Selena Gomez started off her career with the children’s show, Barney and Friends, at the age of seven. Now, she is a widely-known singer, actress, and songwriter across the world. Her role in the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place was central to her rise to fame along with the songs Come & Get It and Same Old Love.

With the third season of Selena+Chef releasing on HBO Max on August 18, 2022, Gomez is back in the limelight. The first season of Selena+Chef premiered on HBO Max in 2020 amidst the pandemic, when the actress decided to interact with various MasterChefs and brush up on her cooking skills. The show features her navigating through a territory unfamiliar to her, cooking.

5 things you didn’t know about Selena Gomez

1) She controls her social media posts herself

While it was earlier known that Selena Gomez handled all of her social media accounts herself and made the posts personally, she has spoken out quite a bit about the effect that has on her mental health. Last year, Gomez made it clear that she no longer has any of the apps on her phone and that it really helped her live a peaceful life.

However, she still has full control of what goes out on her social media. This is what Selena Gomez told Women’s Wear Daily in 2021:

“I do all of my posts through just texting my assistant and the caption that I want.”

Although she has a team to help her out with the job of catering to an audience across the globe, she has made it clear that it is still her who decides what goes out and how.

2) She turned down a role in High School Musical 3

Selena Gomez stuck to doing Disney shows for quite some time in her career. It was these shows that enabled all the fame and popularity the actress enjoys now. Princess Protection Program, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Hannah Montana are some of the other shows she has had prominent roles in.

However, the actress rejected a role in High School Musical 3. When asked about it, Gomez claimed that she never had any regrets about giving up the role. She cited the reason for turning down the role as her desire to be taken seriously after all the roles she had done for Disney. The need to diversify her filmography was one of her main concerns at the time.

3) She is a part of Taylor Swift’s Girl Squad

Taylor Swift’s girl gang has consistently been a part of pop culture for a decade now. The singer has been out on holidays, dinners, Fourth of July celebrations, and many more with members of her squad, which includes her closest childhood friends, fellow celebrities, and models.

Selena Gomez is known to be one of the original members of the squad and one of Swift’s closest friends too.

The two women are known to have met each other at a Jonas brothers’ concert in 2008 when Selena was dating Nick and Taylor was going out with Joe. The two of them were even featured in Swift’s Bad Blood music video. Other famous figures like Blake Lively are also part of the gang.

4) She earns $800,000 per Instagram post

It is widely known that Gomez is a consistent social media favorite and is extremely active on Instagram. Apart from being an actor, singer, songwriter, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Selena Gomez is also an influencer, owing to the kind of reach she enjoys on Instagram.

She mobilizes brand partnerships as well as her own product lines to make social media profitable for her.

Pantene, Neo by Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Coca-Cola, and Borden Milk have all had Selena as their spokesperson. With a current follower count of 342 million, she earns over $800,000 per post. She also uses her account to support her own make-up line, Rare Beauty, which also sells apparel merchandise.

5) She was an executive producer for 13 Reasons Why on Netflix

Little is known about the fact that the adaptation of the novel 13 Reasons Why was originally supposed to be a film that starred Selena Gomez. However, things took a turn and the television adaptation was what got greenlit. The drama aired for four seasons and is currently streaming on Netflix. It is one of the platform’s most-watched shows too.

Adapting the story of the novel was apparently Gomez’s mother’s long-time dream, ever since she read the book in 2009. Selena seems to be content with the show and everything that came out of it. Her role in the making of the show also hints at her intentions to get into the production field too.

Selena Gomez, all these years after her debut in Disney, is still a pop culture favorite. The actress used that to her profit and began a show like Selena+Chef that people found relatable and fitting during the quarantine.

Whether the new season that is coming out post-pandemic will work just as well is still a question. The third season of Selena+Chef will premiere on HBO Max on August 18, 2022.