Chrissy Teigen Defends Selena Gomez Against ‘Dumbest’ White House Attack Over Crying ICE Video

While-right wing pundits and politicians immediately slammed the actress after the post, leading to a response from Gomez, it was perhaps a little more surprising that the White House itself responded to an actress’ social media post.

After the very public callout, fans and celebrities alike jumped to support Gomez, with Eiza Gonzalez expressing shock the post had even happened.

“What the hell is happening?” she wrote in the comments section of the official White House Instagram post. “How is the White House official page posting this? Are you serious?”

Meanwhile, Chrissy Teigen jumped onto her own Instagram Stories, per The Daily Mail, sharing a People article about the video and commenting, “Having empathy is now something gross and weird.”

“We love you @selenagomez and boy does the White House have a lot of time on their hands for the dumbest s–t ever,” she continued. “You want cheaper eggs? Too bad! Too many people to roast online. Maybe later.”

Another commenter on the White House post called the tagged video “inappropriate and unprofessional,” while still others argued, “The majority of deported immigrants are not criminals, they are honorable and hardworking people who just wanted to give a better quality of life to their family!!!”

“I’m so sorry Selena Gomez for how they’re weaponizing you, this is absolutely disgusting,” commented another user.

In a video shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tagging Gomez, and posted to the White House social media accounts, the mothers of three people allegedly killed by undocumented migrants were used to push back against the actress, as covered by NBC News.

“You don’t know who you’re crying for. What about our children who were brutally murdered, and raped and beat to death and left on the floor by these illegal immigrants?” asked Tammy Nobles in the video, mother of Kathy Hamilton, killed and raped by El Salvadorian national Walter Javier Martinez.

The edited video shared by Leavitt included snippets from Gomez’s original video, posted to her Instagram Stories briefly, interspersed with new commentary from these mothers.

Another voice used was Patty Morin, whose daughter’s death on a trail in 2023 was followed by the arrest in connection with her murder of an other El Salvadorian, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, who police believe fled that nation as authorities there were seeking him in relation to another woman’s death.

Morin called Gomez’s video “a ruse to deceive people and garner sympathy for lawlessness,” while Jocelyn Nungaray, a third mother whose daughter was found dead last summer, said it’s hard to believe anything Gomez says anyway “because she’s an actress.”

“Seeing that video, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually genuine and real because she’s an actress,” said Nungaray. “My daughter was a child. There are many other children whose lives were taken due to people who cross here illegally.”

“It’s only been two weeks, if that, since he’s been in office and he’s taking accountability, and he’s making moves, and he’s making things happen,” said Nungaray of President Trump, while Nobles and Morin said, “You didn’t cry for our daughters.”

Gomez initially triggered this response in her video where she said through tears, “”I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.”

After the short-lived video, which featured the message, “I’m sorry” and a Mexican flag, Gomez was met with an immediately backlash, including from Sam Parker a Republican politican who ran for a Senate seat in Utah in 2018, who flat-out called for her deportation, arguing she “picked illegals over America.”

After deleting her video, Gomez replied, “Oh, Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.” In another post responding to the initial backlash, Gomez wrote, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.”

Gomez has spoken out about the immigration crisis in the past — and her personal connection.

In 2019, while promoting the Netflix docuseries, Living Documented, which she executive producer, the Rare Beauty founder shared her family origin story in an op-ed for TIME magazine.

“In the 1970s, my aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States hidden in the back of a truck,” she wrote in the essay. “My grandparents followed, and my father was born in Texas soon after. In 1992, I was born a U.S. citizen thanks to their bravery and sacrifice. Over the past four decades, members of my family have worked hard to gain United States citizenship.”

“Undocumented immigration is an issue I think about every day,” she continued. “I never forget how blessed I am to have been born in this country thanks to my family and the grace of circumstance. But when I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations. I feel afraid for my country.”

Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, addressed the singer’s video in an appearance on Fox News, claiming ICE is only going after “public security threats and national security threats” to “make our community after.”

“If they don’t like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We’re going to do this operation without apology,” he said. “We’re gonna make our community safer. … It is all for the good of this nation. And we’re gonna keep going. No apologies. We’re moving forward.”

According to CBS News on Saturday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been involved in more than 7,400 arrests and deportations since Trump took office.

The presideny also recently floated the idea of using Guantanamo Bay to hold criminal migrants, with Secretary of Defense Pet Hegseth telling Fox News on Friday the “worst of the worst” criminal migrants would be temporarily housed there.