aimed squarely at her fans. “Nicotine is so hard to quit, and I think I just wanted to say, if you’re going through it or if you’re even trying to vape, it’s just not worth it,” Gomez said.
A change she can’t undo
Gomez described the habit in blunt terms. “It’s so stupid. It changed my voice,” she repeated.
She also made light of the criticism her voice has drawn. “So if you guys don’t like listening to my voice, that’s totally understandable. I don’t mind. Just don’t listen to it,” she said with a laugh.
The work of quitting
Gomez was candid that giving up nicotine has not been easy, calling the process “really hard.”
“I just hope I can keep it up,” she admitted. She closed with encouragement for anyone facing a similar struggle: “If you are going through something, you can get through it too.”
Answering the questions about her voice
The post is not the first time Gomez has addressed comments about her voice. Fans have speculated for years about how her vocal tone has changed.
During an Instagram Live session last December, she responded to a fan’s question on the subject. “I’ve gotten this question a few times. The voice thing,” she said. “Sometimes things happen. I get weird. My throat kind of swells inside sometimes. That’s all.”
Open about her health
The Only Murders in the Building star has spoken publicly for years about her health, including her lupus and bipolar disorder diagnoses.
Gomez revealed in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, and had undergone chemotherapy as part of her treatment. Two years later, she underwent a kidney transplant after the condition affected her kidneys, with her close friend Francia Raísa as the donor. She has also spoken openly about her bipolar disorder diagnosis and about weight changes linked to her lupus medication.