USA - How far does a mother's love really go? Mandy Teefey (49), mother of pop star and entrepreneur Selena Gomez (32), had to take out a mortgage on her house to pay the employees of her daughter's start-up!

As Forbes reported, Teefey is the sole managing director of the mental health start-up "Wondermind", which she founded together with Gomez.

However, the company based in the US city of Los Angeles ran into an unspecified crisis last March - and suddenly had no more money to pay its 15 employees.

They were only paid one of two outstanding salaries. Freelancers and service providers who worked for the company are still waiting for several "hundred thousand dollars".

In addition, "Wondermind" is said to owe a PR agency around 54,000 euros. The business magazine also found out that the employees' health insurance was terminated a few weeks ago.

Teefey then told her employees that she had taken out a mortgage on her house to pay off the outstanding debt.

According to reports, the start-up's problems began when Gomez's mother took over as sole director. Employees have since claimed that she does not have the necessary knowledge to run a company.

However, a representative of Wondermind rejected the accusations and emphasized that Teefey's leadership skills were good and that she always tried to secure everyone's livelihoods.

She also assured that the outstanding salaries would be paid on Monday.

Neither the 49-year-old nor the singer herself initially responded to an inquiry.

It remains unclear whether Selena Gomez will now help her mother financially. One thing is certain: the 32-year-old has several billion dollars in her bank account,mainly through her cosmetics brand "Rare Beauty".