Francia Raísa Finally Breaks Her Silence on 6 Year Friendship Hiatus With Selena Gomez

Francia Raísa recently opened up about the six-year silence that had fans wondering about the state of her and Selena Gomez's relationship. The news follows their widely publicized reconciliation over the summer.

The story of their relationship took a surprising turn when Raísa, the star of How I Met Your Father, acknowledged to USA Today in a recent interview that she and Gomez had not communicated in six years. The actress, best known for her part in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, expressed amazement at the public's interest in their friendship, saying, "It’s still crazy to me that people were invested in our friendship."

Raísa recalled. "I don’t know why the timing happened the way it did, but I remember being in St. Tropez in June and I kept talking about her. We hadn’t spoken much in six years. Especially the last year, we didn’t speak at all."

The birthday post shared by Gomez was a turning point for the pair, prompting Raísa to say, "I don’t know why the universe decided this timing … then she reached out and said, ‘Let’s talk.'" The birthday note sparked their reunion, culminating in a public dinner outing in Santa Monica, California, in August.

The pair made headlines in 2017 when Raísa donated a kidney to Gomez. Raísa maintained that there was no underlying hostility during their split. "We’ve never really had beef with each other,” Raísa stressed. "Nothing happened, and if you ask either of us, we don’t know what happened but we needed that time apart. Then when you come back together, you’re better people. She and I are still getting to know each other again." The dinner meeting ended with a humorous agreement: "No beef, just salsa."

The reconnection was especially noteworthy given the suspicions that developed following Gomez's reference to Taylor Swift as her "only friend in the industry" in a Rolling Stone interview in November 2022. This fueled speculation about a conflict between Gomez and Raísa, which was fueled further when Raísa unfollowed Gomez on Instagram and cryptically responded to the interview with the word "Interesting."

In reaction to the uproar over her statements, Gomez took to TikTok, writing, "Sorry I didn't mention every person I know." In an interview with Extra TV, Raísa stressed that the troubles were not related to the kidney donation, but that people sometimes need space to grow. Rasa described the path as "rocky and tricky," but the time apart allowed both women to grow separately, per The New York Post.

Gomez had written back in 2017 on her Instagram account while talking about the medical procedure, "And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can 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."