A collage of Selena Gomez on the pink carpet and a screenshot of her crying in a video

Selena Gomez Loses Over 800k Instagram Followers After Crying About The Ongoing Deportations

Home / Politics / Selena Gomez Loses Over 800k Instagram Followers After Crying About The Ongoing Deportations

By Favour Adegoke on January 31, 2025 at 12:45 PM EST

Selena Gomez has seen a massive drop in her Instagram followers after sharing a now-deleted video in which she cried about the ongoing deportation of illegal migrants.

Reports claim the singer deleted her controversial clip because she was worried it showed "weakness" and could put her beauty brand in a bad spot with Republican fans.

Since posting the now-deleted video clip, top political figures, including Donald Trump's Border Czar, have slammed Selena Gomez for her reaction to the deportations.

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Selena Gomez Loses 800k Instagram Followers

Selena Gomez at 2019 American Music Awards
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The "People You Know" singer has amassed 422 million followers on the popular media-sharing app since dethroning Kylie Jenner in March 2023 to become the most followed woman on the platform.

However, she may lose that title as reports suggest she has lost over 800,000 followers in the last 30 days after the website CritiqueJeu analyzed her social media account.

"Selena Gomez had a great end to 2024, but the start of 2025 has not been so gentle on her," Paul Lenglet, co-founder and editor of CritiqueJeu, said about the situation, per Daily Mail. "The star has been facing many criticisms over her participation and performance on Emilia Pérez, a film directed and filmed in Paris, but with a story that takes place in Mexico."

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He added, "The film's backlash, especially from Mexican audiences, is now combined with backlash from her video condemning the deportation of Mexican immigrants by ICE. Gomez has been known for publicly speaking out, but this can alienate different segments of her fanbase—and potential Rare Beauty, her make-up brand, customers."

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The Singer Shared An Emotional Video About The Ongoing Deportations

The drop in Gomez's followers comes amid the massive backlash she has garnered over an emotional video she posted.

The "Wizard of Waverly Place" actress came under for sharing a now-deleted video where she cried in response to President Donald Trump's mass deportation of undocumented migrants.

"All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don't understand. I'm so sorry, I wish I could do something but I can't. I don't know what to do. I'll try everything, I promise," Gomez said in the clip, which she captioned: "I'm sorry [Mexican flag emoji]."

Shortly after sharing the clip, Gomez was heavily criticized, prompting her to delete the clip swiftly.

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The Singer Allegedly Feared The Crying Video Would Affect Her Brand

Selena Gomez
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A source recently revealed that the "Ice Cream" singer deleted her emotional deportation video because she was worried it showed "weakness" and feared it could "alienate" Republican fans of her beauty brand.

"She realizes that she cannot go up against a Republican-backed nation - many of whom are loyal customers of her Rare Beauty brand," the insider told the Daily Mail.

They continued, "She does not wish to alienate. She is going to stay out of politics and in her own lane after that drama."

They further noted that Gomez was only trying to help, but her message may have been lost because she was so emotional.

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Selena Gomez Feels Like She Can 'Never Win' After Facing  Backlash For An Issue She's 'Passionate' About

Selena Gomez at the "Emilia Perez" Photocall at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival
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The source went on to explain that Gomez is very "passionate" about immigration but feels she can "never win" after seeing the backlash it has generated.

"Selena thought that she was being authentic and helpful with her video but in retrospect, she realizes that it could have been more powerful without the tears," the source shared. "The tears showed weakness and that is not what she intended."

"She is very passionate and after seeing critics calling for her to help by donating some of her millions to enrich the lives of immigrants in their home countries, she realized that she could never win," the source added.

"[Gomez] only wants people to see that most Americans are descended from immigrants. Many people are citizens because their ancestors chose to come here whether documented or not," they concluded.

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Trump's Border Czar Tells Selena Gomez To Go To 'Congress'

You Can Own Selena Gomez's Bag From Golden Globes For Under $150
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Amid the sweeping raids and subsequent deportations, the Border Czar Tom Homan issued a scathing response to Gomez on her meltdown during an appearance on Fox News.

"If they don't like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We're going to do this operation without apology," Homan told the news outlet. "We're gonna make our community safer... It is all for the good of this nation. And we're gonna keep going. No apologies. We're moving forward."

He denied speculations that children are being targeted in the raids, saying that the Trump administration is working to deport illegals with criminal records.

"I don't think we've arrested any families. We've arrested public safety threats and national security threats, bottom line," he said.

Homan added, "President Trump won the election on this one issue - securing our border and saving lives. What happened on our southern border in the last four years is the biggest national security threat our county has seen, at least in my lifetime."

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