Selena Gomez received a kidney transplant in September 2017
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/selena-gomez-2000-54989260c0bf4123bd14e321018aa970.jpg)
Selena Gomez. PHOTO: THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES
Fans of Selena Gomez are expressing their outrage after Peacock’s new Saved By the Bell reboot featured several references to the singer’s 2017 kidney transplant.
In one scene from the new series, two students at Bayside High are arguing about who Gomez’s transplant donor was. (Gomez has said it was close friend Francia Raísa)
“I know for a fact that Selena Gomez’s kidney donor was Justin Bieber’s mom,” one character says. “God I wish that I had my phone so I could prove it.”
“Prove what? That you’re an idiot,” the other student responds. “It was Demi Lovato’s kidney. They’re best friends, like you and I were.”
In another scene, the words “Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?” appear to be written on the walls in the school’s hallway.
“We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena’s health. We have been in touch with her team and will be making a donation to her charity, The Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Research at USC,” Peacock, NBCUniversal and the show’s executive producers said in a statement, obtained by PEOPLE.
In response, fans of the “Lose You to Love Me” singer got “RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ” to trend on Twitter.
“Wtf is wrong with this show and it’s obsession with selenas health??? this is so disgusting and unnecessary,” one fan wrote.
Others directly addressed Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service which houses Saved by the Bell.
“.@peacockTV we demand an apology to @selenagomez for making fun of Selena’s health issues,” a Twitter user, writing from a Selena Gomez fan account, said. “5M – 10M people die from kidney diseases every year. Serious health issues should never be a joke. Stop using Selena’s struggles for profit for your flop show.”
“Not only did they make fun of her kidneys but they also spread misinformation and defamation about Selena,” the fan continued in a second tweet. “This shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“. @peacockTV You have no professional ethics,” another Twitter user added. “You should be ashamed to air a show where a person is mocked for their serious illness. It is not only offensive to Selena Gomez, but to all those who have had to go through a process as difficult as that.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(806x0:808x2):format(webp)/selena-gomez-1-20001-ead3431d8b0e4682b9e154ba13d66ce7.jpg)
Selena Gomez Instagram.
Gomez first revealed that she had received a kidney transplant from grown-ish actress Raísa in September 2017, after being open about her battle with lupus for several years.
Gomez shared a photo of the friends holding hands from their hospital beds as well as photos of her stomach following the surgery.
“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raísa,” Gomez said. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”
“My kidneys were just done,” she later explained in an interview on Today in October 2017. “That was it, and I didn’t want to ask a single person in my life. The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. She volunteered and did it. And let alone someone wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. The fact that she was a match, I mean that’s unbelievable. That’s not real.”
News
“Guilty as Charged!” – The Chilling First Words of Caitlin Clark’s Alleged Stalker in Court
A jaw-dropping moment has erupted online as a video surfaces showing the first words spoken in court by Michael Thomas Lewis, the man accused of stalking WNBA…
‘No way’ – Sophie Cunningham turns heads with Caitlin Clark-inspired outfit before Indiana Fever go on to lose
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham stunned fans with a Caitlin Clark-inspired outfit before their team’s eventual loss on Sunday. Cunningham, 28, has been in the spotlight since…
Sophie Cunningham slams WNBA referees for not protecting ‘star player’ Caitlin Clark after Indiana Fever bust-up
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has launched a stunning attack on referees for failing to protect the league’s top talent. The 28-year-old Indiana Fever guard has been dubbed Caitlin…
New Gruesome Slo-Mo Video Shows Close-Up Of Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles Exploding During Game 7 Of NBA Finals, And It Does Not Look Good
Tyrese Haliburton only had one more game to play this season, and he won’t be able to finish it. In the first quarter of Game 7 against the…
Simone Biles Speaks Out After Slamming Riley Gaines for Her Views on Transgender Athletes
Simone Biles is speaking out again after she slammed Riley Gaines for her views on transgender athletes in sports. Biles, 28, posted a lengthy message on X on Tuesday, June 10,…
Stephen A. Smith blew up the screen by calling Angel Reese a “jealous bully,” exposing her foul play and Caitlin Clark’s teasing. The backlash turned Reese into the WNBA’s new “villain” and fueled the question: Will her career crash before it really takes off?
The burgeoning rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark has become a defining narrative of the early WNBA season, carrying the intensity of their college battles into…
End of content
No more pages to load