Francia Raísa Just Set The Record Straight About Her Alleged Rift With Selena Gomez

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Actress Francia Raísa, 35, just set the record straight after continued fan speculation about a rift between herself and longtime friend Selena Gomez. In a December 2023 interview with USA Today, the How I Met Your Father star shared that the pair have recently wiped the slate clean.

"It's still crazy to me that people were invested in our friendship," she told the publication. "We've never really had beef with each other. Nothing happened, and if you ask either of us, we don't know what happened but we needed that time apart."

So while they didn't have an official friendship breakup, Francia shared that they really didn't speak for six years before Selena extended an olive branch by wishing her happy birthday on Instagram. "I don't know why the universe decided this timing… then she reached out and said, 'Let's talk,'" the Grown-ish actor said. The pair met for dinner in July and began rekindling their friendship, per USA Today.

"She and I are still getting to know each other again," Francia shared. "And obviously, you know, I gave the girl a kidney so everyone felt a certain way and I was asked for years and years and years, 'Do you regret it?' and I was like, 'No, the relationship has always been there.' There was just a tiff."

So, how did Francia and Selena become friends and what led to their "tiff"? Ahead, here's the full timeline of Francia and Selena's friendship—from their first time meeting to their current status.

2007: Selena and Francia met on a trip to the Children’s Hospital.

Disney and ABC Family sent the stars of their shows to the Children’s Hospital in 2007, which is when Selena and Francia met. The two were placed in the same group and got along quickly, per US Weekly. “We just kept running into each other after that and talking about boys,” Francia told W Magazine in 2018.

“One day she called me and was like, ‘Hey, I don’t have any friends. Why don’t we ever hang out?’ Then we’ve just been inseparable,” Francia shared.

Summer 2017: Francia donated her kidney to Selena.

In October 2015, Selena revealed her lupus diagnosis in an interview with Billboard.

Nearly two years later, in September 2017, Selena shared on Instagram that she had a kidney transplant due to complications with lupus—and that Francia was the kidney donor.

The Rare Beauty founder posted a picture holding Francia's hand as they both lay in hospital beds, followed by a few pictures of her scars on her stomach from the surgery.

"I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery," she wrote in the caption.

"And finally, 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," Selena continued. "Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made. For more information regarding Lupus please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org/ -by grace through faith."

In a now-deleted post, Francia spoke out about donating her kidney to Selena. "I am beyond grateful that God would trust me with something that not only saved a life, but changed mine in the process. This was part of our story, and we will share it soon, but what is important now is that this is not the only story. Love you sis, so glad we’re on this journey together," she captioned the post, per People.

October 2017: They spoke about the surgery in a joint interview.

Selena and Francia sat down with Savannah Guthrie of the Today Show to share their life-altering experience. "She lived with me in this interesting moment where my kidneys were just done," Selena explained. "That was it and I didn't want to ask a single person in my life to donate a kidney. The thought of asking someone in my life to do that was very difficult for me. She volunteered and did it."

Francia admitted to Savannah that the entire process was scary, "I feared for my own health. I had to write a will, which was scary because there's no gaurantee you'll wake up."

The Today Show also shared a clip from the interview on X (formally known as Twitter) of Selena becoming emotional as she discussed the operation that saved her life. The caption read, “You feel that Francia saved your life?” -@savannahguthrie “Because she did.” -@selenagomez."

December 2017: Selena honored Francia at Billboard's Women in Music event.

Selena received the Woman of the Year award during Billboard's Women in Music event in 2017, which was presented by Francia.

The Single Soon singer acknowledged Francia and her friendship during her acceptance speech, saying "I think Francia should be getting this award. She saved my life. I feel incredibly lucky."

February 16, 2018: Francia called Selena “family” while opening up about donating her kidney.

During an interview with Harry Connick Jr. on his show Harry, Francia discussed the physical obstacles of the transplant experience. “It’s harder as the donor because we are losing something our body didn’t need to lose, so trying to recover from that and she’s gaining something her body needed,” she said. “So she’s up and at it immediately, and I had a hard time.”

Francia also explained that the surgery was laparoscopic, and she had four scars from it. She told Harry that, after the surgery, she couldn't shower by herself or get up without the help of someone else—an experience she called “very humbling.”

“I’m a very very active person, so the fact that my doctor said I couldn’t move for two months. Two months, I couldn’t do anything active. All I could do was walk,” she added.

Francia shared that both she and Selena wanted privacy while they healed from the surgery. "She felt bad about even having me do that because we are just friends, I am not her family or anything. Well, I am now. She has my blood," she said. "We just wanted our families around, and it was cool because now I have a big family. I lost my grandparents when I was younger…Her grandparents are my grandparents now, and so I have this extension of a family and it’s been really amazing.”

