Selena Gomez has officially become the most-followed woman on Instagram, replacing Kylie Jenner, who previously held the top spot.
Gomez has amassed an impressive 382 million followers, while Jenner has roughly 380 million at the time of writing Friday. This puts Gomez in the fourth overall spot, behind soccer greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and, of course, Instagram’s own official account.
Gomez declared Thursday she is stepping back from social media. “I’m gonna be taking a second from social media ’cause this is a little silly, and I’m 30, I’m too old for this,” she said during a TikTok Live video.
Selena Gomez has officially become the most followed woman on Instagram once again, surpassing Kylie Jenner. pic.twitter.com/ydJe7W9Jur
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 22, 2023
Gomez addressed her fans and said a few goodbyes before departing the platform.
“But I love you guys so much, and I will see you guys sooner than later,” she said, giving fans the hope that this is a temporary departure from social media.
“I just want to take a break from everything,” Gomez added.
The famous singer and actress kept her accounts live, rather than deactivating them entirely, but she has not posted or shared any interactions on social media since Thursday. (RELATED: Kylie Jenner Becomes First Woman To Have 300 Million Followers On Instagram)
Gomez previously spoke about the distance she has tried to create between herself and the online world.
“People can call me ugly or stupid and I’m like, ‘Whatever.’ But these people get detailed,” she told Vanity Fair in an interview published Feb. 15.
“They write paragraphs that are so specific and mean. I would constantly be crying. I constantly had anxiety…I couldn’t do it anymore. It was a waste of my time,” she added.
Gomez admitted there are perks and pleasant exchanges on social media, but that she is seemingly constantly dragged down by the negative aspects, which make things more difficult.
“There are wonderful things about social media—connecting with fans, seeing how happy and excited they are and their stories. But usually that’s filtered through [for me now]. I created a system. Everything I do I send to my assistant who posts them,” Gomez told Vanity Fair.