Selena Gomez fans are defending the singer after her health was mocked during an episode of Peacock’s reboot of Saved by the Bell.
During a scene in the new series, which premiered Nov. 25 on the NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock, two high school students are seen arguing about who the donor was for Gomez’s kidney transplant in 2017.
The 28-year-old singer has lived with Lupus for many years and underwent a kidney transplant about three years ago. She later revealed that the donor was her best friend Francia Raisa.
“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,” one character says. The other student replies, “Prove what? That you’re an idiot? It was Demi Lovato’s kidney. They’re best friends, like you and I were.”
In a later scene, the words “Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?” are written near some lockers on the walls of the high school.
Selenators definitely didn’t find the scenes funny. Many took to social media to call for the removal of Saved by the Bell from Peacock, and started the trend “RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ” on Twitter.
“using what selena gomez went through for entertainment is blatantly insensitive and wrong,” one fan tweeted. “what she went through was real and it wasn’t easy. it’s so incredibly disgusting seeing it be used as a joke for entertainment. RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ.”
Another wrote, “.@peacockTV we demand an apology to @selenagomez for making fun of Selena’s health issues. 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.”
In September 2017, Gomez revealed she had undergone a kidney transplant to combat her lupus, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that sometimes causes kidney failure, when she posted an Instagram picture of hers holding hands with grown-ish star and kidney donor Raisa in their adjacent hospital beds.
Below, see more social media reactions to Gomez’s health issues being joked about on the new Save by the Bell.
