Oh, no. This is seriously troubling!
Back in 2022, Selena Gomez and her mom, Mandy Teefey, launched their mental health company Wondermind (along with another partner who has since left amid alleged problems with Mandy). Having both dealt with mental health challenges in their own lives, they wanted to create an educational and entertainment platform for folks to seek help. It sounded super promising — until they soon ran into a major financial crisis. Mandy allegedly couldn’t pay staff and allegedly said she needed to take out a loan on her home to keep the company afloat… despite the Rare Beauty founder’s insane net worth.
Sadly, it sounds like this drama was just the tip of the iceberg. In a shocking new exposé from The Cut out on Wednesday, employees accused the former momager of having a serious drug problem!
Related: Selena Shares Hilarious Way She Became BFFs With Taylor Swift!
Workers accused Mandy of often acting erratically, including having angry outbursts, even disappearing for weeks at a time. They alleged she’d sleep in her office, which had two couches, and go days without changing or bathing (since there was no shower in the office). Her 12-year-old daughter Gracie would even come over for sleepovers at the office, which understandably worried employees.
Staff say she treated her office like a “refuge” — binging shows like Schitt’s Creek for hours during the work day, getting constant food delivery as boxes piled up with flies, and accumulating packages from luxury brands, almost filling up a nearby room.
Another claimed her office was her “drug den,” as one staff member alleged she saw her snort what was believed to be a line of Ritalin, a stimulant primarily used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy! Others said she often seemed intoxicated and would frequently get vitamin IV drips, including by a nurse who would come at the end of the day “missing some teeth and a little bit erratic.” Folks claimed they overheard Mandy and the nurse discuss the fact she was receiving liquid Benadryl, typically used to treat severe allergic reactions. Mandy told staff she needed it for allergies and after experiencing severe COVID and double pneumonia in late 2021. But after the injections, she’d reportedly speak slowly and act drowsy.
In high doses, the med can cause hallucinations and delirium, which is exactly what some think happened years ago! Staff claimed in September 2023, Mandy sent out a disturbing series of texts riddled with typos, alleging someone was breaking into the office and had spoken to her through the Ring camera. Staff were freaked, but couldn’t find evidence of an intruder on the security camera. Someone who lived nearby even showed up to the office, and police were already there, but Mandy told him to go home without explanation. Police never found evidence of unusual behavior. The next morning, Mandy made no mention of the concerning incident. Yikes.
Mandy has been candid about struggling with mental health throughout her life and even turning to alcohol as a way of “self-medicating” when Selena was a kid. During her pregnancy, she experienced mood swings and was later diagnosed with manic episodes. Per the outlet, she said she was prescribed Ritalin for bipolar disorder, but no longer takes the medication after her doctors determined in 2017 that she was not bipolar but had ADHD and PTSD.
Fans will recall that the mother and daughter were estranged for several years in the 2010s — and Selly even fired her mom and stepdad as managers during this time. But Selena and Mandy reconciled in 2019 and had seemed to be really close as they launched this company. Now, though? Staff say it’s a tense dynamic!
First, one blamed the Only Murders in the Building star for not stepping in and taking action amid her momma’s alleged addiction issues:
“I will say this with the utmost certainty — no doubt, hesitation in my mind. Selena knew her mother was not well enough to be running that company.”
Oof.
Another recalled their interactions in the office, often only behind closed doors, saying:
“I can tell there’s distance between the two of them, a lot of hurt. They don’t interact like a typical mother and daughter. They interact like two women who put up with each other, not even two co-workers. The air was, like, cold between them.”
Workers claimed the Disney Channel alum seemed disinterested in the business, with one calling it just “a way for Selena to keep Mandy out of her orbit.” Jeez! Meanwhile, others accused Mandy of turning down business opportunities with companies that wanted Selena’s involvement and getting offended by being viewed as only her mother. Hmm.
Some even claim Benny Blanco‘s wife-to-be knew her mother was sleeping at the office since she arrived on mornings after several times. One individual recalled a time the actress found her mom on the couch under blankets, her hair a mess, and wearing a sweat suit she’d had on for days. The staffer recalled Selena saying:
“How long have you been here? … Have you gone home?”
Despite being aware, another employee claimed the Who Says singer didn’t do enough to help:
“If I had seen my mom in that state, I would have intervened. I would say, ‘This isn’t right.’”
While that staff member thinks Mandy is “culpable” for the downfall of the brand, the staffer insists, “but Selena, in my opinion, is just as culpable.” Meanwhile, someone on the LA team has compassion for the musician. After getting harshly criticized by Mandy, they reflected:
“I was like, Wow, if she’s talking to me like this, what does she say to her own daughter?”
Another employee declared:
“There will always be people who are dangerously unstable. What’s worse is somebody like Selena who sees it firsthand and doesn’t do anything.”
Whoa. This is very sad. Addiction and mental health struggles can be so difficult to navigate.
Mandy’s Response
As expected, the 13 Reasons Why producer is speaking out! She denied the allegations in a statement to The Cut, insisting she only slept in the office occasionally, “when I was doing everything on my own,” because she’s not supposed to drive at night due to her seizures. She insists her daughter only slept over once. As for the TV, she dished:
“I always have something playing in the background. It’s part of my ADHD — that helps me focus.”
She denied the place being messy with food or packages and said she uses whatever nurse was sent for her services. She did not address the kind of medication she takes through the IV. But she vehemently denied allegations of snorting Ritalin in the office, saying, “Absolutely not.”
She went on to blast those speaking out, calling them nothing but “disgruntled employees”:
“I started Wondermind because I wanted to help people with mental illness. It’s unfortunate that a few disgruntled employees with an ax to grind can spread lies about me and distort the truth. Even more disappointing that the media is willing to amplify their lies.”
Discussing what life was like during Selena’s younger years, she candidly explained:
“We had a very close relationship. But I was living with a little bit of fear and uncertainty, and also not knowing where my mental health was. It was always just, like, everything was happening — life was happening — while I was trying to plan for life to happen.”
She also credited Selena for saving her life:
“I would have gone down a completely rougher path and might not even be here today. She saved my life.”
Selena has not commented on the report at this time. Sounds like this start-up has been an uphill battle. We sincerely hope Mandy is really okay…
Thoughts??
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
For resources on mental health, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.
[Image via Glamour/YouTube & Selena Gomez/Instagram]
