'Saved By The Bell' Reboot Removes Selena Gomez Kidney References After Backlash

After receiving a lot of criticism for including several references to Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant, the creators of the “Saved By The Bell” reboot series have decided to remove the scenes from the show.

The show, which premiered on NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock last week, has taken down the scenes where the reboot appeared to mock the “Rare” singer’s 2017 kidney transplant, People has learned. The decision comes after Gomez’s fans began trending “Respect Selena Gomez” on Twitter over the weekend.

The whole controversy erupted after fans started sharing one controversial scene from the “Saved By The Bell” reboot on social media. The words written on one of the walls in Bayside High did not sit well with the singer’s fans.

The words read, “Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?” As soon as the clip surfaced online, social media users flocked to Twitter to defend the “Lose You To Love Me” singer and demand an apology from the show.

The outrage prompted NBCUniversal, Peacock and the show’s executive producers to issue an apology, which included a pledge to donate to Gomez’s lupus charity.

“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 obtained by CNN read.

Gomez hasn’t publicly commented on the controversy, but her friend and kidney donor Francia Raisa expressed her disappointment over the show mocking those who donate their organs to save other people’s lives.

“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,” Raisa wrote on Twitter.

Gomez opened up about her transplant in 2017 when she shared a picture of her and Raisa holding hands from their hospital beds following the surgery.

“So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis,” Gomez wrote in 2017.

Since then, the pop star has been raising awareness for lupus on social media. In August, Gomez urged her fans to donate to the Lupus Research Alliance, an organization that is doing a study to find a cure for the disease.

Last year, she explained how suffering from lupus gave her nightmares and contributed to other issues that affected her mental and physical health.

“It depends on even the month, to be honest, so for me, I really noticed when people started attacking me for that. That got me big time. That really messed me up for a bit,” Gomez said.