The Drama Between Karoline Leavitt And Selena Gomez, Explained

President Donald Trump started cracking down on his promise to deport illegal immigrants mere moments after taking office, but in the process he has also sought to deport immigrants who entered the country legally, following some of the Biden administration's laws. This has, of course, had a profound impact on many people, and actor Selena Gomez and newly-minted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a bit of a social media scuffle after the "Only Murders in the Building" star shared a since-deleted teary message with her Instagram followers, regarding the mass deportations that were already taking place. "All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don't understand. I'm so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can't," Gomez said (via X, formerly known as Twitter). "I don't know what to do. I'll try everything, I promise."

Leavitt, who has already weathered some makeup blunders during press briefings and who has been called out for several controversial moments that have tarnished the press secretary's reputation, clapped back at Gomez on X, tagging her in a video she made in response to the emotional clip. The clip featured several mothers whose children had reportedly been killed and sexually assaulted by illegal immigrants. "You don't know who you're crying for," one of the featured women claimed. "What about our children who were brutally murdered and raped and beat to death and left on the floor by these illegal immigrants?" Another mother who appeared in the video also questioned the authenticity of Gomez's message, asserting that her acting credits made it hard to believe that she was actually that upset. "I just feel like it's a ruse to deceive people," another added.

Selena Gomez's tearful video about the mass deportations made headlines, with right-wingers in particular tearing the outspoken pop star to shreds. Fox News host Will Cain sarcastically called Gomez's video "very sane" on his eponymous Fox News show, before proclaiming that looking into a camera while crying didn't seem like a very healthy thing to do. "You are not on sane ground [when you do that]," Cain argued. "You're not emotionally healthy. That, or you're an actress." Law enforcement officer Tom Homan also weighed in, telling Fox News, "If they don't like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We're going to do this operation without apology."

Other celebs voiced their support for Gomez, including Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera, who has a rather complicated relationship with Donald Trump. "Selena Gomez should be commended for her compassion and sincerity. People attacking her on social media should be ashamed," he wrote on X, adding that the immigration issue isn't as black and white as some people make it out to be either. 

Rivera added, "We need comprehensive immigration reform. We can't arrest our way out of our immigration crisis. Bravo Selena." Hip-hop artist Flavor Flav also voiced his support for the former Disney star, applauding Gomez for being brave enough to be so vulnerable about the issue so publicly. "That woman is always so brave to share her truth [...] and so many are quick to bully her," the rapper wrote.