Aurora Starchild
Kylie Jenner ruled the Instagram world as the most-followed woman for over a year. When she hit her 300 million followers in January 2022, her social media success went even more viral than it already was. But alas, she’s been dethroned. On her heels at the time were Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez. Who is now the most followed woman on Instagram?
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Selena Gomez Is the Most Followed on Instagram for the Second Time
Some people’s popularity rises and falls. With others, it just takes a little rest. In Selena Gomez’s case, it was the latter. The singer and actress had the previous record as the most-followed woman on the social media platform in 2016, at the peak of her rise to fame. But she officially stepped away from social media that same year, saying it was to take care of her mental health. Being that popular can come with a price.
“As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out,” the star later told Vogue. “It had become so consuming to me. I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about. I always end up feeling like sh*t when I look at Instagram.”
Gomez Took a Years-Long Break From Social Media
For Selena Gomez, stepping away was the only cure for that addiction.
“I woke up one morning and looked at Instagram, like every other person, and I was done. I was tired of reading horrible things… After that decision, it was instant freedom. My life in front of me was my life, and I was present, and I could not have been more happy about it.”
Gomez’s account did continue to post about her, but she had someone else do it for her. She’d send her photos of choice to her assistant to post on her behalf while she stayed completely away.
After a 7-year hiatus, Selena Gomez decided to return. But this time, it’s a little different. On January 10, 2023, she posted a selfie with the caption, “Wait can you tell I’m back on Instagram ?” The caption was alluding to ongoing rumors, which she has repeatedly shot down, that she’s been here the whole time. Following the initial tease, Gomez has continued to post, but it’s usually with other people instead of a series of glam shots.
“Me,” Gomez captioned on a photo carousel published February 1, 2023. You wouldn’t know she’s a superstar. She’s without makeup, wearing sweatshirts, and just acting like a “normal” person. Since then, most her posts have been refreshingly similar. She’s unafraid to look and be exhausted, talk about imperfections, and show her vulnerable side. In one photo, Gomez says that she deleted it years ago because she thought it was “too much.” In reposting it, she also gave some insight into her mental state at the time.
Selena Gomez Currently Has Over 386 Million Instagram Followers. That’s 7 Million More Than Kylie Jenner.
For fans of Selena Gomez, seeing their beloved star return in the flesh was enough to set her Instagram follower count skyrocketing. On February 23, her follower count was 381,403, 835. She was officially the queen of the gram once again, surpassing Kylie Jenner by over 1 million. As of February 26, Gomez has 386 million followers. The number is sure to keep rising as word gets out that she’s back on Instagram.
It should be noted that Selena Gomez has been using TikTok for a little bit, too. She has almost 50 million followers on the platform. Her posts are a little more personal than typical Instagram posts, which TikTok is known for. But since her return to Instagram, there may be another hiatus — from TikTok. The reason why is that fans of Kylie Jenner and Selena Gomez created an imaginary feud and Gomez simply doesn’t like the drama. For the record, Jenner has 52.5 million TikTok followers — just a bit more than Gomez.
Gomez Might Take Another Break If People Keep Making Drama
Selena Gomez had just posted about one her products from Rare Beauty. Then fans of hers began claiming that Jenner had thrown shade at Gomez over her makeup line, and possibly because of her popularity. But Gomez will have none of it.
“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,” Selena Gomez said in a live video. “But I love you guys so much, and I’ll see you guys sooner than later. I’m just going to take a break from everything.”
It’s not clear if the Instagram queen is actually planning on taking a full-blown break. As of now, she’s still present. And surely, to step away so suddenly would sadden many of her fans who have finally settled into being able to see her again. So don’t ruin this, you guys! Be nice to each other, please.
