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Mandy Teefey is responding to allegations about her behavior at her mental-health company Wondermind.
Teefey and her daughter, actress and pop star Selena Gomez, founded Wondermind in 2021 with beleaguered former co-CEO Daniella Pierson. On Wednesday, Sept. 3, New York magazine’s The Cut published an article looking into Teefey’s leadership of the company, which reportedly laid off nine of its 15 staffers in May.
In The Cut story, an anonymous former staffer claimed that they were once in Teefey’s Wondermind office in West Hollywood and witnessed her snort what they believed to be Ritalin.
When asked if she had snorted the drug in the office, Teefey, 49, told The Cut: “Absolutely not.”
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Ritalin is a stimulant that is prescribed to treat attention-defecit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Teefey has previously publicly confirmed that she was diagnosed with ADHD, and The Cut reported that she has been prescribed the drug.
In The Cut’s story, several anonymous former staffers shared concerns over Teefey’s ability to run Wondermind.
In a statement shared with the outlet, Teefey added, “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. Even more disappointing that the media is willing to amplify their lies.”
In May, Forbes reported that Teefey had told Wondermind employees that she took out a loan against her home to pay back the company’s outstanding debts amid alleged financial concerns. Those debts, per the outlet, included employees missing a recent paycheck, while freelancers and vendors awaited unpaid funds.
At the time, a source told PEOPLE that Teefey and Gomez, Wondermind’s chief impact officer, both stepped in to take action for their employees, while denying that Teefey took out a loan to pay salaries.
“Selena has invested millions of dollars over the years into Wondermind to support her mother and their shared passion for mental health, including when she was alerted about the most recent financial setback, and immediately invested more money as she’s not involved in the day-to-day operations,” the source tells PEOPLE. “To invest in the future of the company, Mandy has chosen to take the lead here with a personal loan to invest in the future of the company.”
