Selena Gomez has called out a “tasteless” joke about her kidney transplant that aired on the CBS legal drama The Good Fight.
In the 17 July episode of the show, characters Marrisa, Jay, and Jim played by actors Sarah Steele, Nyambi Nyambi and Ifádansi Rashad discuss comedy’s so-called “cancel culture”, revealing jokes they think are too controversial.
Jay claims that comedians “need a permission slip to tell a joke” in today’s climate, after which he asks his colleagues about jokes they felt were inappropriate.
“Necrophilia,” “autism” and “Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant,” were some of the things Jay’s co-workers mention.
Gomez, 29, hit out on the scene on Twitter.
“I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing but sadly it has apparently,” she wrote.
“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,” she continued, adding, “My fans always have my back. LOVE YOU.”
She also posted a organ donor link to OrganDonor.gov, writing: “If you are able to please sign up to be an organ donor.”
In September 2017, the “Good For You” singer revealed that she had received a kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa following organ damage caused by the autoimmune disease lupus, which she has battled for several years.
At the time, the singer shared a photo of herself and Raisa holding hands from their hospital beds as well as photos of her stomach following the surgery.
This isn’t the first time the “Lose You To Love Me” singer’s transplant has been joked about on television.
In 2020, NBC issued an apology after facing backlash to jokes about Gomez’s kidney transplant in Peacock’s Saved by the Bell reboot.
The episode saw two high-school students gossiping about the identity of Gomez’s donor after the school confiscated all their phones and left them in the dark about pop culture.
“I know for a fact that Selena Gomez’s kidney donor was Justin Bieber’s mom,” one student speculated.
“It was Demi Lovato’s kidney,” the other replied. “They’re best friends like you and I were.”
In a later scene, graffiti spray-painted in the background of a scene read: “Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?”
The episode was widely criticised by Gomez’s fans, who accused Peacock of making light of the singer’s illness.
