Mandy Teefey Denies Claim of Using Ritalin in Mental Health Office

Selena Gomez’s mother has issued a vehement denial over wild claims she ‘snorted Ritalin’ in her mental health startup’s office.

Mandy Teefey, 49, who welcomed Gomez, 33, when she was 16 with ex-husband Ricardo Joel Gomez, co-founded Wondermind with the billionaire singer and entrepreneur Daniella Pierson in 2021. 

The company was inspired by the founders’ respective mental health struggles but was hit by controversy in May 2025 when it emerged the platform was in financial crisis and had laid off 60 per cent of its employees.

In a The Cut expose, anonymous employees accused Wondermind CEO Teefey of erratic behavior, including ‘hallucinating’ a break-in at the business, sleeping over at the office for days and frequently getting IVS of liquid Benadryl, which she allegedly claimed were vitamin drips.

One anonymous staff member called Teefey’s office her ‘drug den’ – while another claimed they were in her office when she snorted ‘what they believe was a line of Ritalin’, an ADHD medication.

Teefey told the publication she did ‘absolutely not’ snort Ritalin in her office, adding in a statement: ‘I started Wondermind because I wanted to help people with mental illness. It’s unfortunate that a few disgruntled employees with an ax to grind can spread lies about me and distort the truth.’

Teefey was misdiagnosed with bipolar II disorder in her 20s. In 2017 she learned she had ADHD, which is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity.

It was claimed in September 2023 Teefey sent a ‘startling series of texts’ which were ‘muddled with typos’ to a group of her employees, alleging she believed she’d seen an intruder on the security footage at the company’s LA office.

The first sentence of the alleged message said: ‘There is someone drilling on the day, and the told me to go to sleep on a whisper through the ring. I’ve called the cops but I’m scared.’

Teefey later allegedly wrote back: ‘I’m f*****g shaking. I answered him and said I’m not going anywhere. And he said neither was he.’

It was claimed an employee checked the office’s Ring camera remotely and did not hear anyone, with Teefey allegedly saying she could ‘hear [the intruder] rustling under.’

Another employee who lived nearby drove to the office and ‘found an LAPD cruiser parked outside’. It was claimed when this employee called Teefey from the car that she thanked him for coming and said he could go home.

Police did not make any arrests and allegedly noted in a report there was ‘no evidence of trespass’ at the building.   

Teefey denied claims she hallucinated the intruder, saying the office was in a ‘very sketchy neighborhood … We had a huge homeless community that would roam in and out of our building.’

One of Wondermind’s four remaining employees Jonathan Glucksman sent The Cut a video which he says corroborates Teefey’s account of the alleged intruder.

Her representative added the intruder could be heard on tape.

Staff claimed Teefey would go through phases of sleeping in the office and ‘seemed to stay for days without bathing’ and ‘sometimes without changing her clothes.’

They said Teefey saw the office as her ‘refuge’ and stayed there rather than driving 20 miles back to her Woodland Hills home.

Teefey told The Cut she had ‘occasionally’ slept in the suite ‘when I was doing everything on my own’ because she was advised not to drive at night due to her seizures.

Her agent added that this showed she was ‘working hard.’

Employees also alleged she would be seen through the glass walls of her office watching Schitt’s Creek for hours ‘in the middle of the workday, ‘surrounded by takeout boxes and packages from luxury brands.’

It was claimed she would often order delivery ‘multiple times a day’ from McDonalds’s and Kristy Kreme, with several staffers alleging the boxes accumulated and gathered flies. 

It was further claimed her parcels of designer goods – including an alleged $40,000 of goods from Neiman Marcus – ‘nearly filled an entire room.’

Teefey denied there was any takeout debris, flies or delivery boxes and said watching TV was due to needing something ‘playing in the background.

She said: ‘It’s part of my ADHD and helps me focus.’

Staff claimed a ‘rotation of nurses’ regularly came by to administer Teefey with vitamin IV drops – and said they heard Teefey and one nurse say she was actually receiving liquid Benadryl, typically used for allergic reactions.

It was claimed Teefey told former staffers she ‘needed the injections to deal with allergies and the aftermath of severe COVID and double pneumonia in late 2021.’

Employees claimed after the injections Teefey ‘spoke slowly and seemed drowsy.’

They claimed her younger daughter also came to the office for sleepovers – Teefey said this only happened once.

Teefey would not go into the specifics of what medication she took. 

Glucksman, Wondermind’s chief of staff Emma Wright and one other employee spoke on the record in support of Teefey. 

Another former staffer claimed Gomez was aware of her mom’s issues, saying: ‘I will say this with the utmost certainty — no doubt, hesitation in my mind. Selena knew her mother was not well enough to be running that company.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez for comment and has yet to hear back. 

A rep for the organization acknowledged to Forbes in May that the company had been dealing with ‘growing pains,’ the situation was subsequently ‘rectified,’ and changes have been made to ensure business will go on as usual – and that everyone gets paid on time moving forward.

‘In the coming days we will be transitioning into a new chapter for Wondermind,’ said the rep, ‘and continuing our important work in mental fitness that helps hundreds of thousands of people.’

Teefey told workers  that she had taken loans out against her personal home to keep the startup funded amid tough times and workers not being paid since late March, sources told the financial publication.

Teefey was able to make good on partial monies owed with the cash infusion from the home loan, according to the outlet.

But a source told People Sunday that Teefey didn’t actually take out a loan to make payroll, adding that Gomez herself ‘immediately invested more money’ into the company upon learning it was having money troubles.

The Daily Mail reached out to Teefey, Wondermind and reps for Gomez for further comment on the Forbes report at the time.

Gomez – who heads the successful Rare Beauty makeup brand – ‘is not involved in the day-to-day operations’ at Wondermind.

Gomez ‘has invested millions of dollars over the years into [the company] to support her mother and their shared passion for mental health,’ the source told People.

Still, Forbes reported that Wondermind owes freelancers and vendors a reported ‘tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars.’

In a statement titled ‘Our Commitment To Mental Fitness’ on its page, the company stresses people take daily measures to make sure they are staying mentally healthy and sharp.

‘Mental fitness means working on your mental health— – whatever that looks like to you,’ the company said. ‘It takes more than an inspirational quote to really change your mindset.

But showing up for your mental health shouldn’t be expensive, inaccessible, or time consuming.

The statement continued: ‘Even if you’re lucky enough to see a therapist, making time for your mind in between sessions can go a long way. That’s what we’re here for—to give you easy, doable ways to put your mental fitness first every day.’

Wondermind subsequently said it provides a platform for practice; the necessary tools; and platforms for important conversations.