Selena Gomez was not pleased by her shout-out in a recent episode of The Good Fight. The Paramount+ series mentioned Gomez in a recent episode where a group of comedy writers was trying to determine which topics were offensive and off-limits. Gomez thought that the moment was callous and unnecessary.
The joke in question came in an episode where characters are trying to brainstorm joke ideas for a TV executive played by Wayne Brady. Jay (Nyambi Nyambi) complains that comedians are stifled by sensitive audiences, and the group agrees wryly that off-limits topics should include necrophilia, autism and “Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant.” After fans raged about this quip on social media, Gomez weighed in with a tweet of her own on Tuesday.
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I am 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.
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) August 3, 2021
“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.”
Gomez followed up with a link to OrganDonor.gov, where eligible individuals can sign up to donate certain organs to patients in need. Gomez’s tweet got over 134,000 likes and over 22,000 retweets, with many fans weighing in with stories of their own.
“As an organ transplant patient, I can say it is no laughing matter. It is a long stressful experience that leaves both the transplanted and their family with tremendous stress,” one person wrote. Another countered: “Girl, I love you. But you are making this a bigger deal than it is. There is more important stuff going on right now.”
A source close to The Good Fight gave an anonymous comment to Variety, saying that Gomez was taking the joke out of context. They said: “If you watch the episode in full, the reference to Selena Gomez is part of a discussion the characters are having about topics that are not okay to make fun of and the idea of cancel culture and being canceled for telling a bad joke. The reference is that Selena Gomez’s transplant is not something you can joke about.”
Gomez received a kidney transplant in 2017 from her close friend. She was similarly upset when the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock made a joke about it back in November. At the time, Peacock issued a formal apology and removed the joke from the series. There’s no sign that The Good Fight will follow suit. The show airs on Wednesdays on Paramount+.
Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.
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HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Singer/actress Selena Gomez and actress Francia Raisa arrive at the Billboard Women In Music 2017 at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 30, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) -
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 12: Selena Gomez attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
