Selena Gomez has described herself as "done playing" Alex Russo, the character she has portrayed since 2007, following the release of the four-part finale of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" on Disney+ on 4 August. The spin-off draws a line under a role that began on the original "Wizards of Waverly Place", which ran for four seasons before ending in 2012 and which Gomez later revived with co-star David Henrie. Speaking in an Entertainment Tonight special released the same day, she called the moment "surreal" and said she hoped the show would encourage audiences to rediscover family television.

Gomez also made her directorial debut on the finale's third instalment, which saw Jennifer Stone return as fan-favourite Harper Finkle after sitting out the spin-off's first two seasons; Stone said filming with Gomez again felt like "saying goodbye to your teenage self". Since the original series propelled her to stardom, Gomez has built a successful music career, notching 46 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including the 2019 number one "Lose You to Love Me", and released a new single, "Te Olvido (La La)", with husband Benny Blanco and Becky G in late July.