Selena Gomez's kidney donor speaks out after Saved By The Bell controversy
- by Leland Aguilar
- in Entertaiment
- — Dec 1, 2020
The creators of the rebooted Saved By The Bell have apologised after loads of people criticised the show for joking about Selena Gomez's kidney transplant.
In the sixth episode of Saved By The Bell reboot, the writers included a quip about the identity of the donor of Selena's kidney.
"God, I wish that I had my phone so that I could prove it".
In response, the other character said, "Prove what?" It was Demi Lovato's kidney kidney.
She does, and one of them was donated by best friend Francia Raisa.
In another scene, showing a football player talking to a girl, on the wall behind them reads, "DOES SELENA GOMEZ EVEN HAVE KIDNEYS?" in painted or graffiti-like bold lettering.
The Saved By The Bell sequel to the original TV series aired November 25 in the U.S. on Peacock.
Another said: "A TV show called "saved by the bell" has 'does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?' written on the wall. this is so disgusting and unnecessary".
However, the broadcast network and streaming service have reportedly issued an apology to Gomez and will be making a charitable donation to remedy the situation, according to a statement sent to Variety.
Of course, the producers did acknowledge patients and donors by making a donation to Selena's lupus research fund at the University of Southern California.
In 2015, Gomez went public with her lupus diagnosis, for which she had previously received chemotherapy. In the interview, done alongside Raisa, Gomez says as she fights tears, "I just really hope that we can help somebody".
The new Saved by the Bell began streaming on Peacock on November 25. All 10 episodes are now available to stream on Peacock.
Francia then took to Twitter to address the apology.
Francia has since tweeted about the episode, praising other donors for performing a "selfless act".
The Spring Breakers star suffers from Lupus, and in 2017 she required a kidney transplant.
Watch the scene and see fan reactions, below.
Afterwards, she shared a picture of herself and Francia lying side by side in their hospital beds and holding hands.
The two have been friends for years, and Gomez spoke publicly about the life-saving sacrifice Raisa made for her. You're so courageous and your selfless act is much appreciated and valued!'
"I didn't want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up", she wrote in September on Instagram.
