Francia Raísa and Selena Gomez are getting to know each other all over again.
While speaking about her new salsa created in partnership with La Victoria, the actor opened up about a rocky period in her longtime friendship with Gomez — and how salsa played a part in bringing them back together.
The two originally met at a children's hospital charity event at the time that Raísa was starring in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on what was then ABC Family, while Gomez was front and center on Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place," she recently told Extra.
Raísa tells TODAY.com that they "trauma-bonded" over breakups and became fast friends.
The two became connected for life in 2017, when Raísa donated her kidney to Gomez as the singer faced organ damage as the result of lupus. Not long after, fans speculated the two had fallen out based on their social media activity.
Below, find out what Raisa has to say about their rumored feud, where she and Gomez stand now and how salsa plays a part in it all.
Why Gomez and Raísa stopped talking, and why they started again
Raísa confirms to TODAY.com that she and Gomez grew apart, but not because of the kidney transplant, as some fans speculated.
Instead, Raísa says, their separation had to do with Gomez's 2022 documentary, "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me."
“We didn’t talk for a year after that whole situation with her documentary happened," she says.
In the Apple TV+ documentary, Gomez details the toll of fame, her health journey and bipolar disorder diagnosis, among other topics. Gomez doesn't mention Raísa in the film. Around the same time, the "Only Murders in the Building" star gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which she said her "only friend in the industry" was Taylor Swift.
"I’ll be honest, we didn’t speak for a year. I just was like, ‘I need my space,’” Raísa says.
They started talking again this July, she says. Still, Raísa says she was "really surprised" to see that Gomez posted in honor of her birthday on July 26.
"Happiest of birthdays to this special human being. No matter where life takes us, I love you," Gomez wrote.
Just a few days later, Raísa says paparazzi followed her with increased fervor and caught up with her after a hot yoga class. That's when Raísa said three words about their friendship status: "There's no beef."
Though Raísa says she immediately regretted her choice of words, she and Gomez reclaimed the catchphrase during a pivotal dinner in August.
"I told her everything," she says, adding that Gomez was unaware of the online gossip. "I was like, 'Girl, I don’t know who started that rumor that you ended up in rehab because I got mad or whatever.' And she goes, 'That’s a rumor?' I said, 'Oh, let me tell you about the last six years of my life.'"
Raísa continues, "So there was just a lot of misunderstanding even with the whole documentary — we hashed all that out."
The "How I Met Your Father" actor also told Gomez she had a new salsa coming out. Raísa says Gomez responded, "That's the most you thing I've ever heard. I love your cooking. I miss your tacos."
The pair eventually took a photo from their night out with the caption, "No beef, just salsa."
They doubled down on the catchphrase in October, taking a picture in shirts with the same words.
What 'no beef, just salsa' means
Raísa says the catchphrase "just makes sense" for their friendship, nodding at how food and their shared Mexican heritage first brought them together, and later helped them bridge a difficult period. Raísa is Mexican Honduran American.
"I used to bring her to my mom’s restaurant. I used to cook all the time. I made all this stuff and she requests it all the time," Raísa says. "So I’m really grateful that that this in particular is what brought my friendship back together."
"Obviously food is just a universal language. Whenever you have beef with someone, what do you guys do when you’re trying to hash it out? You go eat," she continues. "So let’s share some salsa."
Speaking at dinner, Raísa says she and Gomez concluded that maturity and space to grow can help heal a friendship.
"I was like, 'Listen, you’re in your 30s now, and I’ve been in my 30s for a hot minute,'" Raísa recalls saying. "I said, 'It’s different, isn’t it?' She goes, 'It’s really different.' I said, 'So we’re gonna get to know each other again. Nice to meet you, this is a 35-year-old version of me. We’re not 22 anymore.'"
Raísa says distance has given her a chance to focus on herself and her career, which was "good" for her.
"It was nothing personal on my end. I know it wasn’t anything personal on her end," she says. "I think it just needed to happen."
The making of a salsa brand
Raísa's salsa, which carries the slogan "a little taste of home," is a family recipe passed down from generations.
"I have been busting my butt for 18 years. Who knew that embracing my Mexican culture being raised in LA would be the thing that like I would take the most pride in?" she says.
Initially only making her spicy creation for friends and family, she says her fellow stars like Hilary Duff, Jimmy Kimmel and Michael Strahan encouraged her to package and sell it. But it wasn't until she got Guy Fieri's stamp of approval that she made the leap.
"He looked at me and said, 'If you don't jar this, you're crazy,'" Raísa says of Fieri's response to her salsa. "He also used the word 'flavortown' with my salsa, I just have to say."
