Selena Gomez Delivers Emotional and Devastatingly Honest Speech at AMAs: 'I Was Absolutely Broken Inside'
Selena gomez delivers heartfelt speech after ama win: 'you do not have to stay broken', david henrie gives behind-the-scenes tour of 'wizards beyond waverly place', kim kardashian, selena gomez, ariana grande and more channel old hollywood at academy museum gala, beyoncé, selena gomez and billie eilish’s mothers share secrets about fame, career and life, how selena gomez is supporting sabrina carpenter (exclusive), selena gomez on who she credits for reaching billionaire status (exclusive), selena gomez goes full sexy pop star singing along to sabrina carpenter at nyc concert, watch selena gomez's return as alex russo in 'wizards beyond waverly place', 2024 emmys fashion recap: stars spill style secrets, selena gomez tears up during heartfelt emmys shoutout from john leguizamo, emmys 2024: selena gomez loses it as steve martin and martin short out-joke each other, selena gomez, martin short and steve martin name celebs they'd call to help in a real murder mystery, selena gomez reacts to benny blanco saying 'emilia pérez' is best movie he's ever seen (exclusive), kool & the gang react to 'finally' being inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame (exclusive), amy poehler is pushing for an 'inside out 3' (exclusive), why chappell roan hopes she doesn't win a grammy, niecy nash calls travis kelce’s ‘grotesquerie’ performance a ‘touchdown’ (exclusive), justine lupe reacts to 'nobody wants this' success and season 2 renewal (exclusive), sarah hyland 'shocked' to be honored with courage award as survivor of domestic violence (exclusive), sarah drew gets chills reflecting on 'grey's anatomy' firing & how it was 'redirection' (exclusive), carol burnett, 91, addresses retirement after 'palm royale' (exclusive), gomez made a return back to the limelight on sunday, using the ama stage as a platform to give a positive message to those who are 'broken.'.
Selena Gomez made a triumphant return back to the limelight on Sunday, using the American Music Awards stage as a platform to give a positive message to those who are "broken."
"In 2014, this stage was actually the first time that I was authentically 100 percent honest with all of you," Gomez said while accepting the award for Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock -- her first AMA win. She was referencing her heart-wrenching performance of "The Heart Wants What It Wants" that left herself, the audience and even Taylor Swift in tears .
WATCH: Selena Gomez Makes First Public Appearance at AMAs Since Announcing 'Time Off' Nearly 3 Months Ago
"I think it's safe to say most of you know my life whether I liked it or not," she continued. "And I had to stop, because I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside, and I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down, but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down."
Gomez then turned her attention toward social media.
"I don't want to see your bodies on Instagram," Gomez declared. "I want to see what's in here. I'm not trying to get validation, nor do I need it anymore. All I can say from the bottom of my heart is I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love, and I have to say thank you so much to my fans, because you guys are so damn loyal, and I don't know what I did to deserve you. But if you are broken, you do not have to stay broken."
WATCH: Selena Gomez Reveals She's Taking a Break to Deal With Anxiety, Depression and Panic Attacks
The 24-year-old pop star ended her speech by revealing a little more about herself and dedicating her award to her fans, saying, "That's one thing you should know about me: I care about people. And this is for you."
This was the first major public appearance for the "Hands to Myself" singer since announcing she was taking "time off" from her career. Gomez made the announcement about three months ago, explaining that she wanted to deal with issues of depression and anxiety stemming from her battle with lupus.
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Selena Gomez: "I Had Everything, But I Was Broken Inside"
Read every word of the singer's powerful AMA acceptance speech.
Tonight, Selena Gomez made her first public appearance since August at the American Music Awards and won the award for Favorite Female Artist. She took to the stage and made an emotional and powerful acceptance speech. "I had to stop," Gomez said of quitting her tour to focus on her health . "Because I had everything, and I was absolutely broken inside. And I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down, but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down."
"I don't want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what's in here," she continued, patting her heart. "I'm not trying to get validation nor do I need it anymore. All I can say from the bottom of my heart is I am so grateful that I have to opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love and I have to say thank you so much to my fans because you guys are so damn loyal and I don't know what I did to deserve you. But if you are broken, you do not have to stay broken. And if that's anything whether you respect me or not that's one thing you need to know about me is that I care about people."
Lady Gaga was particularly moved by her words:
And her friend Taylor Swift was extremely excited about her win:
Read Gomez's speech below:
In 2014, this stage was actually the first time that I was authentically 100 percent honest with all of you. I think it's safe to say that most of you know a lot of my life whether I liked it or not. And I had to stop. Because I had everything, and I was absolutely broken inside. And I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down, but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down. I don't want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what's in here. I'm not trying to get validation nor do I need it anymore. All I can say from the bottom of my heart is I am so grateful that I have to opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love and I have to say thank you so much to my fans because you guys are so damn loyal and I don't know what I did to deserve you. But if you are broken, you do not have to stay broken. And if that's anything whether you respect me or not that's one thing you need to know about me is that I care about people. And thank you so much for this. This is for you, thank you.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
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AMAs 2016: Selena Gomez gives emotional speech
'I was absolutely broken inside,' she said
At Sunday’s American Music Awards, Selena Gomez made her first public appearance since taking a career break to focus on her emotional health. After appearing on the red carpet , Gomez was awarded a trophy for Favorite Female Artist — Pop/ Rock and used her acceptance speech to send an emotional message to fans and critics.
“I think it’s safe to say that all of you know my life whether I like it or not,” she said. “I had to stop because I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside. I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down.”
She continued: “I don’t want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what’s in here [holds chest]. I’m not trying to get validation nor do I need it anymore.” Gomez then thanked fans for staying “loyal” to her during her break. “If you are broken, you do not have to stay broken,” she said, near tears.
When Gomez announced her break in August, she told PEOPLE : “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”
She then said she was taking “time off” to be “proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness.” The break followed the release of her 2015 album Revival and subsequent tour .
Read the full transcript of her speech:
“In 2014 this stage was actually the first time that I was authentically, 100 percent honest with all of you. I think it’s safe to say that all of you know my life whether I like it or not. I had to stop because I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside. I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down. I don’t want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what’s in here [holds chest]. I’m not trying to get validation nor do I need it anymore. All I can say from the bottom of my heart is I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love. I have to say thank you so much to my fans because you guys are so damn loyal and I don’t know what I did to deserve you. If you are broken you do not have to stay broken. If that’s anything whether you respect me or not that’s one thing you should know about me. I care about people. Thank you so much for this. This is for you.”
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