Eugenio Derbez Apologizes to Selena Gomez for His Comments About Her Spanish in ‘Emilia Pérez’

Eugenio Derbez has apologized to Selena Gomez for his comments on Selena Gomez’s performance in Emilia Pérez, saying his “careless comments … go against everything I stand for.”

During a recent appearance on the podcast Hablando de Cine, the CODA actor criticized Gomez’s Spanish in the film, calling it “indefensible.” Gomez, who is not fluent in Spanish, speaks and sings the language as her character Jessi del Monte in the film.

“Selena is indefensible,” Derbez told the podcast host Gaby Meza, as a clip on TikTok shows. “I was there [watching the film] with people, and every time a scene came [featuring Gomez], we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?’”

Meza, who called Gomez a “very talented actress” and “very good singer,” added that “Spanish is neither her primary nor secondary language nor fifth. And that’s why I feel she doesn’t know what she is saying, and if she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance. … And that is why her performance is not only unconvincing but uncomfortable.” Derbez agreed with that assessment.

Gomez responded in the TikTok comments, writing, “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given,” she wrote. “Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”

Derbez followed Gomez’s response with an apology, which he posted in a letter on TikTok. “I truly apologize for my careless comments — they are indefensible and go against everything I stand for,” Derbez wrote. “As Latinos, we should always support one another. There’s no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart.” He added that the film deserves to be celebrated and “not diminished by my thoughtless remarks.”

The Jacques Audiard-directed Emilia Pérez tells a tale of Mexican drug wars and LGBTQ+ liberation and features Gomez, Zoe Saldana, and Karla Sofía Gascón singing in Spanish and dancing in the musical cartel-gangster film.