American actress and singer, Selena Gomez is in the spotlight after the renowned business media, Forbes, released a report about alleged financial problems at Wondermind, a start-up company engaged in mental health.
Wondermind was founded by Selena and her mother, Mandy Teefey, in 2021 with the mission of raising awareness about the importance of mental health. The company had raised US$5 million in funding and achieved a valuation of up to US$100 million in 2022, but now the startup is said to be in a serious crisis.
Forbes reported that Wondermind had failed to pay its 15 employees several times. Anonymous sources said the company owed about $60,000 to a partner firm, and was still tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding payments to freelance writers.
In fact, it was stated that April's salary has not been paid and employees have not received payment since then. Not only about salaries, health benefits for employees have also reportedly been cut suddenly in the last few months. Selena's mother, Mandy, reportedly told staff that she had to mortgage her house to pay off the company's debts.
However, this claim was denied by another source quoted by People. Wondermind itself claims that the financial crisis has been 'resolved', and payments to the rightful parties will be made as soon as possible. However, this news immediately sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
Many have questioned why a company owned by a celebrity of Selena Gomez's caliber could experience financial problems like this, let alone not paying employees. "She's one of the richest people in America, this is unacceptable," wrote one X user. Another netizen added, "Not paying employees is unjustifiable."
There was also a comment that touched on Selena's wealth, "Hopefully Selena, who is a billionaire, can help employees so they can still feed their families and not lose their homes." Responding to the backlash, a source told People that Selena took action as soon as she learned about the issue.
"Selena has invested millions of dollars over the years into Wondermind to support her mother and their shared mission of championing mental health. When she heard about the latest crisis, she immediately injected additional funds, even though she is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company," the source said.
As a celebrity who is known to be vocal in supporting mental health issues and has a very successful beauty business line, Rare Beauty, this news certainly surprised the public. Moreover, according to the latest Forbes report, Selena's net worth is now estimated at US$700 million, most of which comes from the global sales of Rare Beauty.
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