Selena Gomez's Fans Express Outrage Over Saved By the Bell Reboot Mocking Her Kidney Transplant
Theo Wargo/Getty Images Selena Gomez
Fans of Selena Gomez are expressing their outrage after Peacockās new Saved By the Bell reboot featured several references to the singerās 2017 kidney transplant.
In one scene from the new series, two students at Bayside High are arguing about who Gomezās transplant donor was. (Gomez has said it was close friend Francia RaĆsa)
āI know for a fact that Selena Gomezās kidney donor was Justin Bieberās mom,ā one character says. āGod I wish that I had my phone so I could prove it.ā
āProve what? That youāre an idiot,ā the other student responds. āIt was Demi Lovatoās kidney. Theyāre best friends, like you and I were.ā
wtf is wrong with this show and itās obsession with selenas health??? this is so disgusting and unnecessary @peacockTV @TraceyWigfield @bariotweets @RealPeterEngel pic.twitter.com/MgbPsI2bVy
— ? (@TayIenaVoodoo) November 28, 2020
In another scene, the words āDoes Selena Gomez even have a kidney?ā appear to be written on the walls in the schoolās hallway.
"We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selenaās 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.
āDoes Selena Gomez even have a kidney?ā This is fvcking disgusting and inappropriate @peacockTV! ??
RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ pic.twitter.com/6uYCbyNnV4— B!tch (@fetishofsmg) November 28, 2020
RELATED: Back to Bayside! Everything to Know About Peacock's Saved by the Bell Reboot
In response, fans of the āLose You to Love Meā singer got āRESPECT SELENA GOMEZā to trend on Twitter.
āWtf is wrong with this show and itās obsession with selenas health??? this is so disgusting and unnecessary,ā one fan wrote.
Others directly addressed Peacock, NBCUniversalās streaming service which houses Saved by the Bell.
.@peacockTV we demand an apology to @selenagomez for making fun of Selenaās health issues. 5M - 10M people die from kidney diseases every year. Serious health issues should never be a joke. Stop using Selenaās struggles for profit for your flop show. pic.twitter.com/qkeMRs2rDT
— Selena Gomez News (@musicfacts_sel) November 28, 2020
. @peacockTV You have no professional ethics. 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.
— Selena Gomez Votes. (@SGVoteSquad) November 28, 2020
RELATED: Saved by the Bell Reboot: Why Showrunner Wanted to Show Bayside High as a āBubble of Privilegeā
ā.@peacockTV we demand an apology to @selenagomez for making fun of Selenaās health issues,ā a Twitter user, writing from a Selena Gomez fan account, said. ā5M - 10M people die from kidney diseases every year. Serious health issues should never be a joke. Stop using Selenaās struggles for profit for your flop show.ā
āNot only did they make fun of her kidneys but they also spread misinformation and defamation about Selena,ā the fan continued in a second tweet. āThis shouldnāt be taken lightly.ā
ā. @peacockTV You have no professional ethics,ā another Twitter user added. āYou 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.ā
Selena Gomez Instagram
RELATED: Selena Gomez Reveals New Tattoo Commemorating Kidney Transplant in 'Rare' Music Video
Gomez first revealed that she had received a kidney transplant from grown-ish actress RaĆsa 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.
āThere arenāt words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia RaĆsa,ā Gomez said. āShe gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.ā
āMy kidneys were just done,ā she later explained in an interview on Today in October 2017. āThat was it, and I didnāt 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 thatās unbelievable. Thatās not real.ā