- Selena Gomez has revealed the quirky nickname she gave her donated kidney is Fred.
- In an interview with Rolling Stone, she says she named the organ after comedian Fred Armisen.
- Gomez, 30, required a kidney transplant in 2017 following complications from her lupus diagnosis.
Turns out, Selena Gomez nicknamed her donated kidney after a special someone.
During her interview for Rolling Stone’s November cover, Gomez detailed her new Apple TV documentary “My Mind and Me,” an intimate film showcasing her struggle with her mental and physical health. Gomez suffers from Lupus, an autoimmune disease affecting over 1.5 million people in America, according to the Lupus Foundation.
Gomez’s health took a turn for the worse in 2017, when she required a kidney transplant due to complications from Lupus. In an Instagram post announcing the surgery, the Rare Beauty founder revealed her close friend Francia Raísa became her donor.
“She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me,” Gomez wrote. “It was what I needed to do for my overall health.”
Despite the trauma that might come from undergoing life-saving surgery, Gomez appears to have kept her humor throughout the process. She told Rolling Stone that she went so far as to nickname her new kidney “Fred,” after the comedian Fred Armisen.
“I named it after Fred Armisen because I love Portlandia. I’ve never met him, but I’m secretly hoping he finds that out,” she said. “I want him to be like, ‘That’s weird.’”
Armisen, 55, created and starred in “Portlandia,” a sketch comedy television that ran from 2011 to 2018. He is also known for his work on “Saturday Night Life,” and for his upcoming portrayal of Uncle Fester in “Wednesday,” set to debut on Netflix on November 23.
Representatives for Armisen did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.