Selena Gomez Clarifies She’s “Beyond Proud” of Disney Channel Past After Those Comments

After saying she "signed my life away to Disney," Selena Gomez explained why she's actually "beyond proud" of her time with the company.

By Lindsay Weinberg Aug 24, 2021 8:05 PMTags
Watch: Selena Gomez Admits She "Signed Her Life Away" to Disney

Steve Martin isn't letting Selena Gomez get thrown to the wolves. 

Earlier this month, Selena appeared to diss the Disney Channel (where she got her big break playing Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place more than 10 years ago) by implying she didn't have much control over her career while she worked there. 

"I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age and I didn't know what I was doing," she said during the TCA Summer 2021 Tour, where she was promoting her Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building. It raised some eyebrows to say the least, especially since The Walt Disney Company owns Hulu. 

Selena, 29, is now setting the record straight about how she really feels about her former network. In a joint interview with co-star Steve for RadioTimes.com, Selena responded that she "definitely" didn't have any reluctance about returning to TV with her latest role as Mabel. 

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Selena Gomez's Most Candid Quotes

"I was looking for another show to do," the Rare artist shared. "And by the way, I'm beyond proud of the work that I did with Disney as well. It kind of shaped who I am in a way."

That's when Steve, who plays Charles in Only Murders in the Building, came to her defense. The legendary comedian remarked, "I have to jump in because I was there when Selena said that [at the TCA] and it was said in the most light-hearted, funny, jokey way." 

Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

Steve said her words have been "interpreted" to sound worse than they were.

"Sometimes they'll say she was joking and sometimes they have it as an ominous headline—but it was completely just all in fun," he explained, before joking, "I've signed my life away to Marty Short, you think I like that?"

Selena added that she was treated well at Disney, saying, "I have to say, I'm very lucky... As a female in my position, I was taken care of and I've only had lovely experiences, so I'm grateful for that."

Only Murders in the Building premieres Aug. 31 on Hulu.

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