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Selena Gomez says vaping has affected her voice

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Cite

Savage, M. (2026, October 19). Selena Gomez says vaping has affected her voice. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxly435ym787o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-10-19 · by Mark Savage

Quick Summary

Selena Gomez disclosed on Instagram that vaping nicotine has affected her voice, describing it as "not worth it" and noting its difficulty to quit. At age 34, she acknowledged her recent efforts to stop vaping but expressed concern about the lasting impact on her vocal cords. While some attribute changes in her voice to lupus flare-ups or aging, Gomez specifically attributed vocal strain to nicotine use.
Written by AI on 2026-10-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Selena Gomez, 34, has revealed on Instagram that years of vaping nicotine have permanently changed her voice. In a candid video posted on October 18, 2026, she stated, "I vaped nicotine a lot and nicotine is so hard to quit." She warned others considering vaping that it's not worth it and acknowledged that fans who don't like her new voice can understand their reaction. Gomez also shared that she recently quit vaping but acknowledges the difficulty in maintaining abstinence. Her vocal change has been linked to both vaping and her lupus condition, which causes inflammation affecting various parts of the body, including the throat.

Written for “Selena Gomez And Vaping Effects” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Selena Gomez And Vaping Effects
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This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 64/100
NBC News
Hedges 4 of 46 claims Outlet record 78/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
36
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
2 of 36 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 5059 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Mark Savage
16 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 - Published Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her show-stopping second album This Music May Contain Hope.
🔮 I could've had a stroke."
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🔮 The announcements came hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza, and stressed he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.
Also by Mark Savage
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

Billboard Instagram NHS YouTube external

Subjects

Gomez PERSON · 3× Instagram ORG · 3× Selena Gomez PERSON · 2× external ORG · 2× Billboard ORG · 1× Francia PERSON · 1× Francia Raisa PERSON · 1× Lola Young PERSON · 1× NHS ORG · 1× YouTube ORG · 1×

Narrative

In 2017, Gomez received a kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa, which helped move her lupus into remission for a period of time - although in her 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me, the singer said she had had a flare-up in 2020.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 I could've had a stroke."
2026-10-19 · BBC News
Selena Gomez says vaping has affected her voice · assertive framing

Claims (36 extracted, 2 hedged)

- Published Selena Gomez has said vaping nicotine has changed the way her voice sounds. asserted
voice → publish → way
"I'm not gonna be able to change my voice," the singer, 34, said in a candid Instagram post, external on Sunday. asserted
singer → go → Sunday
"I vaped nicotine a lot." asserted
I → vape → nicotine
"Nicotine is so hard to quit and I just wanted to say, if you're going through it, or if you're even trying to vape, it's just not worth it," she continued. asserted
she → quit → it
"It's so stupid and it changed my voice," she reiterated, then laughed: "So if you guys don't like listening to my voice, that's totally understandable. asserted
that → change → voice
I don't mind. asserted
I → mind → ?
The singer and actress, who has the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, has previously suggested that the condition was affecting her vocal cords. uncertain
condition → have → cords
Asked about her voice in an Instagram Q&A last December,, external she said: "Sometimes things happen. asserted
things → ask → Q&A
I get weird. asserted
I → get → ?
My throat kind of swells inside sometimes. asserted
throat → swell → ?
" Lupus flare-ups can cause inflammation around the larynx (voice box), which can cause your voice to become raspy and strained - similar to the symptoms of a cold. asserted
voice → cause → cold
Gomez's voice has also deepened with age, which is not uncommon. asserted
which → deepen → age
However, some fans have fixated on the change, posting compilation videos showing the evolution of her speaking style, external on YouTube. asserted
fans → fixate → YouTube
In her Instagram video, the Only Murders In The Building star noted she had recently weaned herself off nicotine. asserted
she → note → nicotine
"I am really excited because I stopped and I just hope I can keep it up," she said. asserted
she → stop → it
"It's really hard, but I know if you are going through something you can get through it too. asserted
you → know → it
It sucks." asserted
It → suck → ?
Evidence on some of the side effects of vaping are becoming a little clearer, although the long-term effects are still not known. asserted
effects → become → vaping
A recent report from doctors said vaping was linked to breathing problems, wheezing and coughing, dental issues, poor sleep, mental health problems and even eye symptoms. asserted
vaping → say → problems
Vaping isn't harmless - the nicotine in vapes is very addictive - which is why the NHS says children and non-smokers shouldn't take it up. asserted
children → say → it
But it has been shown to be an effective way to stop smoking. asserted
it → show → smoking
Last month, the pop singer Lola Young said her "breathing feels like a chore" due to the effects of vaping. asserted
breathing → say → vaping
Gomez first revealed her lupus diagnosis in a 2015 interview with Billboard. asserted
Gomez → reveal → Billboard
The announcement came after she abruptly ended her 2013 tour to check herself into a rehab facility for treatment. asserted
she → come → treatment
"I was diagnosed with lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy," she told the publication. asserted
she → diagnose → publication
"I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again. asserted
I → lock → myself
I could've had a stroke." uncertain
I → have → stroke
Symptoms of lupus include muscle and joint pain, fever, rashes, chest pain, hair loss, kidney problems, fatigue and more. asserted
Symptoms → include → pain
In 2017, Gomez received a kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa, which helped move her lupus into remission for a period of time - although in her 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me, the singer said she had had a flare-up in 2020. asserted
she → receive → 2020
Fans question nicotine use asserted
Fans → question → use
However, after revealing her vaping habit, some people questioned her nicotine use, given the potential negative effect on her kidneys. asserted
people → reveal → kidneys
"Francia really gave this girl her kidney and she continued to smoke... oh wow," wrote one user on social media. asserted
user → give → media
"To have someone generous enough to donate their kidney but still vape yourself into a nicotine addiction is absolutely wild," added another, external. asserted
another → donate → addiction
But most fans supported the star for being open about addiction. asserted
fans → support → addiction
"Selena Gomez being honest about nicotine addiction is a reminder that some habits are harder to quit than people realise," wrote MaxB on X, external. asserted
MaxB → quit → X
"Proud of her for owning up to it and for wanting to do better," agreed Em. asserted
Em → own → it
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