Selena Gomez has an explanation for the change fans have noticed in her voice, and a warning for anyone considering the habit she says caused it.
The Latina singer-song writer and Only Murders in the Building actress revealed in an Instagram Story shared Sunday, October 18, that she had frequently vaped nicotine and has since stopped. Quitting, she acknowledged, has been difficult.
"I'm not gonna be able to change my voice. I vaped nicotine a lot," Gomez said in the video. "Nicotine is so hard to quit."
Her message quickly turned from addressing her own experience to discouraging others from starting. "If you're going through it or if you're even trying to vape, it's just not worth it," she said. "It's so stupid, and it's changed my voice."
Gomez also had a blunt response for viewers who dislike how she sounds: "So if you guys don't like listening to my voice, that's totally understandable. I don't mind. Just don't listen."
The video offers a more specific explanation than Gomez gave when she addressed questions about her voice in December 2025. During an Instagram Live on December 16, she acknowledged that followers had asked about the change several times and said her throat sometimes swelled internally.
At the time, she did not explicitly attribute the change to lupus or medication. Her disclosure follows years of public conversations about her health, including lupus, treatment with chemotherapy and the kidney transplant she received in 2017.
Gomez publicly disclosed her lupus diagnosis in a 2015 Billboard interview, explaining that treatment had been behind an earlier break from work. The revelation came after speculation about why she had stepped away from the spotlight.
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It can affect organs including the kidneys. Lupus-related kidney inflammation, known as lupus nephritis, can cause damage severe enough to require dialysis or a transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
In Gomez's case, complications led to a kidney transplant using an organ donated by actress Francia Raisa. Gomez has also described how lupus affects everyday activities. During a 2025 appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, she discussed arthritis in her fingers and how difficulty opening products helped inform packaging decisions for her cosmetics company, Rare Beauty.
Gomez did not disclose when she began vaping, how often she used it or how long she has been nicotine-free. She did, however, express relief that she had stopped, along with uncertainty about maintaining that progress.
"But I am really excited because I stopped, and I just hope I can keep it up," she said.
"It's really hard, but I know if you are going through something, you can get through it too. It sucks."
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 19, 2026Selena Gomez opens up about how vaping nicotine changed her voice:
“I’m not gonna be able to change my voice. Nicotine is so hard to quit… It’s just not worth it. […] I’m really excited because I stopped, and I just hope I can keep it up.” pic.twitter.com/w4euexYK51
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