Selena Gomez Didn’t Have to Wear a Disguise at CrimeCon: ‘I Don’t Think They Gave a F— I Was There’
As a successful business owner, musician, and actor, Selena Gomez is hard to miss these days — even at CrimeCon. Turn on the television, open up a magazine, log onto social media, or tune into your favorite radio station, and the “Good for You” singer will not be far.
The 29-year-old entertainer skyrocketed to stardom, playing Alex Russo on the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. It seems everywhere the talented performer goes, she is recognized. There is one place, however, that Gomez went where people really didn’t care who she was. And she loved every minute of it.
How Selena Gomez became a household name
In 2002, at only ten years of age, Gomez starred alongside Demi Lovato on the popular children’s television show Barney & Friends. The former friends paired up again in 2009 for the Disney Channel Original Movie, Princess Protection Program.
Gomez starred in the Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012. During that time, she also appeared in several films. Her music career took off in 2013 when she released her first solo album. Her single “Come & Get It” made it onto Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In addition to performing, Gomez is the founder of a cosmetics line called Rare Beauty and has more than 180 million followers on Instagram.
The “Love You Like a Love Song” musician also has an impressive acting portfolio. Her most recent project received rave reviews. Gomez stars with comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short in the Hulu television series Only Murders in the Building. The show, which involves crime-solving, is right up her alley. Gomez happens to be a big fan of true crime.
Nobody cared who Gomez was at CrimeCon
Gomez attended CrimeCon in Florida with her mom one year. The weekend-long event is the largest true crime gathering in the world. The Monte Carlo actor told Glamour that she loves “the adrenaline of a mystery,” saying that attending the event was a “no-brainer” for her.
In another interview, late-night host Seth Meyers asked the hard-working entertainer if she had to go out of her way to disguise herself at CrimeCon since she is a very recognizable person.
Gomez replied, “No, it was great. People didn’t care. It was so nice. They were so focused on that. I mean, I don’t know if they were my demographic. I don’t think they gave a f— I was there.”
The Fundamentals of Caring actor explained attendees of the event received a true crime case file. They spent the weekend combing through depositions, talking to family members, and meeting with forensic teams to try and solve the crime. Gomez declared, “It’s completely legit. I thought I was a full-blown crime solver. I felt like I was going to solve the case.”
Despite her passion for crime-solving, the Behaving Badly actor admits she was terrible at it.
How Gomez deals with fame
The Wizards of Waverly Place star undoubtedly impacted pop culture through her singing and acting career. Her success, however, has not come without sacrifice. For instance, Gomez spent the better part of a decade dating musical sensation, Justin Bieber. Their on-again-off-again relationship was constant fodder for the tabloids, taking a toll on the popular performer’s mental health.
In 2020, Gomez revealed she was suffering from anxiety and depression and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The “Lose You to Love Me” singer also has an autoimmune disease, Lupus, which led to a kidney transplant in 2017.
Still, Gomez likes to use her platform to help people. She told Amy Schumer for Interview Magazine, “I know that I’m making someone somewhere feel good, or feel understood or heard, and that’s worth it for me.” So while flying under the radar to CrimeCon may have been nice for Selena Gomez, she enjoys using her fame for good when she can.
