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In a painfully ironic twist, an episode of The Good Fight that tackled "cancel culture" has been met with an abundance of backlash.
The fourth episode of the series' fifth season features a scene in which investigator Jay, played by Nyambi Nyambi, asks if there are any subjects which are simply "off-limits" for jokes.
Jim, played by Ifádansi Rashad, declares: "Selena Gomez's Kidney Transplant."
When will people stop doing this !!! RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ https://t.co/QdLX2PUTYo— me Lᴊ (@me Lᴊ) 1627953987.0
Fellow investigator Marissa, played by Sarah Steele, subsequently asks if they "can get canceled for even joking about being canceled".
The answer would seem to be yes.
In 2017, actress and singer Selena Gomez announced she had undergone a kidney transfer after being diagnosed with lupus.
She posted a photo of herself in her hospital bed, hand in hand with her donor, actor Francia Raisa.
Selena's fans, or "selenators," were not at all happy that The Good Fight would make a joke at the expense of someone's health, and made their displeasure known on Twitter.
As a result, RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ swiftly began trending.
the kidney transplant was a life threatening situation and i don’t understand how it could ever cross someone’s min… https://t.co/wufb4C9KLL— feli (@feli) 1627952797.0
Show some respect to her, she is such an unproblematic celebrity, she loves her selenators so much. She didn't get… https://t.co/6jq1UDoNeH— selenagomez_fanpage (@selenagomez_fanpage) 1627956617.0
this woman deserves all the love and happiness, it's so sad how people use a hurtful moment for her just for nasty… https://t.co/ayR8iM0M1b— . (@.) 1627954184.0
selena's transplant isn't something to joke about, she and francia deserve better RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ https://t.co/dcsmcEsUVJ— ً (@ً) 1627953726.0
how miserable do you have to be to take someone’s trauma/illness/struggles and use them for jokes, like just be a d… https://t.co/zI5dstptL4— feli (@feli) 1627953310.0
Gomez herself also took to Twitter to express her disappointment that The Good Fight used her very personal experience as a joke.
I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing but sadly it has ap… https://t.co/mkCqdn3jHi— Selena Gomez (@Selena Gomez) 1628033236.0
"I'm not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing, but sadly it has apparently."
"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."
As alluded to in her tweet, this, rather surprisingly, isn't the first time Gomez's kidney transplant was used as a punchline on television.
An episode of the first season of the Saved By The Bell revival on Peacock made multiple jokes about Gomez's procedure.
One scene had two background actors arguing over whether Gomez's donor was Demi Lovato or Justin Bieber's mother, and another featured a wall spray painted with the question, "Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?"
Fans were quick to express their disgust, resulting in NBC issuing a formal apology, while also removing the scene from the streaming platform, and making a donation to The Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Research at USC.
Representatives from CBS and The Good Fight have yet to comment on the matter.
But Lopez's "Selenators" once again came en masse to applaud her classy response.
@selenagomez KILL EM WITH KINDNESS— burbuja (@burbuja) 1628033262.0
@selenagomez Exactly! It’s disgusting that you have to address this & that us as your fans have to constantly defen… https://t.co/3QeQ28QwZA— Lima🦋🦚💗✨ (@Lima🦋🦚💗✨) 1628033346.0
@selenagomez it’s absolutely disgusting that this thought would even cross someone’s mind ever let alone to say on… https://t.co/aD293AKm1U— Laura (@Laura) 1628033407.0
The support from her "Selenators" did not go unnoticed by Gomez, who expressed her gratitude on Twitter, while also promoting being an organ donor.
My fans always have my back. LOVE YOU. If you are able to please sign up to be an organ donor https://t.co/4GSEiHEfEf— Selena Gomez (@Selena Gomez) 1628033236.0