Selena Gomez Through the Years: The Former Disney Channel Star’s Transformation in Photos

Growing up in the spotlight! Selena Gomez got her start on Barney and Friends when she was just a kid and has since made a major name for herself in Hollywood.

Aside from her various acting gigs, which include a Disney Channel series and multiple big budget films, the Texas native has become a singing superstar, fashion designer and makeup mogul.

“When I was younger I was lucky enough to find my passion, and from that point on, I kind of had to go with it no matter what happened,” Selena said during the December 2020 Teen Vogue Summit. “And because of that, a lot of people told me ‘no,’ a lot of people said … that I wasn’t capable.”

Over the years, Selena has proved the haters wrong. After nabbing a guest starring role in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2005, the actress went on to star as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 until 2012. Once her Disney Channel days came to an end, Selena continued her acting career with movies like Spring Breakers and the Hotel Transylvania series, among others. She’s also since taken on a behind-the-scenes for some projects. Most notably, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer executive produced Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

“The theme of everything I do is good quality,” Selena also explained during the Teen Vogue Summit. “I want to make sure the stuff that I have, whether it’s all the business stuff to my work acting and singing, it’s important for me to be authentic and to connect to something. Otherwise, it seems a bit pointless to me. It requires a lot of hard work. But the payoff is amazing.”

Selena has been able to connect with her fans through her mental health struggles too. In April 2020, the Rare Beauty founder revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis during a conversation with Miley Cyrus on her “Bright Minded” Instagram Live series. “When I got to know more information, it actually helps me,” Selena shared. “It doesn’t scare me once I know it and I think people get scared of that.”

The actress has also sought treatment in rehab facilities for her struggles multiple times while in the public eye. When launching her Rare Beauty brand in September 2020, Selena vowed to raise both money and awareness with mental health initiatives.

“I had low self-esteem, and that’s something I work on continuously. But I feel so empowered because I’ve gained so much knowledge about what was going on mentally,” Selena told the Wall Street Journal in a January 2020 interview. “My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time.”

While tapping into her entrepreneurial side, Selena has still found the time to film a cooking show for HBO Max, Selena + Chef, and star in a Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building. There’s really nothing she can’t do!

Scroll through our gallery to see Selena’s total transformation over the years.