Karla Sofía Gascón has addressed the backlash surrounding a resurfaced 2022 social media post in which she referred to her Emilia Pérez co-star Selena Gomez as a “rich rat.” In a lengthy Instagram post on 1 February, the 52-year-old actress defended her remarks, insisting they were taken out of context, while also apologising for past social media posts that contained Islamophobic, anti-Black, and other offensive statements.
Reflecting on her personal growth, Gascón acknowledged her past missteps and admitted that her way of expressing herself has often been flawed. “I have many things to learn in this world, and my way of learning is my biggest defect,” she wrote, adding, “Life has taught me something I never wanted to learn: no matter how much my message is my message, if I don’t use the right words, it can be distorted into something else.”
Alongside her apology, Gascón shared an image of the Nichiren Buddhist symbol, citing her faith as a guiding force in her transformation. “As with Emilia Pérez: We can all do better. Me too,” she wrote, reiterating her commitment to personal growth.
Addressing her viral 2022 tweet about Gomez, which resurfaced amid her rising fame, Gascón claimed her words were misrepresented. She originally made the comment while weighing in on Gomez’s rumoured feud with Hailey Bieber, but after the tweet was widely shared, she faced heavy criticism. “They have created posts as if I was insulting even my own colleagues,” she explained, adding, “Things that I wrote to glorify were made to look like criticisms, jokes were taken as reality, and words—without context—were twisted into hate.”
Gascón, who has previously been accused of making controversial remarks about George Floyd, the 2021 Academy Awards, and Muslim communities in Spain, stressed that she is not a racist. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am not racist,” she wrote, insisting that she has always fought for a more just society. “I will never support wars, religious extremism, or the oppression of races and peoples.”
She concluded her statement with a quote from her mother, who had once told her: “I don’t care whether you win anything, I just care that you’re okay and that no one harms you.” In response, Gascón wrote, “Mother, this life has put me here to send a message of hope and love to this world, and I will do it.”
The controversy surrounding Gascón’s past comments gained renewed attention after journalist Sarah Hagi highlighted several of her previous posts, including one in which she referred to the Oscars as an “Afro-Korean festival.” While Gascón has attempted to explain her words and issue an apology, the internet remains divided on whether her statements were truly misunderstood—or if they reflect deeper biases.