Selena Gomez fans are expressing their outrage on social media after the singer’s life-threatening kidney transplant surgery and health issues were used as a punchline on the Saved By the Bell reboot.
Immediately after the revival was released on NBC Universal’s streaming service on Wednesday, viewers expressed their anger over the ‘disgusting and unnecessary’ quips at the 28-year-old singer’s expense.
Some of the jokes included having a pair of students argue over the identity of her organ donor to graffiti in the hallway, which read: ‘Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?’
Upset fans: Selena Gomez’s life-threatening kidney transplant surgery and health issues became a tone-deaf punchline during a new episode of the Saved By the Bell reboot
The former Disney star, who underwent a transplant following organ damage caused by the autoimmune disease lupus in 2017, received a new kidney from longtime pal Francia Raisa.
Despite documenting her experience on social media and publicly thanking her pal, one scene of Saved By the Bell showed two teens at odds over the donor’s name.
‘I know for a fact that Selena Gomez’s kidney donor was Justin Bieber’s mom. God, I wish that I had my phone so that I could prove it,’ a female student said.
The former Disney star, who underwent a transplant following organ damage caused by the autoimmune disease lupus in 2017, received a new kidney from longtime pal Francia Raisa
Not funny: Immediately after the revival was released on NBC Universal’s streaming service on Wednesday, viewers expressed outrage over the ‘disgusting and unnecessary’ at the 28-year-old singer’s expense
Bizarre jokes: Some of the jokes included having a pair of students argue over the identity of her organ donor to panning to graffiti on a wall, which read: ‘Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?’
Background: The former Disney star, who underwent a transplant following organ damage caused by the autoimmune disease lupus in 2017, received a new kidney from Francia Raisa
The other student fired back, ‘Prove what? That you’re an idiot? It was Demi Lovato’s kidney. They’re best friends, like you and I were.’
Fans of Gomez were perplexed and enraged at the jokes, which diminished the Rare Beauty founder’s health issues, past relationship with Justin Bieber and jab about the end of her and Demi Lovato’s longtime friendship.
‘Saved by the Bell, that’s disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant are NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez,’ one social media user tweeted.
Shots fired: Despite documenting her experience on social media and publicly thanking her pal, one scene of Saved By the Bell showed two teens at odds over the donor’s name
Insensitive: Fans of Gomez were perplexed and enraged at the jokes, which diminished the Rare Beauty founder’s health issues, past relationship with Justin Bieber and jab about the end of her and Demi Lovato’s longtime friendship
Another jumped on to point out not only did the reboot ‘make jokes about Selena’s lupus experience and kidney transplant, ‘they made digs at an old relationship and friendship that were both left on bad terms.’
‘That’s f**cked up,’ the Gomez defender concluded, as ‘Respect Selena Gomez’ became a trending topic on Twitter.
Sharing a clip of one of the most inappropriate jests, a fan account for the Ice Cream hitmaker stressed that ‘Selena almost lost her life’ and these jokes were ‘not funny.’
‘Saved by the Bell, that’s disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant is NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez,’ one social media user tweeted
‘Some facts about this surgery: It lasted 9 HOURS due to the severity – they needed a SECOND vein from her leg in a 2nd operation from complications that would’ve killed her,’ another fan wrote on Twitter. ‘How is this funny in anyway? It isn’t. Grow up.’
Following her operation, the child star revealed she would have died had it not been for Raisa volunteering to give one of her kidneys when her organs went into failure.
‘It was really kind of life or death,’ Gomez told Savannah Guthrie on Today in October 2017.
‘How is this funny in anyway? It isn’t. Grow up,’ on Twitter wrote, after reminding people Gomez’s surgery had life-threatening complications
Scary: Gomez, who has a staggering Instagram following of 152 million, revealed the transplant on September 14 by sharing a photograph of her and Francia in their hospital gowns holding hands
Gomez, who quickly bounced back to work, also revealed that she did not want to ask ‘a single person’ for an organ when she discovered she needed the transplant.
When Guthrie probed: ‘You feel like Francia saved your life?’ the singer responded without hesitation: ‘Because she did. That’s it.’
Gomez revealed her transplant by sharing a photograph of her and Francia in their hospital gowns holding hands with her 152 million Instagram followers.
Bad breakup: Another jumped on to point out not only did the reboot ‘make jokes about Selena’s lupus experience and kidney transplant, they made digs at an old relationship and friendship that were both left on bad terms; seen in 2011 with ex Justin Bieber
Former BFFs: Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez’s close friendship, which began as kids working on Barney and teens starring on their own Disney Channel shows, has grifted apart over the years; pictured in 2011
Selena gushed that ‘there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.’
Shortly thereafter Francia told Us Weekly about the aftereffects of the procedure, saying: ‘It’s harder as the donor because we are losing something our body didn’t need to lose, so trying to recover from that, and she’s gaining something her body needed. So she’s up and at it immediately and I had a hard time.’
The experience, she said, ‘was very humbling. I couldn’t take a shower by myself, I had to have someone help me because I couldn’t move.’
Grateful: In late September, she proudly showed off her kidney transplant scar in a blue one-piece and spoke of body confidence
