Selena Gomez Hosts Inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit, Calling Mental Health Fund “The Most Important Thing That I’ve Ever Done”

Selena Gomez continued her commitment to mental health awareness Wednesday, hosting the inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit: A Night of Radiance & Reflection in Los Angeles. The event supported the Rare Impact Fund’s mission to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and expand access to mental health services and education for young people around the world.

“I’ve always wanted to do one but I thought we were too young to maybe do it,” Gomez, who launched the fund in 2020, told The Hollywood Reporter of throwing the benefit. “We’re in a good place and I guess why not now? We’re stoked to be able to do this, it’s going to a great cause and I just couldn’t be luckier.”

Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short served as emcee for the evening, which also featured a special performance from H.E.R. and a DJ set by Marshmello.

Inside the event, Gomez took the stage and admitted the event was very overwhelming for her (“to be honest, I threw up this morning”), as she told the crowd, “This has been the culmination of a lifelong dream for me, but it has also stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life.”

“I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. In 2020 I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and to be honest, everything quickly changed. I actually got the knowledge and the answers I had been desperate for for so long, and understanding that obviously makes me become more aware of it, and I’m less afraid than I used to be,” she continued. “With that knowledge I could seek out the support I needed, to be myself, to find my joy again, and tonight I’m very proud to say that I have. I’m working really hard every day and I’m so happy just to be alive and be here with you guys today.”

Gomez noted that if she, a person with resources, struggled for so long, what does that mean for those who don’t have access to the same support. The Rare Impact Fund has a goal of raising $100 million over the course of 10 years to provide those resources, which the star said “probably sounds really absurd, but I think it’s possible and I think I can do it. When I look at my little sister Gracie, the world that she and her generation inherits must be a better one — a kinder one, a clearer one, a more connected one, with support and access.”

“It has been my ultimate dream to launch this fund and it’s probably the most important thing that I’ve ever done, and I just couldn’t be more proud of the Rare Impact team for the work that they’re doing,” Gomez said, finishing off her speech by thanking the crowd for “everything you’re going to do tonight; it’s the hardest journey I’ve ever been on but by far the most rewarding.”

For his portion, Short unleashed a nonstop monologue of jokes, frequently teasing both Gomez and their missing third OMITB co-star Steve Martin.

“I am proud to call Selena Gomez my friend, and not because she’s successful or rich; because she’s both,” Short teased at one point, before remarking seriously, “What makes tonight very important is we’re here to support youth mental health awareness. I don’t think there’s anyone in this room that hasn’t been touched by mental health and its issues and the pain it can bring a family. We are here to raise urgent funds for the young people who need them.”

Short also led the evening’s auction, which included items like a glam session with Gomez’s stylists, a movie night with Paul Rudd, lunch with Camila Cabello and the biggest ticket item of the event, Taylor Swift concert tickets (which eventually sold for $15,000).

Guests at the event also included Taylor Lautner, Tyga, Sofia Carson and longtime friend Francia Raisa, who spoke about the impact she’s seen Gomez have after being open with her own struggles.

“She’s a brown woman and there’s such a stigma within Latinx households about mental health and seeking help, and she has such a big platform and such a big voice, so if this could help a little girl talk to her parent about mental health and they can hear that Selena Gomez is advocating for it, then it’s worth it,” Raisa said. “I want to be here and be a part of that as a first-generation American who also advocates for mental health.”