Image Source: News18, HelloGiggles, Republic World
The "Look what you made me do'' singer definitely does not tolerate trolls, especially when it comes to her health. Recently, a social media user recently went a step further as he accused Selena Gomez of shunning responsibly for her heavy drinking joke. Of course, the criticism comes after Selena has undergone a kidney transplant, but the Disney starlet did not hold back as she gave the troll a piece of her find and defended her stance.
A specific comment left by a follower on Selena's post about her drinking habits was a bit too much for the star to tolerate. The internet fight between Selena and the commenter began when Selena posted a funny reaction duet to a health video by Dr. Dawn Bantel. The Only Murders in the Building star hence posted her genuine reaction to the health warning as the Dr. seriously drawled about "heavy drinking" limitations with respect to the health systems of men and women.
https://www.tiktok.com/@selenagomez/video/7036411526563138863?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
The reaction video by Selena plays as Dr. Dawn says in the background, “The CDC defines heavy drinking as 15 or more drinks a week for men,” and funnily enough, Selena raises her eyebrows in a joke as she hears the drinking limits for men, which is soon followed with the doctor limiting "8 or more drinks per week for women.” Knowing the severity of the issue and that drinking heavily is not a joke, Selena aptly labeled her video with a caption reading, “It's a Joke." However, many fans did not agree with the "Ice Cream" singer's humor and thought that the joke was not as funny as Selena might have thought it to be.
https://www.tiktok.com/@selenagomez
Of course, people were quick to come for the singer, and one fan went as far as to drag Selena's friend, who donated her a kidney into the whole mayhem of a video. The social media user wrote, "So one of your best friends gives you her kidney and you continue to drink excessively,” and added, “Damn Selena.” Of course, Selena is not the person to stay quiet and let people have their way. Hence, she once again clarified what she said in the caption, with a little more emphasis as she replied, “It was a joke ass.”
Not only was it Selena who clapped back at the user, but several of her fans also stepped in for the task defending the singer, while one added, “The fact you need to say that this is a joke..." and added a pleading face emoji before adding, "I love you.”
Notably, Selena had shared that she received a kidney transplant and her willing friend was the donor. In September 2017, the star underwent surgery and got a healthy kidney transplanted from Francia Raisa, aged 33. The star was also fighting with lupus at the time. The star has been very vocal about the life-saving help that she got from her friend and added that if she had not gotten the kidney transplant, she would have been as good as dead already because it had become a life-death matter.
The star talked with Today at the time and shared appreciation for her best friends as she said, “I guess I got to the point where it was really, kind of, life or death,” but her friend saved her from the terrible reality which would have been otherwise waiting for her. Selena has then taken the role of promoting kidney donations and has herself called out the media for their terrible kidney transplant jokes.
Just this year in August 2021, the “Lose You to Love Me” star had dragged The Good Fight for featuring a terrible joke on organ transplants. The star wrote, “I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows have become a thing but sadly it has, apparently.” She continued, “I hope in the next writer’s room when one of these tasteless jokes is presented it’s called out immediately and doesn’t make it on air.”
Again fans came to her defense taking on a fight with the Saved By the Bell reboot show which had cracked another joke about the matter. The show had shown a duo of friends casually chatting about Selena's transplant surgery like it did not matter more than common gossip. “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,” says one of the students, but the next one says, “Prove what? That you’re an idiot? It was Demi Lovato‘s kidney. They’re best friends like you and I were.” The most disgusting of it all is a spray-painted wall reading, “Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney.”
Fans were quick to serve backlash as one wrote on Twitter, “RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ…It’s NOT funny to mock someone for their illness!” Then another added, “What is wrong with people? Making ‘jokes’ about someone’s disease is not funny, it’s incredibly disrespectful!! She’s been through hell and she’s finally in a good and happy place in her life. RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ.” A third comment read, “Saved by the Bell, that’s disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant are NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez.”
Referencing Selena's constant battle with her mental and physical health, a user wrote, "What is wrong with people? Making "jokes" about someone's disease is not funny, it's incredibly disrespectful!! She's been through hell and she's finally in a good and happy place in her life. RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ."
The network finally had to issue a formal apology on the subject. The executive producer of the show on NBC issued a formal apology that read, “We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena’s health,” in the statement that was emailed to HollywoodLife. The streaming service also made a donation to Selena's charity after their terrible mishap and said, “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.”
Francia Raisa herself commented on the issue telling Variety, “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.”
Selena has been very vocal about making her donor seen and giving her the respect she deserves. Talking with Savannah Guthrie along with her close friend, Raisa, she said, “I just really hope we can help somebody. I really do. I don’t think what we went through was easy, I don’t think this was fun.” Sharing how her autoimmune disease had affected her kidneys, she said, “My kidneys were just done.”
“At the end of the day all of the stuff I went through defined me. It’s a really beautiful thing. It’s not a negative experience.” Selena later shared a post with her friend, which showed their scares from the surgery.
