Francia Raisa responded to NBCUniversal's apology after the "Saved By the Bell" reboot made jokes aboutSelena Gomez 's kidney transplant.- "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 tweeted.
- In a recent episode of the series, a student at the fictional Bayside High speculated about the validity of Gomez's 2017 transplant, as well as the identity of the donor.
- And in another scene, graffiti on a wall appears to say, "Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?"
- "We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena's health," NBCUniversal and the show's executive producers said in a statement to Variety.
Francia Raisa responded to NBCUniversal's apology after the reboot of "Saved by the Bell" made several jokes about Selena Gomez's 2017 kidney transplant.
On a recent episode of the show, currently streaming on NBCUniversal's Peacock, students at the fictional Bayside High argue over the validity of Gomez's transplant, as well as the identity of her donor. In another scene, graffiti on the wall appears to say "Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?"
After the episode drew backlash on Saturday, Peacock, NBCUniversal, and the "Saved By the Bell" reboot's executive producers issued a statement to Variety.
"We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena's health," they said in the statement. "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."
Raisa, who donated her kidney to her friend Gomez in 2017, subsequently replied to NBCUniversal's 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," the "Grown-ish" actress wrote.
—Francia Raisa (@franciaraisa) November 28, 2020
Twitter users were supportive of Raisa's statement, and condemned the show's handling of Gomez's kidney transplant.
—marta | taylor is re-recording rn (@watchseIgo) November 28, 2020
—(fan account) ⭐️ (@hitthelightsbby) November 28, 2020
— (@fakesaylor) November 28, 2020
—hails (@stainedexile) November 28, 2020
Raisa opened up about her experience being Gomez's donor shortly after the pair underwent surgery in 2017.
"I am beyond grateful that God would trust me with something that not only saved a life, but changed mine in the process," the "Secret Life of the American Teenager" actress wrote in an Instagram post at the time.
She shared the same photo that Gomez used to make her announcement about her transplant — a picture of the two side-by-side in hospital beds, hooked up to machines as they hold hands and smile at each other.
"This was part of our story, and we will share it soon," she wrote. "But what is important now is that this is not the only story."
Gomez and Raisa have been friends since 2007, after they met at a hospital.
- Read more:
- 6 things to know about Francia Raisa, the actress who selflessly donated her kidney to her best friend Selena Gomez
- Selena Gomez's best friend Francia Raisa speaks out about donating her kidney to the star
- 'She saved my life': Selena Gomez tearfully honors the friend who gave her a kidney
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