Current:Home > ScamsSelena Gomez gets support from Taylor Swift, Francia Raisa at benefit for her mental health fund -Visionary Wealth Guides
Selena Gomez gets support from Taylor Swift, Francia Raisa at benefit for her mental health fund
Algosensey View
Date:2025-04-11 10:22:22
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Selena Gomez was nervous to host her first benefit for the Rare Impact Fund, the philanthropic arm of her Rare Beauty cosmetics company. But you wouldn't know it by how gracefully she carried herself.
Speaking with USA TODAY outside of Nya Studios in Hollywood, California, Gomez reflected on why it felt like the right time to host the inaugural event.
"We were just babies in the beginning, and obviously the impact was created before a single product went on a shelf," Gomez said about launching Rare Impact Fund in 2020. "Now more than ever, during the crisis of what we're going through in our generation, my generation, my sister's generation, there's a lot going on."
The singer/actor/entrepreneur shuffled down the red carpet of her fundraising benefit Wednesday night donning a dazzling silver custom Valentino gown that featured a rose embellishment, and she accessorized the look with matching earrings and a sleek bob.
Gomez added: "I just really want to be someone that can be a light in that."
Her sold-out fundraising auction, the Rare Impact Fund Benefit: A Night of Radiance and Revelation, boasted Gomez's "Only Murders in the Building" costar Martin Short as the host and auctioneer, Marshmello as the night's DJ and a performance from H.E.R.
Francia Raisa, Taylor Lautner, Tyga and Benny Blanco were also in attendance.
Money raised from Wednesday's ticket sales and auctioned items benefitted Rare Impact, which aims to connect young people with mental health resources.
Gomez's Rare Impact Fund has distributed $3 million in grants to two dozen organizations around the world, according to its website.
Actress Francia Raisa is 'super proud' of friend Selena Gomez
Raisa came to support longtime friend Gomez, with whom she recently made amends after a brief break in their friendship.
"We had dinner, we hashed it out," Raisa told Variety on the red carpet. "I needed my time. You need your time. Let's just start over. Hi, this is me at 35. And this is you at about 30. Let's start over."
The two even seemingly matched at the event with their floor-length silver gowns.
Speaking to USA TODAY, Raisa praised Gomez for being "a brown woman that's highlighting (mental health) and she has the platform that she has, I'm super proud."
"Especially within Latinx households, they need to know that it is a situation," she added. "I'm a first-generation Latin American. With first-generation Americans here, it's really hard to fit in. So we go through a lot of mental health journeys with learning how to be American but also sticking to our roots."
In the spirit of the evening, the "How I Met Your Father" and "Grown-ish" actor was candid about how having polycystic ovary syndrome has impacted her physical and mental wellbeing.
"I'm really big about mental health. I have gone through my own personal journey ... (with) PCOS, we go through a really dark place around the time that we menstruate," Raisa said. "It's gotten really, really bad. (I'll be) the happiest I've ever been and then I can't get out of bed."
According to Mayo Clinic, PCOS is "a problem with hormones that happens during the reproductive years. If you have PCOS, you may not have periods very often. Or you may have periods that last many days. You may also have too much of a hormone called androgen in your body."
'Only Murders in the Building' costar Martin Short celebrates Selena Gomez's impact
Ahead of taking on his auctioneer duties, Gomez's friend and "Only Murders in the Building" costar Short praised her for using her influence as the most-followed woman on Instagram to raise mental health awareness.
"That's what everyone with that kind of clout should do," Short said. "When you have 440 million Instagram followers, you don't just make it about your merch."
'She's perfect':Steve Martin praises his rap teacher, 'Only Murders' co-star Selena Gomez
Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Paul Rudd contribute to Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund auction
Gomez had a little help from her friends in inching closer to the Rare Impact Fund's goal of raising $100 million to support mental health organizations.
Taylor Swift donated tickets to an Eras Tour concert of the winner's choosing, Chris Martin supplied Coldplay concert tickets, Camila Cabello contributed a lunch date and Paul Rudd offered to host a movie night for a lucky fan.
There was also a banjo signed by "Only Murders" costar Steve Martin, a Lionel Messi jersey signed by the soccer star and VIP tickets to a Luke Combs concert up for auction.
Swift's package was, of course, the most coveted of the night, fetching $15,000, per People and The Hollywood Reporter.
See the photos:Taylor Swift reunites with Selena Gomez for July 4 party
Selena Gomez's 'darkest moments' inspired her to support mental health organizations
The benefit was "the culmination of a lifelong dream," Gomez said inside the event, per the Hollywood Reporter. "But it also stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life."
"I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. In 2020, I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and to be honest, everything quickly changed. I actually got the knowledge and the answers I had been desperate for for so long, and understanding that obviously makes me become more aware of it, and I’m less afraid than I used to be," she said.
"With that knowledge I could seek out the support I needed, to be myself, to find my joy again, and tonight I’m very proud to say that I have. I’m working really hard every day and I’m so happy just to be alive and be here with you guys today."
'It was too hard':Why Selena Gomez couldn't watch her own 'My Mind and Me' world premiere
veryGood! (7559)
Related
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- 2024 third base rankings: Jose Ramirez, Austin Riley first off the board
- Rep. Lauren Boebert's son Tyler arrested on 22 criminal charges, Colorado police say
- Home for Spring Break? Here's How To Make Your Staycation Feel Like a Dream Getaway
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Lynette Woodard wants NCAA to 'respect the history' of AIAW as Caitlin Clark nears record
- Hunter Schafer was among protestors arrested during President Joe Biden’s appearance on ‘Late Night’
- Patients urge Alabama lawmakers to restore IVF services in the state
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Avalanche kills 4 skiers in Kyrgyzstan visiting from Czech Republic and Slovakia
Ranking
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- A National Tour Calling for a Reborn and Ramped Up Green New Deal Lands in Pittsburgh
- Kids play hockey more skillfully and respectfully than ever, yet rough stuff still exists on the ice
- Key witness in Holly Bobo murder trial says his testimony was a lie, court documents show
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- More than 330,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees are recalled to fix steering wheel issue
- Big Little Lies Fans: Get Your First Look at Liane Moriarty’s Next Show Apples Never Fall
- Is Uber-style surge pricing coming to fast food? Wendy's latest move offers a clue.
Recommendation
Average rate on 30
Wendy’s says it has no plans to raise prices during the busiest times at its restaurants
Toyota recalls 381,000 Tacoma pickup trucks to fix potential crash risk
Philadelphia Orchestra’s home renamed Marian Anderson Hall as Verizon name comes off
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
Laurene Powell Jobs’ philanthropy seeks to strengthen communities with grants for local leaders
Trump lawyers say he’s prepared to post $100 million bond while appealing staggering fraud penalty
In Arizona, abortion politics are already playing out on the Senate campaign trail