March 2018: Francia shared that she and Selena went through a depression post-transplant.

"I really do appreciate these scars, 'cause they honestly changed my life, not just, you know, because of Selena, just me personally, life cam into perspective," Francia told Self in a video interview. She shared that once she knew Selena needed a kidney, she knew she was going to get tested in hopes to help her "best friend" and her "sister."

"When I found out I was a match, it wasn't the way I expected," she continued, "One day, I got a phone call from Selena, a FaceTime and she's like, 'We're a match!'" While she was excited to hear the news, she wanted to know how she found out. "I had a way that I wanted to tell her when I made the decision," she explained.

Francia grew upset and called her social worker, who told her, "It's gonna be hard. The recipient is gonna glow and she's gonna recover a lot faster than the donor is 'cause she's receiving something she needs, you're losing something you don't need to lose."

"And it was hard," Francia said. "Selena and I both went through a depression."

December 2019: Selena revealed she and Francia have matching tattoos.

Selena went on air with Vick Hope and Sonny Jay on Capital FM and shared that she and Francia have matching tattoos to pay homage to everything they’ve gone through together over the past few years.

"I actually got the date of when I got my kidney transplant," she told the hosts. “And I did that with the girl that gave me her kidney."

March 2021: Selena celebrated World Kidney Day by thanking Francia.

In a now deleted thread, Francia touched on her experience with kidney donation on X for World Kidney Day. "If you've been following me for a while, you know that I've kept my kidney donation process pretty private," she wrote, per People. "However, I think I've gotten to a point in my life where I feel comfortable and confident in speaking about my experience, and using my platform to raise awareness for the various kidney diseases that affect our population."

Francia continued, "While I wasn't affected personally by kidney disease, I've seen the impacts of it firsthand and want to do my part to help educate others on it. So in honor of World Kidney Day, let's talk about the impact of kidney disease and how we can work to ensure those living with kidney disease are living well."

Selena reposted the thread, saying "Thank you for blessing me. I am forever grateful to you."

July 2022: The pair posted a TikTok together.

Selena and Francia put their spin on the "He's a 10 but..." challenge in a cute TikTok video. The duo giggle as they share a few of their takes, which were: "He's a 10 but his breath stinks," "He's a 10 but he only role-plays Star Wars,"and "He's a 10 but he doesn't like dogs."

"But everyone is a 10, remember that fact while viewing," the Only Murders in the Building actress wrote in the caption.

November 2022: Selena seemingly dissed Francia in Rolling Stone interview.

In November 2022, the state of Selena and Francia's friendship was questioned after the singer told Rolling Stone that her "only friend" in the entertainment industry was Taylor Swift.

The "Hands to Myself" singer shared her struggles of finding a voice within the crowded music industry and admitted that she doesn't have a lot of famous friends. "I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities. My only friend in the industry really is Taylor Swift, so I remember feeling like I didn't belong," she explained.

E! News shared the quote to its Instagram page with the caption, "This friendship? It comes naturally. ❤️ Tag the Taylor to your Selena."

Reportedly, Francia saw that post and commented "Interesting," before deleting it. Allegedly, Selena responded, "Sorry I didn't mention every person I know." Ahead, a TikTok outlines the drama between the two:

July 26, 2023: Selena wished Francia a happy birthday on Instagram.

The singer posted three throwback images of the two together, with the caption: “Happiest of birthdays to this special human being. No matter where life takes us, I love you. ❤️ @franciaraisa.”

August 2023: Francia publicly discussed the "rift" between her and Selena.

Francia was a guest on the Good Guys podcast and shared that there was "no beef" between her and Selena. She also said that she feels "super blessed" to be able to donate her kidney to her good friend, and that she "just felt it in her heart" that she was a match.

"No one forced me to do anything. It came out of the genuine kindness of my heart," she added.

October 4, 2023: Francia supported Selena at Rare Impact Fund benefit.

In October, Selena hosted a benefit for the Rare Impact Fund at Nya Studios in Hollywood, and Francia was in attendance.

"Well, she has a piece of my body, so it's super important," Francia told People when asked about her friendship with Selena. "But honestly, aside from that—regardless of that, I think we just missed each other."

She said that although they've had their "zigzags in life," they could still "come together and be friends and still have our old times." Francia added, "I'm just so glad that we're back together."

December 2023: Francia opened up about mending her friendship with Selena.

In an interview with USA Today, Francia discussed her new partnership with La Victoria, where she will be working with them to offer green and red fire-roasted salsa for a limited time. She also shared that during the friends' reconciliation dinner, they agreed that it was "no beef, just salsa."

Here's hoping this friendship remains stronger than ever!

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