Selena Gomez says vaping nicotine has changed her voice for good, and she’s done with it. In a roughly minute-long video posted to her Instagram Story on Sunday, the 34-year-old singer, actress, and Rare Beauty founder told fans she’d quit the habit.
“I’m not going to be able to change my voice,” Gomez said, according to Variety. “I vaped nicotine a lot. Nicotine is so hard to quit, and I think I just wanted to say, if you’re going through it, or if you’re even trying to vape, it’s just not worth it. It’s so stupid, and it’s changed my voice.”
Gomez Says Quitting Has Been Hard
She didn’t sugarcoat it. Gomez said she understood if some fans didn’t like the way she sounds now. “So if you guys don’t like listening to my voice, that’s totally understandable,” she said, according to the BBC. “I don’t mind. Just don’t listen to it.”
She also said she was “really excited” to have stopped and hoped she could keep it up. “It’s really hard, but I know if you are going through something you can get through it too,” she said. “It sucks.”
The former Wizards of Waverly Place star aimed her comments about vaping nicotine at fans who might be tempted to try it, too.
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Fans have been asking about her voice for a while. When they pressed her on it during an Instagram Q&A last December, Gomez didn’t mention vaping. “Sometimes things happen. I get weird. My throat kind of swells inside sometimes. That’s all,” she said at the time.
Her Health Has Long Been Public
Gomez has been open about her health for years. She has lupus and received a kidney transplant in 2017, and she’s spoken publicly about her bipolar disorder diagnosis, including in the 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.
The BBC noted that lupus flare-ups can cause inflammation around the voice box, which can leave a voice raspy and strained. Her voice has also deepened with age, which isn’t unusual, though some fans have fixated on the change and posted compilation videos on YouTube tracking how her speaking voice has evolved.
What Research Says About Vaping
Research hasn’t shown conclusive evidence that vaping nicotine changes a person’s voice, but vape users have reported dryness, coughing, breathing issues, irritation, and worse vocal quality, according to ABC News. The CDC says no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, and that scientists still have a lot to learn about their short-term and long-term health effects.
Her warning lands while vaping remains a major concern for young people. A new JAMA Pediatrics study found girls have vaped at higher rates than boys since 2021. Regular vaping among girls ages 15 to 17 climbed from 4.9% in 2021 to 7.8% in 2024, compared with 4.6% of boys that age, according to the Medical University of South Carolina researchers behind it.
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Gomez will be back on screens soon. Her Hulu comedy Only Murders in The Building with Steve Martin and Martin Short returns December 8 for its sixth season, which moves the action to London. She launched Rare Beauty in 2020, and the brand has since made her a billionaire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Do you think Gomez’s warning will reach younger fans who vape? Sound off and let us know!
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