NBC apologizes for Selena Gomez kidney transplant joke on 'Saved by the Bell' reboot
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 11/30/2020, 1:59 p.m.
Selena Gomez revealed in 2017 that she had a transplant after battling lupus for several years.
Credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
By Chloe Melas, CNN
(CNN) -- NBC Universal is apologizing to Selena Gomez after one of its newest shows mocked her kidney transplant.
The joke referencing Gomez's health issues is made on Peacock's "Saved by the Bell" reboot, during its sixth episode.
"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 student says.
In another scene, graffiti on a wall behind students reads, "Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?"
The episode ignited backlash on social media, with many of Gomez's fans coming to her defense.
"We apologize," NBC said in a statement issued to CNN on Monday. "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."
CNN has reached out to Gomez's representatives for comment.
Gomez revealed in 2017 that she had the transplant after battling lupus for several years. She received the kidney from her best friend, Francia Raisa, who addressed the incident and subsequent apology on Twitter.
"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," she wrote.
