Fans of Selena, who are also known as Selenators, previously put the show on blast over the insensitive scenes on the reboot in addition to trending 'RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ' on Twitter.
- Dec 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - "Saved by the Bell" reboot has made adjustment following backlash over scenes featuring references to Selena Gomez's kidney transplant. In response to fans outrage, Peacock has now decided to remove the said scenes, PEOPLE confirms.
One of the scenes on the reboot saw two students at Bayside High arguing over whether the singer transplant donor was her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber's mom or singer Demi Lovato. Meanwhile, another scene featured someone writing on the walls in the school's hallway, "Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?"
Fans of Selena, who are also known as Selenators, put the show on blast on Saturday, November 28 in addition to trending "RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ" on Twitter, demanding an apology from the show and network. "You have no professional ethics. You should be ashamed to air a show where a person is mocked for their serious illness," one of them wrote. "It is not only offensive to Selena Gomez, but to all those who have had to go through a process as difficult as that."
Following the backlash, Peacock, NBCUniversal and the show's executive producers released a joint statement in which they expressed remorse over the insensitive scenes. "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," the statement read.
Francia Raisa, Selena's close friend as well as her kidney donor, reacted to the apology. Writing on Twitter on Saturday, the "Grown-ish" star wrote, "Appreciate the apology but let's not forget about the donors that potentially felt offended and dismissed from the spray paint written on the wall."
"As a kidney donor I want to show love and let other donors know that you are not alone. You are seen. You are appreciated. You are so brave and your selfless act is very much appreciated and valued!" she went on saying.
Selena underwent a kidney transplant due to her lupus diagnosis back in 2017. "My kidneys were just done," she explained at the time. "That was it, and I didn't want to ask a single person in my life. The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. She volunteered and did it. And let alone someone wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. The fact that she was a match, I mean that's unbelievable. That's not real."
