Celebrity worship culture has been around for as long as anyone can remember in the world of entertainment. We have all seen fans who become completely obsessed with a celebrity, whether it is in person or through our rectangles. They will defend their idols no matter what, celebrate every little win like it is their own, and cry over their losses. But sometimes, that fan obsession takes a dark turn—especially when it turns into a nightmare for others brave enough to criticize those very beloved stars. That is exactly what happened to Eugenio Derbez.

Derbez, Mexican actor and comedian, dared to speak up about Selena Gomez’s performance in Emilia Pérez. Little did he know that this would put his career in serious jeopardy—something one of his close friends recently reflected on.

A close friend of Eugenio Derbez told TVNotas, as reported by Metro World News, that he is now fearful for the future of his Hollywood career after taking the massive flak from Selena Gomez’s fans. “He is anxious about his future work,” the friend added. Derbez had already announced plans to take a break and focus on his family, but after all that has happened with Gomez's fanbase, he is not sure what to do next. While Derbez is not a huge star in Hollywood yet, he has been working hard to carve out a place for himself—and he’s getting there.

With this controversy, however, Derbez fears being blacklisted and losing everything he has worked for. The friend even suggested a way out for The Book of Life star. “The best thing would be to get away for a while and let people forget about the scandal,” the source said. That has become the go-to fix for just about every Hollywood scandal these days—and it usually works. It might just work for Derbez as well, especially since he has already waved the white flag.

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Derbez has issued an apology to Gomez after the singer-actress clapped back at his criticism.

This whole mess started after Selena Gomez, who is not fluent in Spanish, took on the challenge of speaking the language in Emilia Pérez, a role that is now putting her in the Oscar conversation as well. Following Eugenio Derbez's comments, Gomez commented on a social media post, according to Deadline, that the Mexican star's opinion “doesn't take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie”.

That led the comedian to quickly issue an apology. Derbez wrote in a letter posted on TikTok, “I truly apologize for my careless comments.” He added, “They are indefensible,” which was the same word he used to describe Gomez’s performance in the Netflix film. However, it is still unclear just how much this controversy will affect Derbez’s career, but time will tell. 

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What do you think about Eugenio Derbez's friend's statement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!