News that Selena Gomez fired her mom and step-father as managers broke last Thursday.
The official story was that the move had been in progress for months and that Selena was eventually given the blessing of her parents to spread her wings.
Well, stop the press. Because that reported ‘conscious professional uncoupling’ isn’t looking so accurate today.
According to TMZ , the first time that Selena’s mom and stepdad – Mandy and Brian Teefey – heard they were being fired as managers was when the celebrity gossip site published the scoop.
The site alleges Mandy told them she thought conversations with her elder daughter in March about parting ways were “just talk,” and it was noted that the now former-manager is finding the transition hard to accept.
If this is true, it seems a pretty harsh way for Gomez to let her parents find out the services they provided for a decade — including her Disney tenure — were no longer required. It’s also an uneasy fit with the Selena we’ve all come to view as one of the more sweet-natured stars in Celebrityville.
So what’s going on?
TMZ claims Mandy sat down with Selena on Thursday and asked if she was totally sure she wanted to move on from family management.
The 21-year-old said “yes” and allegedly told her parents she feels she’s outgrown them and wants bigger — presumably more powerful — A-List representation. The site added Mandy says she “respects her daughter’s decision.”
Frankly, moving on and changing management is what stars have done from back in the day to now and that continues. It’s not a big deal.
But it’s the disconnect in the alleged new version of when and how Selena fired her folks that leaves an aftertaste.
E! News previously reported they were told there was no drama about changes at the helm at Chez Gomez-Teefey and said the trio first started talking about parting ways late last year.
‘This has been going on for awhile,’” a source reportedly told the outlet last week. “This didn’t just happen yesterday.”
“It wasn’t about her parents doing something wrong or bad feelings it was more about Selena getting older and being more independent,” the insider explained.
E!’s report added that Gomez’s parents’ alleged disapproval of Selena’s [evidently] resumed relationship with Justin Bieber wasn’t part of the reason they were no longer managers . E! revealed the Teefys weren’t happy about the shake-up at first but, “Everything is fine now” and “They’re all good.”
Who and what to believe?
It’s bizarre enough that Mandy is even talking to TMZ after their less-than-flattering reports about Selena’s January rehab stay, and her unsteady arrival in Miami late Tuesday to visit Justin at the Hit Factory recording studio.
But the site wouldn’t put up a false report that could be so easily and publicly denied.
Of course, it won’t be long before the usual suspects begin making assumptions about Gomez’s April 8 meeting with Bieber and the allegedly-shocking firing of her parents two days later.
It wouldn’t be the first time gossipmongers jumped the shark .
But before anyone gets that particular ball rolling, it’s worth remembering Gomez is making other adult moves in her life — such as the recent buy of a new home in Calabasas, Calif. — which suggests the changes are part of her growing up and wanting to take her career to the next level.
And who knows? Perhaps Selena had longstanding issues with her parents as managers and simply wants them to be Mom and Dad again?
During her We Day conference speech in Calif. last month, she told an audience of kids:
“I’m surrounded by people who are supposed to guide me and some of them have and others haven’t. They pressure me; there’s so much pressure.”
“Until recently, I had given in to that pressure, I lost sight of who I was . I listened to opinions of people and I tried to change who I am because I thought others would accept me for it and I realized I don’t know how to be anything but myself.”
Gomez is currently looking for new record and management deals and is reportedly seeing potentials such as Jeff Kwatinetz, Martin Kirkup, and Katy Perry’s manager Bradford Cobb, among others.
Coming off her hit Stars Dance album which topped the Billboard 200 chart last summer, her possibly-resuming tour – after pulling out of the Australian and Asia legs last December — plus well-received turns in Spring Breakers and buzz for Rudderless, and with her parents reportedly handling movie projects, including the upcoming The Sky Is Everywhere, Selena should be in a strong position to soar in the next stage of her career.
From carefree photos of the starlet at Coachella Festival with Kylie and Kendall Jenner and reports of her watching Bieber’s surprise cameo during Chance The Rapper’s set, it seems Gomez is at ease with recent decisions.
It will be interesting to see where and what she does next, and her parents will likely get used to a new way of relating, at some point .
[ Photo: via Instagram, Selena hangs out with the Jenner gals ].
[ Photo: via Instagram Gomez with more friends at Coachella over the weekend. ]