Disney Star’s Mom Always Protected Her: ‘Never Put Me in a Room by Myself’

Published: December 16, 2024

Disney Star’s Mom Always Protected Her: ‘Never Put Me in a Room by Myself’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Many parents don’t take a very protective stance when it comes to their kids’ careers in the entertainment industry, but Selena Gomez’s mom, Mandy Teefey, was not one of them.

“My mom was fantastic,” Gomez said in a recent interview. “She would never put me in a room by myself; she was very aware of things that I didn’t know.”

“For example, if I had to go to a premiere and I was 16, she’d say, ‘You can’t go to the after-party. You can have fun, and then you’re going to go home,” Gomez said.

She added that it helped with her sanity, and she’s grateful for it.

“I do feel that we grew up together and that’s a different perspective than someone who would wait until they’re older to have a child,” she said. “I am so grateful that we were there for each other. It felt very GILMORE GIRLS.”

“I got to play a mom in EMILIA PÉREZ, and it was very sweet. However, I was intimidated,” she said. “There is something about children that is fearless, and I appreciate that so much and I miss it a little.”

Teefey has spoken about why she’s tried to be a good mom for Gomez, who said her mother gave up “everything” for her and worked “three jobs.”

“I was very judged for being a teen mom,” Teefey said previously. “My neighborhood was really rough, with gangs and all that stuff. When I got pregnant, I thought, ‘Okay, I have another person depending on me. I need to get straight.’ That’s when I started pushing forward. I told myself, ‘I’m not going to let her have the upbringing I did.'”

Teefey is the founder of mental health platform, Wondermind, and has defended Gomez’s frequent social media breaks, which she has often been criticized for.

“You’re more at ease, in your world, and living in the moment,” she said of her daughter’s breaks. “It’s so much more peaceful.”