‘Saved By the Bell’ under fire for mocking Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant
Peacock is under fire for mocking Selena Gomez’s lupus diagnosis and kidney transplant in a recent episode of the “Saved By the Bell” reboot.
In the new series, which launched on the streaming service Thursday, Bayside High students argue over Gomez’s health history, according to The Wrap.
Two teens debate who donated a kidney to the 28-year-old — Pattie Mallette, the mother of her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber or her ex-best friend, Demi Lovato when one student quips, “Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?”
Gomez went under the knife in 2017 after being diagnosed with lupus. Her friend, actress Francia Raisa, donated her organ to Gomez.
On Saturday the star’s name and “RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ” trended on Twitter, as fans rushed to her defense, with many asking for the episode to be taken down.
One user wrote how the “Saved By the Bell” jokes brought her dad “to tears,” after their grandmother passed away from lupus. “This is something that affects me a lot,” the person wrote.
“Who in their right state of mind would even think that it was OKAY to joke about this!” wrote another Twitter user, posting an interview Gomez and Rasia did with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie after the operation.
“Freaking disgusting and disrespectful!!”
“Using what selena gomez went through for entertainment is blatantly insensitive and wrong. what she went through was real and it wasn’t easy,” posted another. “it’s so incredibly disgusting seeing it be used as a joke for entertainment.”
As of press time, more than 3,000 fans had signed a Change.org petition asking for “Saved By the Bell” to be canceled, citing the insensitive Gomez comments.
Peacock issued a mea culpa and said it will be donating to the mogul’s Rare Beauty foundation.
“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,” they told The Wrap.
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