Among the standout moments at Sunday’s AMAs was Selena Gomez’s acceptance speech after she won favorite pop/rock artist. The AMAs marked her return to the public eye after checking into a treatment facility last August to focus on her mental health. Selena, who also suffers from Lupus, took the opportunity to tell fans how important it was to focus on themselves. During her speech, her voice cracked, which spoke to the rawness of the words she was delivering. It was so heartfelt, part of me wonders if she intended to be this open before she went up or if she just surrendered to the moment:
Selena opened by saying that in 2014, it was on the AMA stage that she was first, “authentically 100 percent honest with all of you.” She was referring to her performance of The Heart Wants What it Wants which you can watch here. The speech was so short and yet she said so much in it. Like how she pointedly talked about having no control over how much the the world knows about her life. The line that resonated to me the loudest was when she said, “I had to stop. ‘Cuz I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside.” She said it was such conviction. It made it even more powerful when she backed it up by saying she no longer needs someone else’s validation and can’t control if others respect her. She knew all the eyes were going to be on her and that likely there were those who expected to see her stumble. Instead of trying to over-polish her performance, she laid bare her fight so to reach others who are fighting. Every person who does this, every person who reaches out to those struggling reaches at least one more person, I’m sure of it.
I am not alone in my admiration. Many were moved and inspired by Selena’s speech. Lady Gaga posted this to her Instagram:
And Niall Horn gave her a big hug when she returned to her seat, telling her she did great:
November 20: Selena with Niall Horan at the 2016 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. #1 pic.twitter.com/ouFWWgcZJm
— Selena Gomez News (@LifeWithSelG) November 21, 2016
In addition, her buddy Taylor Swift posted this to Instagram after Selena’s win (careful – it’s loud):
Taylor Swift via Instagram stories. #AMAs pic.twitter.com/2om4KPdN2n
— Selena Gomez News (@SelenaGomezNews) November 21, 2016
Others joined in on Twitter to send Selena love as well. I hope she’s feeling every last bit of it:
Sendin the biggest hug in the world to @selenagomez for speaking about how important it is to take care of your mental health 👏👏👏😘
— Colton Haynes (@ColtonLHaynes) November 21, 2016
.@selenagomez's ama speech was everything tonight ♡ so beautiful inside & out
— Princess Pia Mia (@princesspiamia) November 21, 2016
If you're blessed to have any sort of platform, use it for good and remain humble on the way up. True stars inspire others to spread love.
— Princess Pia Mia (@princesspiamia) November 21, 2016
Selena speech at the amas ❤️ more of that in the world please.
— p dubbs (@petewentz) November 21, 2016
photo credit: Instagram, Twitter, WENN Photos and Getty Images
This was amazing, I love that she was brave enough to speak about her issues in front of so many people and hopefully it helps others who are in need of help.
….She also has lupus…
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that, if severe, causes the patient’s antibodies to attack every healthy cell in the body. It can cause a severe rheumatic syndrome, kidney disease (and failure), even severe heart disease. It can also cause- obviously-severe depression.
A new biological drug (similar to the new drugs for rheumatoid arthritis) just came out in the last two years; up until that time, nothing new specifically for lupus had come out in at least 20-30 years.
All the drugs have horrendous side effects, but at least the new biological (which costs tens of thousands of dollars per year) can induce true remission (along with true suppression of the immune system-that’s the trade off).
It’s a grim diagnosis, to put it mildly.
Selena is such a lovely, brave young woman. She will have to fight lupus her whole life-there is no cure-but she is loved and supported and that will give her strength.
Some people have less severe forms of lupus, and only suffer from mild symptoms. You can’t make a statement about her future without seeing her medical records. Even then, it’s impossible to predict how the disease will manifest in the future. I know this from personal experience.
My 25 year old cousin, a mother of two, killed herself rather than continuing to suffer from Lupus. She was very brave. It is a terrible disease.
I’m so proud of her. It’s hard enough fighting our inner battles but imagine fighting them in front of the public eye. The part that resonated with me the post was when she said she had everything but felt so broken on the inside. I was just about to lose it.
I think a lot of times we forget that celebrities are people too. They’re just people with a ton of money but they still get sick, they have emotions and feelings too.
I teared up. I’m a suck but I’ve always really liked her. She seems like a sweet girl who may have gotten a little lost. I hope she can find her way back.
It looks like Lady Gaga is taking ownership of Selena and her moment. It feels gross. I’m happy for Selena for taking care of herself. It must be nice to have the resources.
Oh yawn … way to overshare.
right tho
I really like the part where she told people she didn’t want to see their bodies on instagram and instead wanted to see what’s inside. Good message.
I’m one of the people who viewed her has a victim of disney children in the industry. Early drinking and drugs in life and the consequences that result from that. She’s like many young people out there who dabbled early and desires to get back to life, but struggles at times. I’m glad rehab and therepy is working for her.
You could tell she struggled in that inbetween time of transitioning from child to woman in the last few years.
#teamgomez
When she said ‘you dont have to stay broken’ I teared up
She is such an inspiration. I know exactly what she went through and I hope she stays healthy
I doubt you know exactly what she went through. :/
What happened in 2014? She should explain more. It seems narcissistic to expect everyone to know all about your life. I didn’t even know that she was a singer until this article – I thought she was an actress.
She’s a class act. She has always remained sweet, smart and didn’t succumb to the “lifestyle” that all too many fall into. She a young woman to admire and I hope she continues and remains happy on this path.
Amazing speech. It’s the first time I hear her speaking, and she has a beautiful voice. I wish her a long and happy life. Actually, for everyone who has lupus and mental problems.
Nice speech, but I still think she lacks talent.