2020–2023: Rare, Revelación, and Only Murders in the Building
Gomez released her third studio album, Rare, in January 2020. Primarily a dance-pop record, it incorporates elements of R&B and electronic music. Critics responded positively, praising its production and cohesiveness, with several publications describing it as Gomez's best album to date. Jem Aswad of Variety labeled Rare "one of the best pop albums to be released in recent memory". The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 112,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming her third consecutive number-one album in the US. It also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and several territories, and peaked at number two in the UK. Rare was supported by the lead single "Lose You to Love Me", followed by the promotional single "Look at Her Now". "Lose You to Love Me" became Gomez's first number-one song in the US and Canada, and reached the top five on various national charts, including Australia and the UK. The title track and "Boyfriend" were released as additional singles. Later that year, Gomez appeared on the remix of Trevor Daniel's "Past Life", and collaborated with South Korean girl group Blackpink on "Ice Cream", which peaked at number thirteen in the US, and reached the top ten on the Billboard Global 200 and in South Korea.
In film and television, Gomez had a voice role in the adventure film Dolittle (2020). She then hosted and executive produced the HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef, which premiered in August 2020 and was initially filmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series ran for four seasons, and later expanded into additional Food Network spin-offs. Her work across the franchise earned her three nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program. In 2020, she also executive produced two films: the teen comedy-drama This Is the Year, and the romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery; the latter received positive reviews from critics. That year, Gomez was honored by the Latin Recording Academy as one of the Leading Ladies of Entertainment, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Gomez released her first Spanish-language project, an EP titled Revelación, in March 2021. Incorporating reggaeton and latin pop with urbano elements, the project marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of Rare. It debuted atop the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, becoming the first album by a female act to top the chart since Shakira's El Dorado in 2017. The EP received positive reviews, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. It was preceded by the promotional single "De Una Vez", and supported by the singles "Baila Conmigo" with Rauw Alejandro, and "Selfish Love" with DJ Snake. With Revelación and "Baila Conmigo", she became the first female act to top the US Latin Albums and Latin Airplay charts simultaneously in over a decade. In August, Gomez collaborated with Colombian singer Camilo on the single "999".
Gomez starred in and executive produced the mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, portraying Mabel Mora. The series premiered in August 2021 and set a record as Hulu's most-watched comedy premiere day. Ahead of the premiere, Gomez said she felt more in control of her return to television, naming the sophistication of the material as her main reason for joining the series and noting that she appreciated being cast as a character her own age. The series has received critical acclaim since its debut, with critics highlighting the chemistry among the three leads, and Gomez's dry, deadpan delivery. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Gomez is a true co-star in the series and does a superb job of meshing with Martin and Short to form one of the more entertaining albeit unlikely friendship trios in recent memory." For her performance, Gomez won the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and received nominations for the Critics' Choice Award and the Primetime Emmy Award, as well as four Golden Globe Award nominations, all for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The cast won the SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2025. As an executive producer, Gomez has received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Gomez reprised her voice role as Mavis and served as an executive producer for the animated film Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The film was released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2022 to mixed reviews. She collaborated with Coldplay on "Let Somebody Go", released as a single in February. In May, she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. She also executive produced the ViX+ docuseries Mi vecino, el cartel.
In August 2022, Gomez was featured on the remix of Nigerian singer Rema's single "Calm Down". The song became an international hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Global 200 and the Hot 100. It marked Gomez's ninth top-ten entry in the US and her second number-one hit in Canada. In the US, the song topped Billboard's all-genre Radio Songs chart for ten weeks and set a record as the longest-running number-one in the history of the US Afrobeats Songs chart. It also became the longest-charting song both in the top ten and overall on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. Billboard described the track as "Afrobeats' biggest crossover hit." According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the second best-selling song worldwide of 2023. At the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, it received five nominations, winning Top Afrobeats Song, and won Best Afrobeats at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Gomez was the subject of the documentary film Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, directed by Alek Keshishian. It premiered at the AFI Fest in November 2022, and was subsequently released on Apple TV+ and in select theaters. It was met with a positive critical reception upon release, with critics noting its candid approach to mental health. Gomez released the song "My Mind & Me" to coincide with the documentary. In August, she released the standalone single "Single Soon". It reached the top twenty on the Billboard Global 200 and in the US.
