New year, rough start? Selena Gomez encountered a bump in the road early into 2020 after she was stung by a Portuguese man o’ war during a Hawaii getaway.
Gomez, 27, was enjoying a day at the beach with pals on January 1 when she encountered the sea creature. In photos and video footage posted by TMZ on Sunday, January 5, the “I Can’t Get Enough” singer was seen limping and being carried to safety on a male friend’s back.
The Portuguese man o’ war are often mistaken for jellyfish due to their similar appearance. According to National Geographic, it’s “venomous” and when it stings a human, it’s “excruciatingly painful but rarely deadly.”
Gomez’s brush with the man o’ war comes amid a major week for the singer, who is set to drop her hotly anticipated third studio album, Rare, on Friday, January 10. The Spring Breakers actress revealed that Rare, her first record since 2015’s Revival, is set to be her most personal record yet.
“It’s the most honest music I’ve ever made,” the Disney Channel alum tweeted on December 12, sharing a sneak peek trailer for the new record. “And I can’t wait for you to hear my heart.”
To kick off the release of Rare, Gomez dropped singles “Lose You to Love Me” and “Look At Her Now” in October 2019 within one day of the other. During an October 24 appearance with On Air with Ryan Seacrest, she admitted that she felt “a sense of relief” upon releasing both songs back-to-back.
“It’s been four years since I’ve been working on this album, and it’s actually perfect timing because I was going to release it two years ago and none of the words that I’m speaking would have existed,” the Wizards of Waverly place alum said at the time. “So taking a moment to actually feel the feelings that I’ve gone through it’s just, I don’t know, I’m just so grateful that it’s out. It’s weird, too, because I wrote this song over a year ago … and it’s like I feel completely different from when I wrote it.”
Toward 2018’s end, Gomez took time away from the spotlight to prioritize her mental health. In September that year, the singer-actress was hospitalized after a scare with her Lupus and was readmitted the following month. Thereafter, she entered treatment to recuperate from the health incident. She was “resting and getting treatment for a series of panic attacks related to ongoing medical issues,” a source told Us Weekly at the time.
Last January, Gomez broke her silence about her extended hiatus via Instagram. She noted that 2018 was “definitely a year of self-reflection” for her filled with “challenges and growth,” but she’s “proud of the person” she’s becoming.
Gomez’s rep could not immediately be reached for comment.
