Selena Gomez hosted her third annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit on Wednesday night, where mental health was top of mind.
The L.A. event supported Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund, which she founded in 2020 with a mission to mobilize $100 million for organizations increasing global access to youth mental health services and education. Jimmy Kimmel served as host for the evening along with performances from Laufey and The Marías, as Gomez kicked things off by admitting that despite publicly talking about mental health for years (her own included), “all of this, believe it or not, is still a weird and hard topic. Tonight is about proving that progress is possible.”
She told the crowd at Nya Studios West how “nothing has made me prouder than what I’ve been able to do with this fund” and spoke to its importance, as “we’re living in a world where pressure, especially on young people, has never been greater. From social media bullying to suicide, mental health isn’t a side issue, though some people may feel that way. It’s the foundation of everything — creativity, connection, learning, safety, hope and when young people reach out for help, they need to know that help exists.”
The social media component in particular is something Gomez is very familiar with, as one of the world’s most followed people on Instagram whose every post garners a headline. When it comes to social and mental health, Gomez told The Hollywood Reporter, “I think it’s so important to take breaks. I think it’s so crucial for people to even just try it for a day, even if it’s an hour and it’s so hard for you to do. There’s a whole world in front of you — I know that it feels like it’s everywhere and it’s so big and great on the phone, but there’s so much more that we can be.”
Back inside the gala, Gomez brought Kimmel to the stage by referencing the recent suspension (and quick return) of his late night show, saying, “He’s important to all of us right now in this room and in what we can often feel like [are] isolating and uncertain times, this person has shown us the importance of conviction as well as compassion. He reminds us all of the freedoms we often take for granted and the joy that we work so hard to protect.”
Kimmel joked that “I’m excited to be here; honestly, after the month I’ve had, I’m excited to be anywhere” to big cheers from the crowd, as he continued, “I was this close to starting an OnlyFans. We have a very special event for you tonight filled with moving stories from amazing organizations that our president wants to defund.”
He celebrated the Rare Impact Fund for raising over $20 million for 30 nonprofit organizations since it’s founding, reaching more than 2 million young people in the process. “This room is filled with some of the top nonprofit leaders, entertainers, executives and philanthropists that I would be honored to one day share a cell with in El Salvador,” Kimmel teased, adding that when it came to the night’s fundraising, “if you forgot to get Selena and Benny [Blanco] a wedding gift, [this is] a great way to make up for it.”
The benefit raised over $600,000 in commitments on site, with guests including Blanco, Lil Dicky, Jay Shetty and Jake Shane.
