‘It was very much that dynamic for a long time’: Selena Gomez likens her childhood to ‘Gilmore Girls,’ but is that a good thing?

Although it might seem like celebrities live a charmed life filled with glitzy red-carpet events and designer outfits, a lot of big names have struggled, just like the rest of us. Selena Gomez is one of those folks whose childhood may have been less than ideal despite being a Disney star. The actress was born to 16-year-old Mandy Teefey, who filed for divorce from her husband, Ricardo Joel Gomez when her daughter was five. Looking back, Gomez likens her upbringing to the series Gilmore Girls.

“My mom had me when she was 16, and I do feel that we grew up together,” the actress said during a Variety Actors on Actors segment. “It’s a bond that is very different, and I’m so grateful that I’m so close with my mom that we were there for each other. It felt very Gilmore Girls if that makes sense. It was very much that dynamic for a long time.”

It’s easy to spot the similarities between Gomez’s life and the hit comedy-drama. Gilmore Girls chronicled the day-to-day lives of 32-year-old Lorelai Gilmore and her brilliant teenage daughter Rory Gilmore, who she had at 16. Set in a tiny Connecticut town, the story sees the pair desperately trying to achieve their dreams, with Lorelai aiming to own an inn and Rory working toward a Harvard University acceptance.

Gomez’s mom looked out for her daughter the same way Lorelai was there for Rory. But instead of tests and college essays, Teefey helped with her child’s acting career. That parental guidance came in handy when Gomez landed a role on Barney & Friends at the age of 10. “My mom was fantastic,” Gomez recalled. “She would never ever put me in a room by myself. She was just very aware of things that I didn’t know when I was growing up.”

As Gomez’s fame grew, with a starring role in the Disney fantasy teen sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place and a budding music career, her mom remained unwavering with her support and invaluable guidance. “If I had to go to a premiere and I was 16, she would say, ‘You can’t go to the after party, just enjoy that, have fun. Then you’re gonna go home,'” the actress explained before stating that those were the “little things that helped my sanity.”

However, life in the spotlight hasn’t always been easy. Gomez went through a very high-profile breakup with pop star Justin Bieber and frequently struggles with anxiety and depression. The actress was diagnosed with lupus in the early 2010s and received a kidney transplant in 2017. Fortunately, Gomez seems to have found her happy ending with a starring role in Only Murders in the Building. Her work on the series recently earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Gomez was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her work in Emilia Pérez. On the personal side, the actress took to social media on Dec. 11 to announce her engagement to boyfriend Benny Blanco. She celebrated the news with a series of pictures alongside the caption, “Forever begins now.” While it might not have been easy to have a teen mom, Gomez seems to have lucked out and is finally living her best life.