Does ‘13 Reasons Why’ Glamorize Suicide? EP Selena Gomez Slams Rumors

“13 Reasons Why” executive producer Selena Gomez recently slammed the rumors saying the Netflix series is glamorizing teen suicide.

While speaking with E! News, Gomez explained the reason why she decided to be involved in the project, as well as why she felt it was necessary to show how Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) took her own life. “I just wanted it to come across in a way that kids would be frightened, but confused – in a way that they would talk about it because it’s something that’s happening all the time,” she said.

Read: Ross Butler leaves “Riverdale” to return to “13 Reasons Why” as Zach

The TV adaptation was based on the book written by Jay Asher in 2007. It followed the life of a teenager named Hannah, who revealed to some of her schoolmates the real reason why she committed suicide. Hannah recorded 13 different tapes detailing each of the characters’ contribution to her suicide. The 13-episode series also tackled rape, bullying, drug and alcohol addition, physical assault, body shaming and more.

Talking about the success of “13 Reasons Why,” Gomez said that she believes it worked because they stayed very true to the popular young adult fiction. “We stayed very true to the book and that’s initially what Jay Asher created was a beautifully tragic, complicated yet suspenseful story and I think that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to do it justice and, yeah, the backlash is gonna come no matter what. It’s not an easy subject to talk about, but I’m very fortunate with how it’s doing,” she said.

“13 Reasons Why” writer Nic Sheff also defended their decision to show Hannah’s suicide the way that they did in the series. “It overwhelmingly seems to me that the most irresponsible thing we could’ve done would have been not to show the death at all. In AA, they call it playing the tape: encouraging alcoholics to really think through in detail the exact sequence of events that will occur after relapse. It’s the same thing with suicide. To play the tape through is to see the ultimate reality that suicide is not a relief at all – it’s a screaming, agonizing, horror,” he wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, following the release of “13 Reasons Why” on March 31, speculations already swirled that a sequel could be in the works. Even though nothing has been finalized yet, there were also some rumors suggesting that Season 2 will revolve around Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) and how he survived after Hannah killed herself. Other characters, namely Zach (Ross Butler), Bryce (Justin Prentice), Jessica (Alisha Boe), Justin (Brandon Flynn), Tyler (Devid Druid), Tony (Christian Navarro), Sheri (Ajiona Alexus), Andy (Brian d’Arcy James), Mrs. Baker (Kate Walsh) and Mr. Porter (Derek Luke), will reportedly all return for Season 2.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writers of “13 Reasons Why” have already started working on potential storylines that will later on be pitched to the heads. In the coming weeks, Netflix will announce the official renewal of the hit series. However, it is unclear when exactly Season 2 will be released.