Francia Raisa is opening up about her kidney donation to her BFF Selena Gomez, once again shutting down rumors she was ‘forced’ to donate it.

The 35-year-old actress donated one of her kidneys to her best friend Gomez, 31, back in 2017, though their once-bright friendship ultimately devolved over the years.

The once-besties were said to be ‘feuding’ at one point before they ultimately reconciled in 2023.

Raisa appeared on The Art of Kindness podcast with Robert Peterpaul, where she was asked what her biggest act of kindness was.

‘Besides donating a kidney, what? It was definitely a personal choice. It was definitely just an act of kindness no matter what the rumors are,’ she said.

Francia Raisa is opening up about her kidney donation to her BFF Selena Gomez , once again shutting down rumors she was ‘forced’ to donate it

The 35-year-old actress donated one of her kidneys to her best friend Gomez, 31, back in 2017, though their once-bright friendship ultimately devolved over the years

‘It was something I just did because I really felt called to do it and I’ve been blessed since. My first audition right after surgery, two weeks, was Grown-Ish, and I booked it,’ Raisa added.

Raisa plays Ana Torres on the Freeform series Grown-Ish, which is wrapping up its run after six seasons, with the back half of the final season currently airing.

‘I put myself in a position where people are interested in my personal life. I wish that wasn’t so crazy as it has been,’ she added.

‘I’ve just been in my own journey ever since and my favorite thing about that is I’ve been able to talk to other potential donors, nobody really knows I do that,’ she said.

She adds that friends will ask her to talk to one of their friends who are thinking of donating and that leads to a two-hour conversation.

When asked what she thinks her ‘definition of kindness’ is, Raisa said, ‘Unconditional grace,’ adding she, ‘just made that up.’

‘We all have trauma, we all go through stuff. I have my bad days. You have your bad days. I’ve learned a lot that when someone projects onto me, it’s not personal, at all, it’s something they’re going through,’ she said.

‘Literally we all offend each other and I’ve just learned not to take it so personal, and if it’s someone that’s just not ready to grow, I just pull myself away. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care about them,’ she said.

‘It was something I just did because I really felt called to do it and I’ve been blessed since. My first audition right after surgery, two weeks, was Grown-Ish, and I booked it,’ Raisa added

‘I put myself in a position where people are interested in my personal life. I wish that wasn’t so crazy as it has been,’ she added

‘I’ve just been in my own journey ever since and my favorite thing about that is I’ve been able to talk to other potential donors, nobody really knows I do that,’ she said.

Raisa and Gomez first met at a charity event in 2007 when Gomez was working for Disney and Raisa was on ABC’s The Secret Live of an American Teenager.

Gomez revealed in 2015 that she was diagnosed with Lupus, with the friends making headlines when Raisa donated her kidney to Gomez.

‘There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis,’ Gomez said at the time.’

The friends reportedly had a rift when Gomez was seen partying and consuming alcohol and Raisa confronted her about her choices.

Tensions also role in 2018 when Gomez said in an interview that her ‘only friend’ in the industry was Taylor Swift, which Raisa commented, ‘Interesting.’

Gomez also failed to mention Raisa as she spoke candidly about her mental and physical health in her Apple TV+ documentary My Mind And Me.

Gomez did show appreciation for Raisa as she candidly discussed the life-saving transplant while appearing on the streamer’s series Dear….

She revealed that the actress took it upon herself to get tested to see if she could be a kidney donor.

‘I’ve just been in my own journey ever since and my favorite thing about that is I’ve been able to talk to other potential donors, nobody really knows I do that,’ she said

Tensions also role in 2018 when Gomez said in an interview that her ‘only friend’ in the industry was Taylor Swift, which Raisa commented, ‘Interesting’

Gomez later referred to Swift again as her ‘best friend,’ though Raisa wouldn’t speak publicly on their friendship after she was asked.

Still, Gomez gave Raisa a birthday shout-out back in July, stating, ‘Happiest of birthdays to this special human beings. No matter where life takes us, I love you. @franciaraisa.’

Raisa would later insist that she has no beef with Gomez, though back in December, she said in an interview that they hadn’t spoken much in recent years.

During a new interview with USA Today, the How I Met Your Father star, 35, shed light on her past ‘tiff’ with the two-time Grammy nominee, 31, and taking some ‘time apart’ from each other to grow.

‘It’s still crazy to me that people were invested in our friendship. … I don’t know why the timing happened the way it did, but I remember being in St. Tropez in June and I kept talking about her,’ the actress told the outlet. ‘We hadn’t spoken much in six years. Especially the last year, we didn’t speak at all.’

After Gomez penned a heartfelt tribute to Raísa on her 35th birthday in July, she  recalls feeling that ‘the universe decided this timing’ to bring them back together.

Ultimately, the Los Angeles native revealed that the Only Murders in the Building star, 31, ‘reached out and said, ‘Let’s talk.”

Over dinner, Raísa said they agreed they had ‘no beef, just salsa.’

Raisa would later insist that she has no beef with Gomez, though back in December, she said in an interview that they hadn’t spoken much in recent years

Raísa added: ‘And obviously, you know, I gave the girl a kidney so everyone felt a certain way’

‘We’ve never really had beef with each other. Nothing happened, and if you ask either of us, we don’t know what happened but we needed that time apart. Then when you come back together, you’re better people. She and I are still getting to know each other again,’ the Bring It On: All or Nothing alum insisted.

Raísa added: ‘And obviously, you know, I gave the girl a kidney so everyone felt a certain way.’

The performer noted that ‘for years and years and years’ that she’s been asked if she regretted donating her kidney to Gomez, who suffers from lupus.

‘No, the relationship has always been there,’ stated of her decision to be a living organ donor. ‘There was just a tiff.’