Selena Gomez is so over jokes about organ transplants on television – especially those at her expense.
On Tuesday (August 3), Selena went on Twitter to write, “I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing but sadly it has apparently. I hope in the next writer’s room when one of these tasteless jokes are presented it’s called out immediately and doesn’t make it on air.”
Her tweet comes after fans reacted to an episode of The Good Fight, which referenced her 2017 kidney transplant during a scene where the characters were brainstorming which topics were okay or not okay to talk about.
Fans rallied online, calling for “Respect Selena Gomez.”
“selena’s kidney transplant isn’t a joke so RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ ,” one fan wrote. “selena and francia deserve respect and love.”
“people are making fun of selena’s health now?! omfg i thought we got over this RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ,” another tweeted.
“Selena’s health is a very sensitive topic to every selenators whether they are admin of Sel’s fanpages or the peoples who loves Selena,” one person expressed. “We will not allow any of the show to make joke on Sel’s health. RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ”
Selena also thanked her fans for their support on Twitter.
“My fans always have my back. LOVE YOU,” she wrote on the thread, adding, “If you are able to please sign up to be an organ donor.”
This isn’t the first time that a show has received backlash for joking about her kidney transplant.
In November 2020, Saved By The Bell was called out for a scene involving the characters speculating the identity of her donor, despite Selena giving a public statement that she received a kidney from her close pal and fellow actor Francia Raisa at the time.
Peacock, NBCUniversal and the show’s executive producers has since issued an apology.
“We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena’s health,” their statement read. “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.”
