Who is Selena Gomez’s dad and where is he from?

The first thing that comes to mind at the mere mention of an iconic figure like Selena Gomez is the consistency of her fame in the realm of popular culture. She achieved recognition as a talented actress who appeared in numerous Disney productions as a child and then proceeded to become one of the most renowned pop stars of the generation.

Besides her immense success in this arena, her personal life also drew quite a lot of attention from the entertainment media and tabloids. This is especially true of her dating life, as she had a history of dating some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Justin Bieber, Orlando Bloom, Taylor Lautner, Nick Jonas, and The Weeknd, to name a few.

However, diving into the family background of the star would suggest that not everything has been hale and hearty in Gomez’s life, and her path to stardom has been filled with obstacles and challenges. This includes her tumultuous familial life, especially her relationship with her dad.

Gomez was born to a teenage mother Amanda Dawn who was only 16 years old when the pop star was born. Her parents divorced when she was only five, which resulted in her being raised by her parents separately and spending a significant amount of time with her grandparents.

Where is Selena Gomez’s dad now?

Selena’s biological father is Ricardo Joel Gomez, also known as “Rick” Gomez. He originally hails from Mexico. He and Selena’s mother Amanda started dating when they were in high school, after which she got pregnant at the age of 16. The couple married after Selena was born in 1992, but split after five years together. Following their divorce, both of her parents went on to carve a separate life for themselves.

Ricardo got remarried to Sara Tovar Gomez and the couple has two children, a daughter, and a stepson from Sara’s side. While the family has mostly been out of media attention and the spotlight, they are quite active on social media, where their pictures are frequently posted.

Any discussion on Ricardo Gomez would warrant the details of his relationship with his famous daughter. It has been revealed that the father and daughter initially did not share the warmest bonding as one would expect, as Rick reportedly failed to actively contribute to her upbringing. For years, there was not a trace of interaction between the father and the daughter, as neither were seen acknowledging the other on social media on any significant occasions like birthdays or holidays.

The Good for You songstress mentioned that she shared a closer bonding with her mother, who played an influential role in her professional journey. Speaking on the subject with Rolling Stone, Selena noted: “He didn’t want to be a part of this industry life, so it was really me and my mom, our journey.” She also continued to talk about her fondest memories with her father as a child.

On this matter, she spoke to Harper Bazaar about how Rick used to take her out to watch San Antonio Spurs games. She mentioned, “He started noticing that when I would come, with my little pigtails, all the waitresses would be like, ‘Hey!’ So he ended up half spending time with me but with all those cute girls coming over. And that became our thing.”

However, the duo is reported to be much closer than before, as they were seen frequently posting pictures of themselves together on social media. Rick posted a picture on Instagram of Selena and him on her birthday in 2020, with a heart-warming caption where he wrote: “On your birthday, my heart fills with memories of a sweet little girl, who touched my heart and changed my world forever. May God continue to bless you and watch over you. I love you, mija.”

Due to her father being from Mexico, Selena has always embraced her Mexican heritage, which was also reflected in her profession. In 2021, she dropped her Spanish-language musical project that goes by the name Revelacion featuring over seven Spanish-language songs, and saw collaborations with some of the well-known names in the music industry, including Rauw Alejandro and DJ Snake, to name a few.

Despite a tumultuous familial relationship, Rick is happily married to Sara and they have two children, who are believed to share a cordial bond with Selena. It seems like they are one big happy family after all.