Netizens are divided into two sides in a heated debate about Selena Gomez giving a homeless man a $20 bill. Some criticized the actress for being stingy, while others said she shouldn’t be criticized for doing charity work.
On the evening of October 13 (local time), Selena Gomez was seen leaving the luxury restaurant Nobu Fifty Seven in New York City, USA.

The appearance of the actress born in 1992 immediately attracted the attention of those around her. She friendly took pictures and signed autographs for fans, then gave the beggar a $20 bill and said: “Have a good meal.”

Selena Gomez asked her bodyguard to give a homeless man $20. Source: TMZ/BackGrid.

What Selena Gomez didn’t expect was that this seemingly normal act would spark controversy on social media. Some viewers criticized the former Disney star for being stingy when she only gave a small amount of money to the homeless while owning a net worth of over a billion dollars.

Netizens commented: “You should have given him at least $50. $20 is nothing in New York today, you can’t even buy a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of beer with that amount of money”, “To her, that amount of money is like a coin divided into 100 parts”, “If she gave the man a million dollars, that amount would only be 1% of her total assets. Selena Gomez can afford to use $20 bills instead of toilet paper for the rest of her life”, “$20 is only worth a cup of coffee in New York. That man is still hungry”, “Has a lot of money and only gave $20”…

However, many people have spoken out to defend Justin Bieber’s ex. They argue that Selena did a good deed and did not deserve to be attacked by public opinion.

“For those who haven’t read, she asked her bodyguard for $20. She didn’t have any cash on her, she would have given more,” “Before you write a comment, ask yourself how much money would you give to a homeless person?”, “It was an act of charity . Why is she being criticized? Because she didn’t reach deep into her pocket and take out $2,000? She could have just ignored the man like most people on the street,” “People are too judgmental. She probably uses a credit card like most people in this country,” “Selena’s company is worth over a billion dollars and she doesn’t. She probably only had $20, at least she gave him something,” “A lot of people, most celebrities, walked in. They don’t usually carry cash. She took it from the bodyguard who was with her and that was probably all the cash they had on hand.” Either way, she recognized him and asked someone to give him the money. She did more than most. She could have just walked past and ignored him”… are opinions supporting Selena.

Selena Gomez accidentally created a heated controversy on social networks.

On September 6, Bloomberg reported that Rare Beauty, founded by Selena in September 2020, has a net worth of more than $1.3 billion, putting the singer on the list of world billionaires . Rare Beauty reportedly accounts for about 81% of Selena’s income. In addition, she also has 6.9% of her assets coming from advertising and 4.8% from touring activities.

While a group of anti-fans criticized Selena for being stingy, the beauty has made many large charitable contributions. Notably in 2024, Rare Beauty relaunched Make A Rare Impact – a special fundraising activity to honor World Mental Health Day (October 10). The announcement clearly stated that 100% of Rare Beauty’s sales in Sephora cosmetics stores worldwide will go directly to the fund.

“The fund aims to raise $100 million to expand mental health services for young people around the world. Together, let’s make a difference!”, the announcement said.