Francia Raisa and Selena Gomez have surely been through thick and thin together over the years.

Gomez, 31, was famously given a kidney by the “Secret Life of the American Teenager” star, 35, in 2017 when the singer underwent a transplant for her lupus diagnosis.

But the pair’s past rift apparently had “nothing to do with the kidney,” according to Raisa.

“Sometimes, I feel people need to spend time apart in order to grow,” Raisa told Extra TV at Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund Benefit on Wednesday, adding it can be “rocky and tricky” to navigate.

The “How I Met Your Father” actress added: “We had to almost go on our own journey and grow.”

She then noted how she forced herself to “take some time” and “figure out what the hell was going on with me, because I wasn’t OK. I am OK now.”

Raisa admitted that her past has been a hard journey and how the “Only Murders in the Building” star “has been such a huge support through all of that.”

Francia Raisa
The “Secret Life of the American Teenager” star got candid about her relationship between her and longtime pal Selena Gomez on Wednesday.FilmMagic
Raisa met Gomez through “trauma bonding” while volunteering at the Children’s Hospital 16 years ago.

“We started talking, we both had boyfriends at the time, we started kiki-ing,” Raisa recalled. “Around the time that my boyfriend and I broke up.”


The duo became friends 16 years ago and “trauma bonded.”Getty Images
“And [she] and her boyfriend broke up, she called me and was like, ‘I am going through some stuff … I am going through a breakup.’ I was like, ‘Girl, me too,’ and we were just inseparable after that ever since,” she divulged.

Since 2017, rumors of a beef between the “Taki Taki” singer and Raisa have surfaced, with Gomez even referring to Taylor Swift as her “only friend in the industry” during a November 2022 “Rolling Stone” interview.

Francia Raisa
In 2017, Raisa donated her kidney to Gomez amid her lupus diagnosis.AP
Raisa then seemingly shaded Gomez over the comment on social media, writing “Interesting” underneath a screenshot of the quote on E! News’ IG page.

But things have since settled down, with the “Grown-ish” alum telling Extra TV that her relationship with Gomez became stronger after the latter’s 30th birthday last year.

“I am a different person today than I was last year or even when I turned 30. I’m 35 now,” Raisa said on Wednesday. “Even when Selena turned 30, I’m like, ‘It’s different, isn’t it?’ and she was like, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Welcome to your 30s. Now we can get to know each other again.’”

“People grow, relationships change. Obviously, I treat her like my little sister, she treats me like her older sister. I don’t know any relationship that’s perfect,” she added.