Selena Gomez gave her fans a lot to talk about on Monday when she posted—and then swiftly deleted—a teary-eyed video on Instagram.
The Emilia Pérez star, 32, took to social media to vent her frustrations about President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program, sharing her emotional response with her 430 million followers.
“All my people are getting attacked, the children,” Gomez said through tears, referencing her Mexican heritage. “I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something but I can’t.”
She capped off the “heartfelt” video with a written apology, adding a Mexican flag emoji for emphasis. “I’m sorry,” she wrote.

If that wasn’t enough to stir the internet’s boiling pot, she followed up with an Instagram Story that read, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.” That, too, vanished shortly after, leaving fans and critics alike scrambling for screenshots.
The backlash on X (formerly Twitter) came faster than Gomez could hit delete. Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren chimed in, tweeting, “Certified moron @selenagomez crying for criminal illegal aliens is really something else. This is why we don’t take our political advice from Disney child stars.” Ouch.
Savanah Hernandez also didn’t hold back, saying, “Selena Gomez filmed herself ugly crying about the current mass deportations. Because of course the out-of-touch celebrity with zero understanding of how dangerous our country has become is crying for the criminals being deported. How pathetic.”
And if the commentators didn’t get their digs in deep enough, one X user went for the jugular: “Selena Gomez crying on Instagram isn’t helping a single family facing deportation. If she truly cared about ‘her people,’ where was she before this? She has the money, the platform, and the connections to fund legal aid, advocate for policy reform, or even assist families in navigating the path to legalization. Instead, she waited until it was too late, showing up with empty tears and vague apologies.”
No word yet from Gomez’s rep, but one thing’s clear: the internet is never one to pass up a chance to dissect a celebrity meltdown—especially one filmed in full HD with mascara streaks for added drama. Whether it was a moment of raw empathy or just another celebrity misstep, Gomez has reminded us all that the intersection of fame and politics is paved with tears—and apparently, a very unforgiving audience.