In an Apple TV+ series, Selena Gomez spoke candidly about the influence Francia Raisa has had on her life. Actor Raisa made headlines in 2017 by giving Gomez, who battles lupus, a kidney.

There have been several rumors recently about a supposed rift between the friends. However, in a recent interview, Selena set the record straight by referring to Francia Raisa as her “best friend” and asserting that as a result of her kidney donation, she would never be more indebted to anyone else.

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The friendship timeline of Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa:

Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa first met at a charity event in 2007. Gomez was still employed by Disney at the time, and Raisa appeared on the ABC series The Hidden Life of the American Teenager.

“Disney and ABC Family had the stars of their shows go to the Children’s Hospital,” Raisa stated in an interview. “Selena and I were in the same group and we just clicked.”

Gomez spoke candidly to her followers in 2015 about her battle with the autoimmune disease lupus. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated when she needed a kidney transplant as a result of the disease’s consequences.

In 2017, Selena Gomez made the announcement that she had received a kidney transplant and that Raisa had been the kidney donor after taking yet another apparent vacation from her social media.

She said, “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

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Selena Gomez received the Woman of the Year award at the 2017 Billboard Women in Music event, which was given to her by Raisa.

Yet Gomez recognized during her victory speech that the occasion wouldn’t have been possible without her relationship with Raisa. “I think Francia should be getting this award,” Gomez said through tears. “She saved my life… I feel incredibly lucky.”

Selena shared that she and Raisa got identical tattoos in 2019 to honor the challenging time they went through. She told the reporter, “I actually got the date of when I got my kidney transplant. And I did that with the girl that gave me her kidney.”

In November 2022, Gomez discussed her struggle to develop a presence in the industry and the fact that she doesn’t have many famous friends in an interview with Rolling Stone.

After E! News included the first half of the phrase in an Instagram post hailing Swift and Gomez’s friendship, Raisa reportedly commented on the post, “Interesting,” and then deleted it.

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Gomez appeared to respond to Raisa by writing, “Sorry I didn’t include everyone I know,” in a comment on a TikTok video documenting the alleged separation.

However, now in her most recent interview, Gomez spoke about her kidney transplant, stating, “My best friend, her name is Francia, she said ‘No, I’m absolutely getting tested’. Within three days, she went to do it, and she was a match.”

“I will never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia,” Gomez said, adding that Raisa did not even second guess her decision.